A-Jay

BTW ~ Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Perhaps you could conduct a little experiment. The first time out, go ahead and rent the boat. Next, hire a guide. Then compare the two experiences. If you're objective is to test and evaluate your angling skills, scenario one should definitely fill the bill. If your goal is to catch as many of the great bass that this famous but rather expansive body of water has to offer as you can, I'd recommend the guide. Good Luck and please let us know how it goes. A-Jay

For Hudds I fish a Shimano Calcutta 300D mounted on a 7'6" H Okuma Guide Select. I throw it on 20 -25 lb mono. A-Jay

Long ago, when sailing ships ruled the sea, this captain and his crew were always in danger of being boarded by pirates from a pirate ship. One day while they were sailing, they saw that a pirate ship had sent a boarding party to try and board their ship. The crew became worried, but the Captain was calm. He bellowed to his First Mate, "Bring me my red shirt!" The First Mate quickly got the Captain's red shirt, which the captain put on. Then he led his crew into battle against the mean pirates. Although there were some casualties among the crew, the pirates were defeated. Later that day, the lookout screamed that there were two pirate vessels sending two boarding parties towards their ship. The crew was nervous, but the Captain, calm as ever, bellowed, "Bring me my red shirt!" And once again the battle was on! The Captain and his crew fought off the boarding parties, though this time more casualties occurred. Weary from the battles, the men sat around on deck that night recounting the day's events when an ensign looked at the Captain and asked, "Sir, why did you call for your red shirt before the battle?" The Captain, giving the ensign a look that only a captain can give, explained, "If I am wounded in battle, the red shirt does not show the blood, so you men will continue to fight unafraid." The men sat in silence. They were amazed at the courage of such a man. As dawn came the next morning, the lookout screamed that there were pirate ships, 10 of them, all with boarding parties on their way. The men became silent and looked to the Captain, their leader, for his usual command. The Captain, calm as ever, bellowed, 'Bring me my brown pants!!!' A-Jay

Being pinned to a 3 foot pike (my thumb, a treble hook and her face) in a canoe was not a good time. A-Jay

Congrats ~ Sounds like a most excellent outing. A-Jay

Low Vis Green for me. It just works. A-Jay

I hear that - I'm up in Otsego County and one in ten lakes might have A rock on the bottom, otherwise it's all decaying plant life . . . . A-Jay

First off Welcome to BR ~ As mentioned, customization is key. Also what happens when that hook point is done or rolled over ? Are you discarding your weights ? A-Jay

That happenes to me at night all the time - and I HATE IT ! Those sneaky buggers know just when to do it to get the full effect too. Regardless of how many times I'm on the receiving end of that A-Bomb, I'll never get used to it. A-Jay

I remember that one too. But that was on the launch . . . . . I was a little surprised, Kevin wasn't exactly apologetic. Guess he figures the Camera man was getting too close. That's one way to get yourself some casting space. A-Jay

Thanks ~ As for the anglers not "Liking it" - clearly this sport is challenging enough. As it stands now, this new and exciting MLF format has taken away the advanced knowledge of what water their on, taken away practice, sometimes limit where they can fish, added the stress of the "live Scoreboard", and put an Official in every boat and still guys are catching over 60 lbs of smallmouth bass ! So I say if MLF wants to really put the "best anglers in the sport" on display, lets kick it up a notch, again. But in all fairness, I'd let them use a quality fish friendly net. I'm getting so tired of watch these poor guys struggle to land the fish. So the excitement / drama would be in the fighting of the fish on light line rather than watching the angler's struggle to safely land the fish without getting hooked and still following the rules. Though they'd probably edit it out (if they haven't already), but sooner or later there will be a treble hook in someone, all captured in HD quality video. A-Jay

Fishing during low light conditions (or even at Night) helps an awful lot. You may be surprised how well fishing in the dark levels the playing field. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay (life long Red Sox Fan )

LOL- As long as they don't cut it in half - You're good. A-Jay

First off Welcome to BR ~ I've had a couple. I wouldn't call them terrifying but they certainly got my attention. Back in the day, I was as addicted to salt water striped bass fishing as I am for sweet water bass now. The best fishing was at night late and early in the year. So there I am, wearing a wet suit, standing navel deep in the surf, casting away into the blackness. Nothing to see. My focus directed solely on the what the big eel on the end of my line is doing. Hoping to feel that tell tale "thump" of a big striper sucking that bait in. And then it happens - something bumps into my leg. MAN ! It makes me cringe just thinking about it. Talk about needing a change of shorts. It happened once or twice every 2 or 3 seasons. I never would know what the heck it was, nor did I want to. Be each time it did, I would spend the remainder of that tide in about ankle deep water. Most recently I spent an hour or so battling the wind & waves on Lake Erie in November with a member here. We got caught in a squall or a cell or whatever you want to call it. Almost 30 years in the USCG, all on the Atlantic, I've not seen anything like that nor do I want to again. And just for the record, Dwight Hottle, can drive the **** out of his boat. A-Jay

X2 I agree with ww2farmer, this covers it. I'll add on by saying that if you're not using tungsten, you're missing out. Also by adding some Boss Skirt Hubs & Extra Skirts you really open up your rigging possibilities. A-Jay

As a young man and prior to my enlistment, I'm ashamed to admit that my attitude reeked of disrespect to everyone and everything, including myself. The first trip on the North Atlantic in December was life altering. With the rise & fall of every mountainous wave, I felt more and more diminutive and completely insignificant. As life has progressed and I opened my eyes, I consider myself every so fortunate to have been given that opportunity to serve. "Confidence" is now buffered with an appreciated dose of respect and an understanding of just how minuscule I am. A-Jay

It's a PFD when you don't wear it ~ (Personally Foolish Decision) a Life (saving) Jacket when you do. Glad you're OK. A-Jay

Since the Snow ~ New: Sun Gloves Sunglasses Spools of line Hat Rod Crank Baits Top Water Baits Spinner Baits Terminal Tackle and tons of Plastics . . . . . . However, the must have purchase was the fishing trip South. A-Jay

Welcome to BR ~ And Good Luck. A-Jay

This is an interesting take on the Richard Sherman interview - A-Jay http://www.forbes.com/sites/tommytomlinson/2014/01/19/22-brief-thoughts-about-that-richard-sherman-interview/

Yes I was - no doubt. But I stand by my assessment - because despite the injuries, they got my hope up and then CRUSHED THEM. Just like the Red Sox did for 4 generations . . . But hey, there's always next year. A-Jay

As a Patriots fan - that AFC Championship game was tough to watch. New England has had championships in the past but all of the recent success has been in the regular season and the post season has been a bust. I hate to say this - but it looks like the New England Patriots have switched places with the Boston Red Sox ~ Oh the Horror . . . . . . . A-Jay

Mr. Sherman squandered a prime opportunity, an ailment of youth. Looking back at it, I'm betting he'd admit it was not one of his proudest moments. If he possess the character to match his athletic ability, we'll hear more from him about this soon. A-Jay