A-Jay

As the mostly epic snow/ice melt river & lake flooding here continues to slowly recede, The number of open Lake Menderchuck boat access points remains reduced. This limits my 'choices' rather dramatically and also puts many other like-minded bassheads all in the same few places. Weather, mostly the rain & wind, is giving everyone fits too. Either way, I'm prepping today for an afternoon/sunset bite tomorrow. Hoping the rain predicted before & after a possible 'bite window' might keep the boating traffic down a bit. These big girls are real spooky in shallow water. So we'll see how it goes. The rain gear will be on when I leave the house. You know it will not rain if I'm prepared. Fish Hard A-Jay

I always do it beforehand on the beach. Otherwise it feels like adding treble hooks to every crankbait I fish right before I fish it. Almost exclusively a jighead deal for me. It must be rigged perfectly straight or it runs wonky. Having several baits of various weights and a couple of different colors Save time & frustration on the water, as I can take my time and get it right the first time (mostly). I get bait tails bit off by pike quite regularly, so being able to simply cut off the old and tie on the new works better for me than having to stop and rig one from scratch. Finally, I'll often use Loc-Tite for a final step to secure the plastic. Pre-rigging offers the glue plenty of time to set. A-Jay

It’s a real shame that "leaving it better than you found it" has become such a rare concept for some folks. We deal with the same thing—our property on either side of the driveway seems to be the designated drop zone for the "drive-by-litter" crowd. It’s always a predictable spread: a heavy rotation of Fireball nips, Jim Beam Apple, and the inevitable half-full spit bottles that really make the job "enjoyable." It’s a mystery how someone can justify chucking a full Wal-Mart bag of fast food wrappers out the window and still consider themselves a decent neighbor. In a community where most of us strive to be good stewards of the woods and water, these people are sitting at the very bottom of the respect pole. It’s a total lack of character. We’ll keep picking it up because we refuse to let our place look like a dump, but it sure makes you wonder about the folks living further down the road. If they treat their own community like a trash can, you can only imagine what they’re doing to the resources we all share. #pathetic 😒 A-Jay

Pretty bass and Nice Net ~ A-Jay

Where does time go? Seems like just yesterday, we were driving across the UP to meet the #wpgsr transport volunteers, delivering the sweetest little puppy with giant ears from her White Paws German Shepherd Rescue foster human & her family. Those ears, and the puppy connected to them, has affected Lynn & I in ways we could never completely put to words. She's sweet, gentle, engaging, brilliant, loving, healing, energetic & so in tune with my inner spirit, it feels like magic. Happy 6th Woofday KyaKyaKya to you & your ears. A-Jay

After a day on the water and a strategic off day, I’m back in the home gym for Workout Day 4. Today’s focus: 3 working sets of 8 reps across 5 movements. This is Workout Video #902. The countdown is officially on—98 videos to go until the big 1,000. #borninfiftynine #RoadTo1000 A-Jay

I am a smallmouth hunter without a doubt, but "great" may not be the right word. In any case, I went down the bright-color bait road myself, and Big Al was also to blame. They've caught some nice fish in colored water over the years. But it ends there, at least in the waters where I fish. Natural-type baits, which for me are baits that come close to matching the color of the bottom (when I'm presenting baits near it) and baits that resemble what the SMB are looking to eat, have been significantly better. I do enjoy a 'little' slash of color, but I mean it. Like a dot or a small patch. Usually in orange or chartreuse. Finally, semi-clear, almost see-through baits that still have a natural bait-type color & pattern have outfished everything in my boat when it comes to hard baits. YMMV A-Jay

Thanks, I was on an 'edge' that's a steep drop on one side and comes up shallow to usually 6-8 feet. When they first come up they usually hang closer to the deep side. But with the high water, this one had already pushed a ways past that and was holding in the same 6 ft on some dead reeds, but that put her almost 25 yards from the edge. Which is usually unheard of. Colored water might have played a role too. If it was clear, she would have stuck out like a sore thumb over the light sand bottom. A-Jay

157 Days and a wake up ~ A-Jay

What is going on ? $5 a gallon for 87 octane gas seems like the norm now. Locally, Super and Rec gas are creeping up on $6 a gallon. Seriously sad. A couple weeks of Lake Menderchuck trips and I'll need to break out that Richard Nixon mask again. It's always something. A-Jay

