A-Jay

Topwater Smallies at sunrise cleanses the soul ~ A-Jay

Yup ~ even up here in Northern MI the temps are forecast to be in the 90's for a few days. But unless there's a need to shovel the 'heat', it doesn't really get my attention. 😎 A-Jay

If you've got the time . . . 😎 A-Jay

Thanks @Team9nine And I agree with the premise that the connection knot choice almost doesn't matter as long as it's tied correctly. The uni to uni connection knots works for me and my style of fishing. I use straight FC on casting gear so no leader there. Spinning gear gets either a FC or mono leader. I will also say that I do use a fairly light drag setting whenever I can. So after an effective hook set, I back off the drag. IMO, this does at least two important things. Protects all the connection knots a bit plus helps keep big fish pinned. I try to be as smooth through the fight and net job as I can. Always includes a stick and gear ratio that supports all of that. An Extra Fast stick with an 8 speed reel, skiing the fish 50 ft across open water to my rig for a Bassmaster Boat Flip is not for me. YMMV 😎 A-Jay

I adopted the name after seeing that first Live episode. Been a thing here ever since. A-Jay

Big Fish Jeff turned me on to the Mexican Bass fishing insanity over 10 years ago. Sharing some of the The Best LMB fishing days I've ever experienced is something that's hard to repay a man for. I felt it was only right I do my best to return the favor. When he's on the bow of the Lund, I hardly even cast. He complained about the blindfold at first but eventually he got used to it. A-Jay

This is the longest LMB I've ever seen. We don't usually measure length/girth, just being satisfied with an accurate weight. We happened to have a mat so we laid her out. This one was 12-4 and seemed almost as round as she was long. Mexican bass are just different. btw-this giant came compliments of Big Fish Jeff. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

My Idea of 'best looking structure' has changed a few times over the past few tears. In fact I rarely fish super obvious spot anymore. Instead, attempting to reproduce, the spot on the spot, where my best catches have been recorded, is the mission now. There's a very important and specific reason big bass are where they are at any given time. Whatever they may be, those particulars are not all posted on You Tube. Good Luck A-Jay

If I could - I would ''MARK THIS AS THE SOLUTION". I really enjoyed that ~ especially today. Thank you and nicely done sir. A-Jay

Yup - that's the one. A-Jay (I will admit, I think it's pretty funny how this thing has taken on a life of it own.)

Hint- all the Lake Menderchucks I fish are Public waterways. Some have tournaments on them and others do not. But they all have one very special characteristic in common . . . . . . they are home to some brutes and few folks target them. Doesn't make them any easier to find, and or catch, it just lets them grow to what maybe their full potential. I like that. Finally, and I firmly believe this, THERE ARE LAKE MENDERCHUCKS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. Fish Hard A-Jay

I'm not the best angler to offer advice on the effectiveness of giant swimbaits, as I don't fish them. I DO fish swim baits but 6 -7 inches is more my style not the 12 - 16 inch monsters that seem popular today. My 11-11 oz PB ate a 3/4 oz RES. The fish below ate a 6 inch swimbait. I would still encourage you to fish heavy enough gear to comfortably land the Bigger fish you hope to catch. Rod, reel & line all need to be pretty stout to deal with the forces a 10 lb plus bass will exert on your gear. Usually Heavy action stuff plays here. Terminal tackle, like split rings, line ties & hooks all need to be something better than stock offerings at the very least. Finally, I am NOT a Big Bass Expect, but I've caught a dozen or so and I can tell you that going into it, I thought I knew what I was getting into - I have never been more wrong. DD bass will push you and your gear to the limit. Best plan is to be ready. You will not get a lot of opportunities so capitalizing on the few you do get will make you a happy camper. Good Luck A-Jay

Fish the gear you have. Perhaps beef it up a little. Most importantly - Fish Bodies of water that ACTUALLY Have a healthy population of DD bass. Learning how to target them specifically, is an entirely separate deal. Requires, a commitment and type of dedicated & dogged determination that few bassheads are will to endure. At least for very long anyway. Good Luck. A-Jay

