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

10 Years later . . . . The Jack Hammer gets on this 'list'. 3/8 & 1/2 oz - and don't forget that Zako trailer ! A-Jay

@RipzLipz Sorry for the delayed response ~ I wanted the say Thank You for the double door handle pull tip. Totally works and I haven't gotten the "let me out" face from my wife since. It's the little things. btw - Love this rig more and more every day. Over 2K on this thing now so it's almost time to trade it in j/k A-Jay

With the first day of summer (summer Solstice) over a week or so away, we still have some unseasonably cool weather up this way. Average air temps are in the mid 70's, but it's in the mid 50's here today with rain and a stiff 10-20 mph NW wind. Pretty nippy for June. We were planning on floating in a couple of days but morning air temps look like they'll be in the 30's. So we're waiting a bit. No one should be needing thermal undergarments in June. What is the deal ? 😨 A-Jay

Never lost one. I purchased an after market oversize unit (insert a couple of inches longer) to make the job easier. OE was 7 inches, this one's 12. It screws on & off. I remove it after I launch, lock it in the truck and replace it to recover my rig. Takes 5 seconds to install. Funny thing is, 90 % of the times & places I fish, I'm the only rig in the lot. Just trying to keep folks honest. Does that ever work ? A-Jay https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LKWZ37W/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

THIS is a Very Dangerous Development ! Especially when it comes to my checking account. Oh My . . . 😎 A-Jay

Zako ~ has been berry berry good to me. A-Jay

We used to drop the carcass back down the hole. Sort of like a deterrent. Never really worked plus my dogs kept digging them up and running around the yard with them. Good Times . . . Now they fertilize something beyond domestic canine reach. A-Jay

Watch this video a few times. And then practice, practice & more practice. A-Jay

As nice as the interior and the paint job is after only 3 years, the undercarriage is outrageously rusted. And I rinse it when I can and they are all garage queens. But there's not slowing down oxidation. A-Jay

I lease mine and when it's time to turn it in, folks are lining up to buy it. Dealership gives prospective buyers a heads up and they are always ready. My dealer gives me a REALLY good Deal on the next one. Same Retired Marine has bought my last three trucks the day I turned them in. I like his style. btw- I like black A-Jay