A-Jay

I've done this successfully a couple of times, but rather than waiting for something to happen, I got the ball rolling myself. After seeing some of the repeated fantastic catches / pictures in the reports section by some very accomplished BR members, I simply contacted a couple and asked about fishing together. Long story short ~ Several new Personal best bass ~ Largemouth and Smallmouth. Best part is I made a couple of very good friends. A-Jay

This is my first season fishing blade baits - at least seriously anyway. I had decent success with casting gear but much, much better success with spinning gear. Seems like the smallies like to follow / chase these baits a bit before they commit. So a longer cast has proven very beneficial here. A 7'4" stick, a reel loaded with 10-15 lb braid and a longer 10-12 lb mono leader works well for me. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Got out a few days ago for what will be the last trip of 2014, in fact it's snowing as I type this one up. The day started and ended pretty cold. The few times there was sun it was almost pleasant. Fished various blade baits all day and enjoyed some decent action as the bass (and small walleye) were still in a chewing mood. I caught the only lmb I've ever seen in this lake which is odd. Last smallie of the day was a real nice fish in every way. From the location, to the take, right through the fight and into the net, it will be nice to have that one to think about over the winter. A-Jay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGz9vXrru-U

Nice Bronzeback Congrats ~ A-Jay

Hello Tony and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Nice Fatty ~ Congrats A-Jay

Those Lake Erie Smallies are indeed special & no doubt Addicting. I have become somewhat obsessed myself - and I will never be able to Thank Mr D Hottle enough. However, after thinking about all the different fishing situations & ways to fish, my favorite has to be Chunking & Winding - something - anything; doesn't really matter where, when or what species I after or what I'm throwing. There's just something about making long casts and spinning that reel handle over & over that pushes my "this is cool" button. So if you think of all the baits / techniques that covers, there's no doubt I'm smiling quite a bit. This is not to say, however that I don't enjoy many the other presentations, I do, just not as much. A-Jay

Why yes - that does make me feel better. Thank you. A-Jay

Try the "HD" version . . . . A-Jay

Paging Rosetta Stone . . . . please come to the service desk . . . . . . A-Jay

Nice Bag ~ A-Jay

I use 40 ~ 65 pound braided line, either suffix 832 or Power Pro. There's just no good reason not to use braid. A-Jay

It's always hard to tell what to expect here. Before last winter, the total snow fall for the previous two winters was relatively sparse, but still brutally cold. With and average around 150" annually, the close to 190" we got last winter seemed a little overwhelming. Shoveling off the roof of my home is not something I look forward to. A-Jay

Hello Jake and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

"Best" is a relative term when it comes to economy priced fluorocarbon line. A-Jay

Just Fish at Night. There's a good chance you'll be the only one on the water. A-Jay

I look at the first bite as the first "piece of the puzzle" for that day is in place. Sometimes it takes several more "pieces" before the bass fishing picture becomes clearer. At the very least, if I land it, it means I'm not getting skunked. A-Jay

Been having decent success with blade baits recently but haven't tried the feathers yet. Might be a decent way of slowing the bait's fall a bit if that's called for. A-Jay

The aspect of my angling that falls into the trump card category and provides me a fair chance is the utilization of stealth. The majority of the waters here sport very clear water and though not heavily pressured, when I do not alert the fish to my presence they are much more cooperative. This almost always includes a planned, slow approach and as accurate & quiet a presentation as possible; using the wind to my advantage has proven effective. I rarely maneuver over or even close to the fish I plan on fishing. Even a deep drop-shot bite seems better with a long distant approach. In such clear water and on a sunny day, I’ve seen the boat’s shadow travel down quite a ways which can move fish off a spot, turn them off or at the very least, tell them something isn’t right. Line size is routinely a consideration and there is just no sense bouncing gear around in the boat on the approach to or once you get to a spot. Using an anchor rather than bumping the trolling motor on & off and on & off is usually the way to go. During the warmer months, night fishing helps level the playing field and I do quite a bit. But even then it pays to maintain a stealthly posture in all aspects except the line size. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

I'm In ~ A-Jay

As a Life Long New England Patriots Fan, todays game with the Denver Broncos was as fun to watch as any regular season win I can remember. Just very satisfying on about 4 different levels. And the Bye for the Pats is coming at a good time. A-Jay

We got just enough to be a PIA ~ ! A-Jay