I have a laminated pre- Under way check list that hangs in the garage. I put it on the console of the Lund the night before. Standard operating procedure is to review it right before I hook up the rig to the truck to ensure I have what's on the list. As noted above my rig is mostly always "ready to ride" but here's what's on my list . . . Situational Awareness Float Plan Remove battery Charger plug Check Boat plug Wallet Cell Phone Sun Glasses Food Ice Packs Drinks Go Pro Cases A-Jay

IME, the presence of bait, while better than no bait, does Not always guarantee that the bass will feed on them, ever. My style of smallie fishing revolves around being there where & when the fish feed. I fish these times and places almost exclusively; especially when targeting big fish. I also HUNT bass food during off times. Locating them with electronics I'll often even fishing for them with a small drop shot or a tiny jig & plastics just to see what's around. I would say that less than 10 % of the time, it that pays off. I have found and sat on huge schools of perch, especially in the fall, and NEVER catch a single bass off them. But when it does workout - it makes all the time & effort worth it. Additionally, what it tells me is that when I do find any time & place that the bigger bass feed, it's like Gold man. Feeding windows can be and are often very specific & brief. The 'spot' could be a huge flat 300 yds long or a tiny hard bottom area, smaller than my rig. Either way, I just want to be there at the right time doing the right thing. And I don't care what I throw, if they are eating it. I'll cast a fuzzy pink flip flop if a 6 plus is my reward. A-Jay

If the brown bass are eating craws shallow and eating bait fish deep, what are they eating at those mid-depth boulders ? When feeding, Smallies go where the food is. Perhaps those mid depth stones either hold nothing of interest, or they get hammered by other anglers, which could cause the bass to relocate when not eating. A-Jay

Nicely Done Sir ~ Congrats there Mr Soggy Bottom. A-Jay

Yup - but in my mind, I am Very Rarely there 'at the wrong time'. My entire fishing trip prep revolves around it. But I've been wrong before. I will admit that when I finally do find them, regardless of the time of day or the season, I CAN NOT WAIT to get back there at 'the right time.' And You know exactly what I mean @Catt #nosleep A-Jay

When fishing an area or a spot or even a milk run of spots, changes in presentation for me revolves around covering the water column first. Top, middle and bottom. From there, depending on the seasonal pattern, I am switching up either, speed, profile size, sound, flash and finally color or pattern. Best case scenario has me being able to make these modification one at a time. As for how long I'll stick with what I start with, I go totally by feel or instinct. Especially when there's bait present. A-Jay

Workout Day 5 this morning. Completed 3 working sets and a drop set. Went a little heavier in this one with the intention of taking the next 2 days off. At least one of which I should be fishing somewhere. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Every Basshead's situation is different. In my world, my fishing time is super special and needs to be earned. And even then, I never really actually spend as much time on the water now as I want to. You can bet that I'm pretty pumped about ANY time I can go and really try hard to make the most of each and every one. "The most" can mean different things at different times. Could be to Relax, to change my focus a bit, to reset my mojo, and sometimes to even catch a few. But in the end, Fishing's a Hobby and Waaaaaaaaay down the list of priorities in my own life. Doesn't mean I don't love it and want to go all the time. But the reality is, over the course of the past several decades, I've been blessed to have many thousands of hours on both Fresh and saltwater deals. And no matter how long it may be between outings, "Fishing" is Always there waiting for me. A-Jay

Ok ~ I've also learned that sound system volume seems directly related to the distance between the accelerator and the floor. Can't drive 55 . . . . A-Jay

Amazon gives that stuff away ~ A-Jay

Not a line counter. I buy bulk spools of every line / leader I use. Routinely 500 but often 1,00 yard spools. Braid, FC & Mono. I use mono backing because it's cheap. Instead of using a line counter, I subscribe to the 1/3 to 2/3's method. Meaning, regardless of the gear, casting or spinning, (and I have a few) if and when a spool need 'backing', and not all of them do, I fill 1/3 of the spool with backing and then fill the rest of the reel with my mainline of choice. Using 'that much mainline' enables the spool to endure many cut off's & re-ties (in the case of FC). Also if the line starts to show wear (braid or FC), I can end for end the top shot of mainline down to the backing. This places 'new' line on top. Been doing it this way for a while. Every once in a while I'll end up with a bulk spool that doesn't have enough left for a complete reel full. But I get over it. A-Jay