The new Taskmaster trailer tires went on last week. Towed my rig with them a few times now. On the highway, some dirt roads & a couple of different boat ramps. Totally uneventful. Just the way I like it. Should be good now for a few years anyway. A-Jay

Just got the Email from GM, my new AT4 build has been completed. It's been shipped from the factory and is headed to its destination (my local dealer). Before I know it, I'll be hitting the road with power, ruggedness, and performance. (again). This is happening way ahead of any schedule either the dealer or I anticipated. Not complaining. 😎 A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Are you in your fishing prime? Definitely Not. Past your fishing prime? Most certainly, yes. Haven't reached it yet? Well behind me. And for me to think otherwise might help with some motivation. I also believe that a man has to know, or at least have a decent idea of, where his limitations lie. I think that's the secret sauce that keeps me from overextending and injuring myself. As a younger man, my fishing was about quantity—more hard, longer. Now it's more about quality. In that sense I am probably closer to my prime for fishing than I have ever been. I just wish I had a little more mental & physical gas in the tank. And it's not like I don't keep in shape either. YMMV. A-Jay

I was able to increase my percentage score by a little today. This one went 5.77 / 9.98 gives me 57.8 - Not earth-shattering by any means, but at least I'm still headed in the right direction. Keep casting; anything can happen. A-Jay

Made my first trip to bigger water, Lake Menderchuck, this morning. Cooler air temps, moderate north wind, and water temps in the 45 range. It's been blowing here for a few days, so the usually clear water did have some color. But the biggest deal was the lake level was way measurably higher than what I'd experienced before. Tried fishing, like the deeper water didn't matter—wasn't paying off. Called an audible and moved inside a bit. I think it took three casts. Old fat girl T-boned a perch with a vision of 110, and the fight was on. After a few anxious minutes I managed to slip her into the Frabil. Man, that one felt very good. Yanked the scale down to 5.77 and then pooped all over the place. I think I got credit for poop's weight, which made the cleanup a little easier to take. Either way, this is my new big fish for 2026. An hour or so later, the north wind can on strong, and despite my best efforts, I had to bail. I'll take it though. A-Jay

On some of these vast, deep clear northern Michigan lakes, being at the right place, at the right time & doing the right thing can be a daunting task. But this morning, I nailed it ~ A-Jay

I am making it happen on a cold and windy Lake Menderchuck. First fish went 5.77 lbs. Report to follow and I hope that's the dink of the day. A-Jay

YOU WILL MISS BITES. Bass like to eat the head. Just cut the line back 6 inches if it's kinked, re-tie and keep casting. A-Jay

Workout Day 3 ~ Despite being super basic, this one always seems like a bit of a grind. Maybe that's the best part. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Looks like tomorrow's another fishing day. I'll be making a hike to one of the lakes that, until recently, was closed due to the crazy snowmelt/big rain flooding insanity that's been terrorizing Northern MI for weeks now. Only two things I know for sure are the ice is melted and the boating access is open. After that I'm winging it. Leaning towards a morning deal. But not too early, as the air temps to start the day are expected to be well below the Mendoza line again. Add in the north wind, and I'll be in layers. Hoping for the best either way. A-Jay

You're right—I've usually already put at least one in the net by now. But it was a wee bit chilly yesterday, so I was pacing myself. 🥶 A-Jay

Something magical about an early morning departure in April ~ #anticipation A-Jay

Hello and welcome to Bass Resource. A-Jay

Made my first crack-of-dawn trip this morning. I've made better decisions. Air temps in the high 30's and an east-southeast wind that made it hard to fish cleanly. Water had dirtied up, not surprising. But I was surprised to see the water temp in the low 50s already. Local Lake Menderchuck is a shallow dark-bottomed deal that warms up very fast. I poked around a bit early, mostly trying to keep my hand from freezing off. It eventually warmed a bit as the sun finally poked through late morning. The wind did not let up. Either way, I managed a dozen trophies in training, with one just sliding over the 4 lb mark. All on Megabass jerkbaits that included perch, of course. Alien Gold and Baby Kingo patterns both attracted some attention in the colored-up conditions. Not sure what the rest of the week holds. I had planned on hitting it hard on some bigger water, but after today's debacle, I am second-guessing myself. Wind blew out my video, so here are a few pics. A-Jay