A-Jay

@FryDog62 I am very sorry to hear about your wife & son. Hoping for the best for them. Not even sure what else to say. We spend plenty of time in places where ticks live. They are a part of life here. We have no secret to preventing them because I do not believe one actually exists. Taking all the precautionary measures already mentioned above helps. Early detection is key. Having the proper tool and knowledge to remove them correctly from both humans & animals (if you have them) can be essential. I would routinely make an attempt at some comical type remark about how many ticks we have here. Seems wildly inappropriate now, and I apologize deeply for my previous indiscretions. Stay Safe A-Jay

You know me, always shooting for the stars . . . . 🌠 A-Jay

Wow ~ What would happen if we brought this one back ? Some of us have already responded, but this thread was last updated 16 years ago. Left off at 3203 years. I can add 15 more, so we're starting it up again with 3218 years of documented bass fishing knowledge & experience. Not sure I can actually comprehend that. And we still get skunked ! Awesome 🦨 A-Jay

I do realize this isn't exactly in the music category. However for those of us who live & fish in the more northern areas, where the leaves hit the ground annually. How fun is it to listen to EVERY property owner surrounding every lake we fish, BLOWING LEAVES ALL DAY. I love that ! #not I get it, but man, it totally kills what would otherwise be such a gorgeous and serene setting. Someone needs to get these folks some headlamps. ☹️ A-Jay

Been there. Hate it. But even now, just the thought of drifting across the double yellow line and changing someone's family forever, is gut-wrenching. Stay Safe. A-Jay

I simply must do a version of this for survival. I used to fish (as a younger A-Jay) until I was gassed. First light to last light and beyond at times, and then the ride home was often, and I'm being kind, pretty sketchy. Super early wake-up and all day on the water followed by a long ride home is a recipe for disaster. So I had to change my ways. One third of my human gas is used to get to the water and fish, and then I have 2/3 in my human tank for the ride home. When I first started this, I always felt like I was leaving 'early.' But truth be told, the bite had been over for two hours. Why was I still there ? Half-day trips are more the norm for me now. Much safer. Also allows me to safely fish a few days in a row and stay on the bite. If you are doing the head bob & weave while driving home, please reconsider your actions. A-Jay

😆 Yup, I'm working on this as we speak. Can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. #dontholdyourbreath A-Jay

Yup ~ And I fixed that one for you. 🤓 A-Jay

All night we had wicked thunder, lightening and downpours being blown sideways in a stiff wind. We woke to realize, it wasn’t rain falling, but ice. First response? Please not again. (For reference, search #icestorm2025 ) Looking out at what remains of our trees absolutely flipped my stomach (we lost at least 75% of our trees last March) Our pines, barely recovered from last year, are caked in ice weighing them down to the ground. Our birdhouses have been transformed to igloos and the south side of our house and shed are caked so solid, I couldn’t break the ice (didn’t want to cause damage) to open the door and get out. https://www.facebook.com/ThePAWZ/posts/pfbid0g6AmEwvcrKbftaX1yP6Q4Y9msoUWzsQAELdBn3UpTyHCqW5hWkrKMB6tBQLCEqN2l A-Jay

Bummer when a old friend rod takes a digger. I hate that. I'll offer an idea that us bassheads don't often think about for this one. But as an ex-surf caster - I'll tell you it will work perfectly. We would purchase or even make up 9-12 ft surfcasting rods with NO reel seat. I'm sure some still do. The reason being the handles are really long, and reel placement is everything and super specific to each caster. So rather than a reel seat, we simply used quality black electrical tape to secure the reel into the exact position we wanted. When getting a new stick, it allowed for some trial & error until we found the sweet spot that allowed for an effortless long-distance orbital launch into the night air. So if I were you, I'd slowly and carefully (with a hacksaw blade) cut the entire front reel screw assembly off. (Leave the threads, of course). And then tape the front reel seat to the rod; personally I'd cover up all the threads. Boom. Done. After fishing with it for an hour, you'll forget it's even there. Good Luck A-Jay

