A-Jay

Crazy warm here today - broke a 73 year old record . I actually pulled the Pro-V Bass out of hibernation and gave her a much needed bath. Be a while before that happens in February again Of course there's a winter advisory for 6 inches of snow tomorrow. 36 days to go. A-Jay

Nope - never have, never will. I get plenty of bites and just don't lose fish on jerkbaits nearly enough to even think about changing anything. "One of the problems with fishing is too much knowledge. When people have too much knowledge, then they get to emphasizing little details way beyond where they should be." Seem applicable here. A-Jay

When selecting leader length several factors come into play for me. And when specifically talking about medium and medium light spinning gear, the following is one of them. When a big fish is close to the boat, and making at least a couple of hard, fast runs, in a last ditch effort to earn her freedom, where is the connection knot ? A shorter leader might have that knot burning bach and forth through the entire guide train several times. And under quite a bit of strain. While a longer leader, say 25 feet or so, puts that knot on the reel, usually before the fire drill even starts, and it stays there the entire time. Meaning I am fighting my fish on just the leader. I use a uni to uni exclusively and with some success. YMMV A-Jay

Hard no for me. But I am considering having a drift fry tattooed on my forehead. A-Jay

As an OG and getting more OG, I am completely indifferent as to what or how much FFS gear pros have or what it costs. The whole concept tweaks my inner basshead soul, right to the core. So I've been completely tuning out of this deal for a while and will continue that for the foreseeable future. Mean time and like always, I'll set my focus on my own recreational fishing, which unlike much of this, makes me happy. YMMV. A-Jay

Swim Jig A-Jay

Legs 1 workout this morning. After plenty of warmup sets, I got right into it. The old bones don't exactly love it when I train a little heavier, but I don't think they totally hate it either. I know I like it. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

So my 'prediction' still has 37 days to go. However, on a whim I took a ride over to check out local Lake Menderchuck after my workout this afternoon. Almost put the GMC in a ditch . . . OPEN WATER ! Are you kidding me ? 26 Feb ? ? ? ? About 1/2 the lake is wide open and I'm finding it a little hard to breath at this point. We'll be keeping a very close eye on it but the weather pattern coming up is all crazy. Hot, cold, wind, rain, snow a mixture of all manner of things. Could still be a full 2 weeks before it's even remotely decent enough to launch. But I'll take it. #KooKoo A-Jay

Estimating wind speed & wave height on the water can be a bit of a tricky deal. Exaggerated 'Big' numbers get thrown around all the time. Either way, there's really only 2 kinds/sizes of waves and wind speed levels that matter. First one, regardless of actual wave 'height & period' and wind speed, is within the operating limitations of the boat & operator. Second one, IS EVERYTHING ELSE. An operator can still get him/herself in trouble while operating in that first one, especially if and when they are inattentive, on unfamiliar water and or using excessive speed. Matching boat course & speed, motor trim and timing waves is critical to safe transit. And ALL of that can and Does NEED to be manipulated by the second. Just 'DRIVING' to the ramp' without taking any of that into account is a Huge mistake. I have experience in much bigger conditions,(but I was in a rig designed for it, my Lund is not). So that experience tells me the waves in this clip were 3-4 ft (at best) and all I wanted in my rig. Earlier that morning the ride heading in the opposite direction was wetter and took three times as long to get where we wanted to go. Looking back, I should have stayed on the beach. Moving forward, I will. If the main motor had failed at any point, this would have been bad. Stay Safe A-Jay

This area has a Huge recreational vehicle and boat population. Goes all year so there is no off season. Snowmobiles, Atvs and boats line up for Rec Gas. Myself included; for everything except my truck. REC vehicles are allowed on all this counties roads. Places have parking just for them. Rec gas, efree, is offered everywhere here and is always very close to whatever $$ premium is but usually less than diesel. Gotta pay to play. A-Jay

@Glenn Nicely Done Sir. Very easy to tell by the delivery that you speak from experience. Being so passionate adds credibility. I surly hope folks heed all of these wise words of advice. The stories we tell about how we "just barely" made it back to the dock, often means that day started out with at least one supremely bad decision. Stay Safe #victoryatsea A-Jay

Sounds like you're making it happen. I started & finished my reel deal early this time around. That ReelX oil & Grease are good and convenient. And the ZPI F-0 bearing oil is the The Best I've found. Super thin and doesn't seem to build up or attract much debris. (btw- 'several' spinning reels (not pictured) are also Locked & loaded) A-Jay

So Sorry to hear about Mya ~ Hope you & your family can remember the good times. A-jay

Pull 2 workout this morning. Showing last 2 working sets in this one. The closer we get to open water, the harder I work. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Nice job and thanks for sharing your experience. Good luck on your journey to a better diet and the health benefits it always provides. A-Jay

Use whatever barbed ones you prefer and just mash the barbs down with a pair of flat pliers. A-Jay

More good questions, which I would like to respond to. But rather than bury my response in this ice out thread, I'll add it to Brown Bass Tools https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/211811-brown-bass-tools-~-questions-answers/ and link at deal here as well. Hitting the gym first though . . . . Back in a bit. A-Jay

Coming up on 20 years old on this baby ~ A-Jay

This one time in band camp, all we fished were orange hellgramites with no hooks. Let me tell you it was rough. But as soon as the tuba player got us some jerkbaits from the dollar store, it was hammer time. We didn't weigh or take any fish pictures, but you can bet we got plenty of shots of that 10 lb tuba ! A-Jay

I have no idea what a bass sees or even likes. Some baits seem to work on some days on some fish. First part of that is I have to find them. Every trip. Bites are often the only indicator of their presence. I carry many options and try whatever until there's contact made. My days of "force feeding" fish what I 'think' they should eat are long gone. I'll fish a flip flop like my life depended on it if it'll gets bites. A-Jay brw, bait 3rd row left, is a Shrimp !

Hello Ben and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A -Jay

That's a Really Great Question. @casts_by_fly 3 gets the nod in cold super clear water. Both are pretty good though. What about Silent vs Rattler ? And in my mind one that truly has no definitive answer. However, IME Rattle vs Silent when choosing jerkbaits is a huge deal. I have taken trophies on both. I have started loud in an area and finished silent . I have also done the reverse. Both play. My own loose set of rules is, silent seems better when there are multile big fish shallow, 7 ft or less. Better here means I can fish the same small areas and get multiple bites. Often running a rattler through the same places can get me one, followed by less action. I will often use a rattler in larger areas, looking for a bit. Once contact is made, I go silent with good results. Wish they would make a silent deep 110 that casts. Speaking of deep, SK just came out with a new 300d, it rattles, but it Sinks. I predict carnage. A-Jay

Might boost ratings - perhaps for the wrong reasons. But whatever it takes . . . https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39577625/mlb-players-add-see-pants-concerns-new-uniforms A-Jay

This used to be me too - quite the cluster. In boxes that have multiple baits per slot/section, I use small rubber bands to secure the trebles. Game Changer for me. Easier on the hooks, the baits and especially on me. A-Jay https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/217157-hard-bait-treble-hook-banding-~/

Push 2 workout this morning. The challenge is always the same. Grind right to the edge, but don't go over it. #borninfiftynine A-Jay