A-Jay

Thanks, I have 5 yards to deal with as well But they're all mine ! A-Jay

Keep the boat and the truck clean is a labor of love. A-Jay

There are no 'lake fees' here - at least on the northern MI lakes I frequent. I am not familiar with Moss lake, had to look it up on the interwebs. Interesting that a lake used for local water supply, that doesn't seem to want boaters on it, sports an eight-lane, concrete boat launch ramp that features multiple docks and paved parking. Doesn't sound like my kind of place really. Either way, while I don't pay a lake fee, the best places are a hike, so my 'fee' goes directly into the GMC gas tank. Hope it works out for you. A-Jay https://news.yahoo.com/news/kings-mountain-official-defends-moss-022240590.html

When the fishing type weather cooperates, my trips into the home gym get a little sporadic because I'm on the water. When the fishing weather's sporadic, my workout consistency improves quite a bit. That's where we are now. Hate not fishing but do love smashing out workouts on the regular. Workout Day 2 today. Completed 3 pretty intense working sets of the 4 movements scheduled. Showing all of that in this one. And for those members who also patriciate in some form of regular exercise, I hope you're making it happen as well. #borninfiftynine https://youtu.be/eje8la9J78E?feature=shared A-Jay

@ol'crickety ~ you didn't strike out. That's how this game is played. Don't see me posting giants or numbers of giants 2 or 3 times a week. Because I rarely get them. There's not that many to go around and they are Vwery Twicky. But when I do - you'll see them - many times. Nice trip either way. Congrats. A-Jay

I am semi-obsessed with casting distance - especially with spinning gear. My style of fishing & the fishery itself demands it. Coming from a surf casting back round, there are 3 main and often critical mistakes bassheads overlook when this subject comes around. As mentioned above line diameter plays a role, but here's the big three for me. 1. Not using a long rod 2. Not Allowing the blank to load properly. It's almost like your 'throwing' the lure through the cast. 3. (and this is a biggie) Not leaving sufficient length of line between the rod tip and the bait being casted. Let that deal hang - almost half the rod length. May take some practice to get the timing down as you'll need to 'slow down' through at the beginning of the cast and then accelerate through it. But when done right it's pure, effortless and super effective. btw- totally works on casting gear as well although the mechanics are a little different, the results are the same. Good Luck. A-Jay https://youtu.be/Vsl5A_YmHzs?feature=shared&t=44 btw - if you go to settings on the YT video, you can change the playback speed to .5 or better yet .25. Makes it Real Easy to identify what I mentioned above. https://youtu.be/8x9A8IP3j7w?feature=shared&t=10

I'm a fan of the Columbia's PFG Blood & Guts Pants. Light, comfy, quick drying and seem fairly durable. They are 'convertible' but I rarely use it. Not sure if the model I have is still available. Some on the newest deals have 'no fly'. So if you're not an 'over the top' kind of guy, you might not be a fan. Be sure to check. Good Luck A-Jay

Thanks for the kind words @ol'crickety But fishing for a big bite doesn't necessarily mean I'm not 'busy'. Admittedly, it's a different type of busy. The hardest part is keeping confidence high and staying focused & ready. Because when it does happen, there's little room for error. Preparation in all manner of things is Key. My 'numbers days' usually happen in the Oct time frame. Apr/May, and Aug/Sept I'm relegated to hunting mutants. One or if I'm Lucky, two tanker bites a day. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. Fish Hard A-Jay

Kept one in the 'remains recover kit'. Bottle always seemed old and no one liked having to use it. A good dab right up both nostrils helped - at least a little. I will admit that coming in contact with that smell now sends shivers down my spine. 😑 A-Jay

Not sure the bass I target have read the same books as me. But I seem to do OK if I fish around the bass's food. Wherever that might be. If the foods there, the bass will be too, eventually. #timing A-Jay

Congrats on the new place. I'll play. If there's already a way for you to access the lake without too much trouble and without altering your land, I'd do that. Remember that those 'paths' to the water work both ways. Good Luck. A-Jay

As a man who's job description included searching for, locating and eventually placing drowning victims and or their remains in large black bags, it's not something I wanted to do very often, if at all. Especially in warm conditions when there's been an extend time between the accident and the recovery. Being out there recreationally afterwards is a personal choice. The chances of ever 'catching' such a deal while fishing are fairly remote. However, if one was to recover a victim, besides the nightmares and the PTSD, you'd be doing the family a service by providing closure. Never located victims leaves a painful void in an already horrible deal. Stay Safe. A-Jay

Started off June with Workout Day 1. Felt pretty good. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

The OP has been using a Moderate action spinner - A-Jay

Is your Low Rider spinning rod the current model ? Seems the 7'3" Low Riders being sold now are Moderate action and designated as a crankbait rod. If that's what you have, it would explain your lack of single hook setting horse power. Because the rod is designed for treble hook baits, Flukes might not be the best application. A-Jay https://www.falconrods.com/product/lowrider#models

Pretty sure he did above. Such great pics too. A-Jay

Completely omitted the fish pictures ~ What was I thinking ? Not part of the top 5 but I need to add Miss Big Fin as an honorable mention fish. A-Jay

Smallmouth Ned Rig (Braid No Concerns) Braid to leader is my jam. A-Jay

Utter & Complete non-sense. That's what this site is all about. Bass, Bass & More Bass - I say post all day, every day. Whatever makes you happy. Views, reactions & replies - whatever. In the words of the late great Ricky Nelson, "See you can't please everyone. So you got to please yourself. " A-Jay

Those are such gorgeous smallies. MI regs do not legally allow me to hold them a bit in the pool so they can get their color back until late May. As for any whooping I might be doing, pretty sure that's a first and I certainly wouldn't expect it to last very long. If I have any chance to make an upgrade, it won't be until Aug/Sept. But you know if I can be, I'll be hitting it hard. Good Luck in Oct, hope you get the "right" weather. A-Jay

Past few years I've been keeping track of my top 5 Brown Bass. Info in the last couple of threads can be found here https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/258133-top-5-brown-bass-of-2023/ This season has been most decent so far and has enabled me to already surpass at least the last two entire season's totals. I'll need to go back into the archives to see just where 2024 sits when it's over. Currently we're sitting at 31.23 lbs for 5 fish. 7.05, 6.48, 6.26, 5.86, & 5.58 and most all of that happened on Lake Menderchuck over a 2 week period in April. Trip details are posted in the Reports Thread. There's Plenty of fishing left to be done so we'll see how it all shakes out. Very exciting. Fish Hard A-Jay

I use amber/light brown lens in low light/cloudy trip. Black for general use, sort works OK in most all lighting conditions except super low light. And Blue mirror for the brightest days. I have 'readers' in all of them. A-Jay

My braid to anything knot has been a uni to uni knot for a while now. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night slows that deal down for me. A-Jay

Sorry to hear you're having some tough sledding. Hope it gets better for you soon Allen. A-Jay

Heck Ya ~ ! I'm all about that deal. Just need to sell the house, the truck, my current rig, most all of my tackle and one dog. I have two, but I gotta keep sumphin'. 🥴 A-Jay