A-Jay

Nice - Currently my favorite reels. Just wish they held a little more line. A decent wind aided cast can leave that spool looking a little light. Not that there's anything wrong with that . . . . . . . A-Jay

After a brief lay off, I'm back at it Figured Labor Day would be an appropriate time to blast through Workout Day 1. Went well. https://youtu.be/y9NCnhcc4Vc?feature=shared A-Jay

Been scouring the interwebs for a while hunting a couple of these down. We went Mission complete a couple of minutes ago. A-Jay

Congrats on the nice Musky ~ You certainly earned it. As for your pics, the single best thing we can do to help and or improve any exposure is to take a few seconds to ENSURE that the sun or any daylight is IN OUR FACE And lighting up the fish. Often times I'll need to spin my entire rig 180 or move the camera. Trust me, it matters. Just about anything else usually ends up being a bit disappointing. Still a nice fish though. A-Jay

Us too - Winter & Road Construction A-Jay

We call this "The Season of Denial". You can probably guess why . . . . . A-Jay

I was fishing from my old Town canoe several Falls back. I have a vertical rod holder for several rigs on the port side. One day while transiting to a new spot, I noticed that one of the spinning reel handles had vibrated loose. So I tightened it. Except I am a dyslexic spaz. I spun it the wrong way it fell off the reel and proceeded to find it's way to Davy Jones Locker. Sweet that it was a limited edition reel and the replacent doesn't match it. So everytime I use it I am reminded of my dorkness moment. 🤓 A-Jay

Hello Patrick ~ Welcome back. A-Jay

@GreenPig Awesome pictures ! A-Jay

@12poundbass Sorry to hear about Henry my friend. A-Jay

I say, stick with what you've got. More boat means more of everything else. Much of that will come as a surprise to you, unless you've done it before. I f you have but that was not recently and on a consistent basis, you'll be reminded quickly. It will also change how, where and when you fish. Some of that will be for the better, but much might not. Instead, perhaps continue to modify your trips as needed to match your abilities. I realize I am preaching to the choir, But none of this gets any easier. The grass isn't always greener. Finally, a quick release clamp type phone or camera mount that faces the human, would dramatically improve the quality of the memories you catch, every time out. The long arm pics need to be a thing of the past. You're better than that. Good Luck. A-Jay

From time to time people tell me: Lighten up, it’s just a dog”. Or “that’s a lot of money for just a dog”. They don’t understand the distance traveled. The time spent or the cost involved for ‘just a dog’. Some of my proudest moments have come about with ‘just a dog’. Many hours have passed and my only company was ‘just a dog.’ But I did not once feel slighted. Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by ‘just a dog’. And in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of ‘just a dog’, gave me comfort and a reason to overcome the day. If you too think it’s ‘just a dog’ then you probably understand phrases like ‘just a friend’, ‘just a sunrise’, or ‘just a promise’. Just a dog brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust and pure unbridled joy. ‘Just a dog’ brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person. Because of just a dog, I will rise early, take long walks, and look longingly into the future. So for me and folks like me, it’s not ‘just a dog’. But an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment. ‘Just a dog’ brings out what’s good in me. And diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day. I hope the someday they can understand that it’s not ‘just a dog’, but the thing that gives me humility. And keeps me from being just a man or just a woman. So the next time you hear the phrase, ‘just a dog’, Just Smile. Because they just don’t understand. A-Jay

Nicely Done ~ Successfully landing spinnerbait bass with a spinning rod is a feat all in it's self. Bet the bait moves your canoe on the retrieve too. Congrats A-Jay

A-Jay

After some years on the water, and having some decent success, I am supremely confident in the baits I fish. That said, location & timing plays a huge role in that every trip on the water for me. My biggest challenge comes when I believe the timing & conditions SHOULD produce, I'll cast off an arm trying to prove I'm right. Leaving and coming back to a spot over and over and over checking to see if the fish are there and or are willing to eat what I'm throwing. Sometimes it happens right away, like first cast. https://youtu.be/k3Z48BqFWuw?feature=shared&t=586 But when it doesn't, there is not an exact time limit for me before I pull the plug. Admittedly, I probably stay too long. As for being versatile vs keeping it simple. I can only speak for myself and I say I think I'm somewhere in the middle. There are presentations I like and catch fish doing, and there are presentations I sort of do not like but still catch fish doing. I'll do whatever, but I may or might not enjoy it as much. Once I figured out what plus size bass here would eat, I made myself better at those specific deals. I'm still learning and always trying to improve. I lost a GIANT at the boat a couple of weeks ago on a spinnerbait. Just came off right at the net. That one will haunt me ALL WINTER. A-Jay

