A-Jay

The Chicago Bears are a proud & storied franchise, but lately they've looked like ~ The Cubs. A-Jay

Nice Bass ~ Congrats A-Jay

You know this guy really loves anglers that don't use braid while frog fishing the slop. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

For me, it's all about the journey and the eventual destination. While I'm on it, whatever I can use that makes that pleasant & successful, I'm going with. But I will say that when I'm posing with a Super Beast, I'm not really thinking about the tackle anymore. A-Jay

Thanks and You've got that right ~ ! A-Jay

It's not the air temps that drive the opportunity, it's ice out & the season opener. The opportunities to catch bass are there as soon as the ice melts. Some years the ice is out before the opener so that a no go. Other years the opener happens Before the ice is out - which is a real tease. On the average Ice is completely out on most lakes by the first or second week in April and the season opens the third Sat of that month. So it will be A while. A-Jay

This rig might reduce some of the weeds one picks up but won't eliminate it. The situation the OP is describing may not be the best place to fish a jig or any nose weighted bottom bait. Perhaps a drop shot or a Carolina rig - a technique that will present a bait above the bottom cover making it easier for the fish to find. Either way - here's the rig. A-Jay

Hello & Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Obviously we'll never know for sure, but between the Vet, Animal Control and our own experience, the general consensus is Dutch Shepherd mixed with . . Something else. We're going with Awesomeness. We happen to have a Dutch Shepherd now - Roxi - and there seems to be some similarities both in appearance, size and in temperament. A-Jay Roxi

My wife and I were at the Local animal shelter a few days ago. We do some volunteer work there which includes fostering special needs and especially large breed dog as well as assisting in home placement, so we see and interact with many dogs on a regular basis. While we were there a stray puppy which was running loose, was caught and brought to the shelter. We fell in love . Every once in a while a dog comes along and you just know there’s something good & special about them. Well Lynn & I both looked at each other with the "we gotta have this puppy" face. So, a few days later, “Baylee” was starting her new life with us as a member of our pack. She is a real stunner with a fantastic temperament / personality to boot and we could not be any happier. A-Jay

Probably not ~ But I'll offer you this - all 10 the largest bass (lmb) I've landed have been caught on mono. So perhaps it depends on the time, the place, the mono & the angler . . . . . A-Jay

Since I started fishing well before the current "braided Line" was invented and sold commercially, I grew up using mono - the original Stren was about all I used. It worked fine, mostly because we didn't have anything else so there was nothing to compare it to. Fast forward several years. When Braid first came on the market I wasn't bass fishing. I was smack dab in the middle of a striped bass / surf fishing addiction. Very long casts are common place and quite necessary. For that application, the new braid was a Game Changer. Forward a few more years, I'm back to bass fishing now. And I took the lessons I learned using braid in the salt water, down sized them and applied them to the sweet water. Worked well. But recently, say in the past two season or so, I have been using mono again quite a bit. And I have to admit that I like it for a few bass fishing application; most involve short to medium target casting with treble hook baits & when heaving large swimbaits. Big Game is a decent mono but I've gained a ton of confidence in Maxima Ultragreen both as a leader for braid and as a main line. A-Jay

Thanks you very much for the vote of confidence but I'd encourage you to take a brief look at the 5 day forecast link below. Despite doing almost 30 years on the North Atlantic, fishing from the Old Town requires prudence. A-Jay http://www.weather.com/weather/5-day/49735

Hello John and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

The video & the response here are decent display of just how challenging effective communication really is when attempting to appeal to the masses. A-Jay

Until recently I was exclusively Full length cork. Then I decided to try Eva was well as split grip. Don't hate but still prefer the full length cork. Though this wasn't an option here, I do like the Xtreme-Skin handle St Croix puts on the LegendXtreme line even better than a quality cork. A-Jay

Nice Trip Congrats A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Yea ~ I did. I tossed back a few that trip. I don't routinely bring the fish box with me - it's a space availability issue in the Old Town. And you can bet the days I don't have it, I should and the days I bring it - I end up not needing it. What really kills me is when the rainbows show up thick. Often they end up just flopping around on the deck - They are just that tasty . . . . A-Jay

Good Dog ~ So the old Lab is thinking "OK, doesn't look like you're gonna make it so I'll meet you half way" A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Hello Colin and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay