A-Jay

Perhaps stop hunting for an elephant with a BB Gun. Gear Up Man ! Life is short and there's no way to tell how many more opportunities you be afforded at this fish. Don't squander the next one, might be your last. Doesn't this feel personal now ? Good Luck A-Jay

What boat do you have? Lund 1875 Pro-V Bass Boat -Does it have precise control when you’re using the trolling motor? Yes I do; with the 112lb trust 36 volt 62" shaft Minn Kota Fortrex, the TM moves my rig with with authority. -Can you hold your spot in the wind without kicking right and left? (not using spot lock) Yes, I am the spot lock. -Does it coast strait when you let off the trolling motor. Not sure why this is an issue. My Trolling motor is specifically designed to allow me to put my rig with where I want it, when I want it. Free drifting without the TM running is like a free fall. I can & do well by anticipating where & when I want to present baits and operate my TM to support that. I can do things with my non-spot lock cable driven Fortrex that no electric steer motor on any "Auto setting" will ever be able to do. Because I have skills and I'm smarter than my motor. Finally having the strength, balance & endurance to operate that foot pedal in challenging conditions so that I can present baits effectively is a skill I'm glad I still have. https://youtu.be/s5YAlFDZ_C4?feature=shared&t=992 A-Jay

How do I prevent my line from getting stuck in the line roller? 7 years later. Placing my line on a Shimano or Diawa reel works well. A-Jay

Nose hook a weightless fluke. A-Jay

You may need a 35 ft kayak to carry them all. Also, that pic is afew years old. Embarrassed to admit that the tool box has seen some growth since. 😎 A-Jay

I'm a bit of a casting reel handle freak. IMO, a correctly matched "handle & knob" set up can & often does transform most any casting reel into something better. Mostly making it more secure feeling in my hand as well as being more comfortable. Chunking & winding all day becomes pleasant rather than like a job. Many quality reels come totally set up and I'll leave them that way. It all starts with the right length and shape handle and finishes with the knobs. After some after market trial & error, and when I feel the need, I'll switch them out. Robert at HawgTech totally hooked me up. https://www.hawgtech.com/ So for 100 and 150 size reels I like the 90mm straight carbon fiber handle and for 200 & 300 size reels I like the 94 mm size; also straight carbon fiber. ALL with Black Septon Knobs with ball bearings. These knobs are what usually come stock on mid & upper tier Shimano units. I have zero problems with these handles & knobs . FYI - I don't use sunscreen on my hands but do wear sun gloves. Colored 'accent' parts are also available which I do use to help identify certain gear ratio reels. For example Red end caps designate high speed reels. A-Jay

Champlain is a monster of a lake at over 271 K acers and 400feet deep. https://usa.fishermap.org/depth-map/champlain-lake/#map Fishing for bass on water like that really does require one to so something I call. "Fishing Small'. Meaning select an area you feel can produce and stay there and fish it. Then move to the next one, and fish that. Unfortunately in the summer, SMB bite windows can be pretty brief, early / late afternoon is often best. Cloudy days can be good. But you'll NEVER fish or even find all the best spots in 2 lifetimes on water like that. If 90 % of the bass are in 10% of the lake, that leaves a ton of unproductive water. Our job is to eliminate it best we can. But it's a process, it takes a while, often a good long while, perhaps a couple of seasons. If you want to get a bit of a head start, think about hiring a guide for a day or two. Good Luck A-Jay

The Tiny Child Rig Eight Trap Method Doodling. A-Jay

I whizz over the side or if conditions don't allow, I keep a large laundry soap bottle with the top cut off. Doubles as an emergency solid waste collector. Dude wipes are a standard item. I wiil say that I am very good at managing my intestinal requirements while on the water. Timing is everything. A healthy diet and lifestyle helps. A-Jay

Situational awareness at all times. There are no details. everything matters. Only go as fast as I want to be going when I hit something Every Body of water is named Lake Menderchuck A,-Jay

Congrats @Mike L In-House / Forum Member moderator selection has, IMO been a big part of the secret sauce to the success and solid reputation of this Great Forum. This is another fine example of that. Don't be too hard on us @Mike L we're all just a little wacky in our own way. Have Fun A-Jay

My dogs are stuck to me like stink on a monkey. I need it too. Which reminds me, I propably could use a shower right about now 🤔 Thank you for the support. This one’s looking like another marathon for all involved. Stay healthy. A-Jay

Either way, you're catching 10 pounders. So it's just a matter of time. https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/220718-new-to-fishing-looking-for-recommendations-in-socal/?do=findComment&comment=2716432 Good Luck A-Jay

Not sure the term 'simple' applies to this deal. You'll need to put some time in and do the work. There's no magic bullet. You'll need to find them, present a bait correctly, trigger a strike, hook & land the bass without letting her get you all fouled in the soft cover. If that's your idea of simple then yea, piece of cake. Good Luck A-Jay

Local Emergency Last night. EVAC to more comprehensive facility early this morning. Stabilized for Blood and Platelets this afternoon. IV pain meds just flowing . . . All the while I'm Covid positive and will not be anywhere near where she's at for at Least two more weeks. Stay Healthy my friends. A-Jay

I fish a couple of big flats here that set up very similar to what you're described above. They do not get a ton of fishing pressure I think mostly because they are a PIA to fish compared to open water areas. Guys will see me in there and poke their nose in to see what I'm doing, but they never stay. But it's almost always loaded with bait; especially late summer & fall. Entire areas are choked out like in the clip below. https://youtu.be/Vsl5A_YmHzs?feature=shared&t=305 Just about every hole or small open space in the weeds is like GOLD. Here's my deal; Topwater on early calm mornings with little to no wind. When there's a breeze - burning a spinnerbait or Chatterbait just under the surface in whatever open water above the weeds there is. I can't reel fast enough - they will always catch it if they want it. 'Probing' the weeds rarely works. I rarely fish anything slow in there, so no plastics or jigs, they just don't get bites. Exception is if there is enough open water over the weeds - like 3 feet - burning an A-Rig is killer. But it's a lot of work. And that works with or without wind. Sun or clouds. Good Luck A-Jay

I had a rather spirited SMB rip the entire hardware package out of the rear of a SK Sexy Dawg. Split the plastic at the back of the bait so the clip, split ring and EWG treble all went the way of the deep 6. Wasn't using very heavy gear either. A-Jay

IMO and especially as we age, balance & strength go hand and hand. I can't expect to be able to maintain good balance, without the overall body strength to support it. I work at it every other day all year long. At 64 years old, Keeping my body weight in proportion to my frame is also a big deal. All done with my diet & life style. As my strength, bone density, joint, ligament & connective tissue all whither with age, My balance goes with it. However, the lighter I am, the less this becomes an immediate issue. If I'm carrying an extra 40-50 lbs or more, I'm an accident looking for a place to happen. I've had my share of serious injuries & set backs. I'm right in the middle of at least two right now. But I refuse to let that be an excuse to just give up. It's a commitment to a life style that I chose a long time ago. And my efforts will never effect the quality of my life more than right now and moving forward. Take it slow and Stay Safe A-Jay

Here we go again ! 😑 A-Jay

When there's fisherman friendly weather conditions (insert safe) April is the the best time for big fish for me here. August comes in at a close second. The weather conditions are obviously far more pleasant and the bass can be a bit more spread out. However that simply means A-Jay gets to chunk & wind All Day ! Fish Hard. A-Jay

Sorry to hear you are having these problems. Hope your procedure goes well and improves your condition. Good Luck A-Jay

Nice Bass ~ Bet that felt good ! Here's to continued health and more bass for you Congrats A-Jay

Sweet Rig and Killer pic ! A-Jay

I deliberately purchase deep spools (casting & spinning) and use very little backing. Often less than 1/3 of the spool is backing, leaving quite a bit room left for my mainline. Even then 'the backing' is still something decent and equivalent in size & test to whatever the mainline is. Clearly, a 2 lb bass or even 6 lb bass would never spin off enough line against the drag to be of any concern. However, there are some other rather plus sized fish here besides bass that can and will completely dump a shallow spool reel in a mater of seconds. It's a helpless feeling. So I come prepared. A-Jay

What's the limit on drag squealing by catch action ? A-Jay