I'm surrounded by a fair number of options. On the road, times average out to be about 2.5 hrs for round trips to bigger water. And half that for smaller stuff. Could also be an hour round trip on the water as well. The caveat to all of this is bigger water often means bigger brown bass. So the distance I am willing to travel each way is often driven by how intense my big fish itch is at the time. #lakemenderchuck 😎 A-Jay

So I thought for the longest time for me it was something like $250 on rods and then perhaps $350 on reels. But a couple of weeks ago, something happened. Threw my monetary calibration meter all out of whack ! 🤓 A-Jay

Nope. Redundancy—that's just dumb. BTW - I laughed right out loud right there. Thanks. 😄 A-Jay

The Megabass Ito Vision 110 in GP Pro Perch. It was only like $25, but it's the one that triggered the obsession. To this day, I still curse the bait while removing it from every bulbous brown bass I catch with it. 😎 A-Jay

And so it begins . . . . A-Jay

Dear @Hartwood71 IME, The information that a basshead needs to help make marginally more informed decisions when sifting through the ‘shopping’ process for Megabass Jerkbaits can not be and will never be found on a color chart or any spreadsheet. That stuff looks cool and seems like it should 'help,' but without time on the water, it's virtually useless, IMO. First and foremost, know going into this that you WILL buy baits that work well. and you will buy baits that you will expect to work really well, and they will not. It's just how this deal goes. And I speak from a vast and costly load of experience. But I like it. Perhaps think about the bait the bass eat in the lakes you fish. Think about what depth that happens in. Think about the size, shape, and profile of that bait. If you can't answer these things, it will make selecting any bait harder. After you've gotten a grasp on that, choosing a color or pattern might be easier. Lord knows there's plenty to choose from. So I say select a few that cover the shape, size, running depth, and then finally color or pattern you could have confidence in. And then go fishing. You don't need 50 baits; something less will do fine. (I couldn't hear myself type that actually.) Good Luck A-Jay Do Not look at the picture below - it's gross . . . .

Not going to say much about 'the weather,' as it is still early March in the North Woods, so . . . . . Either way, we have recently lost at least half the snow on the ground, my roof is bare, and we can see small random patches of what looks like it could be grass. Sort of encouraging. Maybe 37 days and a wake-up is possible ??? We'll have to wait and see. But it's Tanker Tuesday. This one is from last June and is brought to us most proudly by my wife. A-Jay

If you're like me and it's close to new trailer tire time. Walmart, of all places, is currently running a decent deal on the Provider model by Taskmaster. https://www.walmart.com/ip/TASKMASTER-TR20515D-St205-75R15-8-Ply-Provider/2680534375?fulfillmentIntent=Shipping&filters=%5B%7B%22intent%22%3A%22fulfillmentIntent%22%2C%22values%22%3A%5B%22Shipping%22%5D%7D%5D&classType=REGULAR&athbdg=L1100 A-Jay

Following . . . . A-Jay

That ain't no steamed green peas! A-Jay

Workout Day 4 ~ This grind can often feel like punishment. But it's really just preparation powered by grit. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Let's get him some extra press. Curtis Lee Daniels, 45, of Willow Park, was released Monday from the Wood County Jail on a $20,000 bond on a charge of violating a fishing tournament law. Charged with a third-degree felony, Daniels could face up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines. His friends and family must be so proud. Good for you, Curtis. A-Jay

How to win friends and influence people. Don’t Criticize, Don’t Condemn, and Don’t Complain. Perfect. A-Jay

Please eat. It does a body good. Just chew with your mouth closed. 😁 A-Jay

No, nothing. I get out on the water specifically to escape from everything. While I emerse my mind, body & spirit totally into whatever that day brings. If you're going to listen to ANYTHING ELSE please wear ear buds. Not doing so is IMO, blatantly selfish. Sound carries a looooooong way over open water. A-Jay