Tried and true =90 % Something new = 10% Why: Considering the seasonal pattern, I am forever trying to reproduce situations that have seen me connect with plus sized brown bass in the past. These special fish were and are there for reason. I do not believe there is ANY randomness to it what so ever. So being in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing, seems to be an effective approach for me. A good way for me to know what the right thing is, is to use what has worked in the past. One of my favorite aspects of this approach, is that when I get it right, the bass usually let me know right away. https://youtu.be/k3Z48BqFWuw?feature=shared&t=586 While I will vary my approach depending on conditions, it's not by very much. Perhaps using a slightly different shade or profile of a bait, perhaps making a cast from a slightly different angle, even varying the speed or cadence of a retrieve. But that's about as far as I'll go. Because if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Plus size smallies are sort of rare and not the easiest fish to stay with for days & weeks at a time. At least IME. So when the deal 'seems right', I'm not experimenting to see what else they might eat. I'm going with what I have confidence in because they have eaten it before. That said, I do 'try stuff'. But I do most of it when there's no bite to speak of and just to see how a bait might fish, so that when the bite is wide open, I'll be ready for it. A-Jay

You're welcome. That was The First Video I ever posted over 12 years ago. My wife murders bass with that deal using spinning gear, a 3/16 oz lead bullet weight and a Rage Craw. It's almost impossible to fish it "wrong". Good Luck with your rigs. A-Jay

I fished the Original Quantum version of that rod for several years. Pretty sure I still have 7 of them if that tells you anything. It was my GO TO Jackhammer rod for both the 3/8 & 1/2 oz baits, as well as 1/2 & 3/4 oz spinnerbaits. I used 15 lb FC exclusively. If you like composite and that EVA grip, you'll be very happy with how that stick performs. Those rods accounted for more trophy smallies for me than all my other rods combined; including my PB. I have never fished the Lews model. https://youtu.be/frJAlndpO7E?feature=shared https://youtu.be/o9xew3tWuuU?feature=shared&t=1012 Good Luck A-Jay

Thank you. ME TOO ! ! ! A-Jay

30 Aug 24 ~ Update. Last post saw that Lynn's Kidney function was SLOWLY / Incrementally improving. Thankfully that has continued. Sufficiently enough that her 3 days a week dialysis has been reduced to 2 days a week. THIS IS HUGE and there were tears shed. This latest medical deal has been serious and way scary. We try so hard to keep composed, regardless of that's going on at the time. Knowing how volital and how quickly circumstances can change has taught us that maintaining a level head helps control the wildy debilitating stress that can be a another layer that doesn't help anything. Either way, this is a big win. The smiles are the best A-Jay

This is EXACLY WHAT you're looking for. It's essentially a light punch rig. Consists of a bobber stop, a bullet weight, a shirt on a hub, an ewg hook and the plastic of your choice. Rigged right, comes through anything. I use this when fishing new water when I'm not sure what type of mess I might be throwing into. A lighter weight can slow you down, get more bites and save you from constantly being snagged. Takes a few seconds to rig but totally worth it. A-Jay

Me too. And every one is different And wrong ! Even if I could somehow take the mean average of each one, they'd still be WAY OFF. 😎 A-Jay

No doubt. Add any and all pelagics, like tuna, wahoo, Bull dolphin. This is where I learned to fight the fish with the Rod not the reel. Doesn't mean I'm not winding on a bass when I need to, but it's not the only way. A-Jay

I use line color mostly to help me identify (insert remember) which line is on which rig. This includes mainlines and leaders. The only clear line in I use any application, is FC 12 & 15 lb. Leaders of Big Game Green and Shooter Defier Armilo (sort of brown) are easy to ID. My 8lb braid is grey and my 10, 15 & 20 lb braids are all green. I do remember fishing Golden Stren half a life time ago. I think they still sell it too. A-Jay

Originally planned on going tomorrow (and I still might). Either way, I called an audible and hit local Lake Menderchuck for an afternoon trip. Surface water temps were still 75, despite a cold east wind and mostly bogus on & off rain in my face. Been a while since I've fished in the rain but I knew the boating traffic would be non-existent in that mess, so I went for it. The brown bass were, for the most part, fairly cooperative. A swinghead with a Keitech Swing Impact FAT Swimbait did all the damage today. Got plenty of bites and I needed every one. A-Jay