A-Jay

Lippless baits are a lot of fun to fish, and when the bass are on them, it's fun times for all. I like to slow-roll them and burn them over soft cover. I use a few different baits depending on the usage. Perhaps my favorite way to fish one is in cooler water and to present one like a blade bait. So think clean(er) bottom and short hops. The Duo Realis Tungsten G-Fix is my go-to. It's a 3/4 oz bait but has a 1/2 oz profile and is very thin side to side. Great way to cover water and get latched on to late-season brown bass. https://youtu.be/E8UfnBPoH-M?si=xuc-TZCsEKarfrVb&t=274 A-Jay

Workout Day 3 ~ My POS GoPro didn't record any of the raw audio. Still kicked ass on the training either way. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Hello everyone. My name is A-Jay, and I am a jerkaholic. Even though I am not in denial I'm pretty sure it's hopeless. The Only known cure involves in ordained priest, two buckets of holy water, and a ball peen hammer. #helpless. A-Jay (Aka ITO)

Just for reference, I watch for 2 factors to let me know open water may be close. Regardless of the size of the body of water. First is the snow is gone from the ice and has been replaced by water/puddles on the ice. Second is over night air temps need to be and stay well above freezing consistently until there's open water. During the partial open stage, lakes here will often have free floating sheets of ice that blow all over the lake. If I can fish, I do. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

I like it. Well, not the ice part, but everything else. A-Jay

Bet you didn't expect that one above.... A-Jay

So a potential Darwin Award winner. At the very least, a strong nominee. 🤡 A-Jay

It is a darn shame ~ And if you know who that is - you're old like me. ☹️ A-Jay

While I clearly don't have a dog in this fight, Do you guys expect the seasonal regs change to attract more early season Derby dollars ? A-Jay

@Jigfishn10 sorry for the hi-jack. @MontanaBasser It seems your user experience is different than mine. If there's snow - the tracks go. As for 'slow', - speed is not a priority for me. Whereas effectiveness is. Plenty of that up in here. I will never not have tracks on these units. I just wish I could get this beast up on the roof ! YMMV A-Jay

Yup - you were right. Ed McMahon just called. Dinner for one at Burger World and a free Mallo Cup for dessert. So blessed. A-Jay

Workout Day 2 ~ No need for music, just the clank and groan. The old man working, silent and alone. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

I don't need no stinking air pressure ~ Honda for the win A-Jay

Hello Steven and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

While I certainly hope the best for everyone involved in the recent chaos, in and around Puerto Vallarta. Just as a PSA—Mexico as a country covers roughly 760,000 square miles. For reference, it's like 3 times the size of Texas. There are over 510 miles / 10 hours driving time between Puerto Vallarta and Lake Baccarac Lodge. Stay Safe. A-Jay

Nicely Done. You are most certainly improving the quality of your life. Focusing on healthspan (years of health) versus lifespan, while aiming to minimize the length of the marginal decade. Congrats, and here's to keeping it going. A-Jay

Woke up to a balmy minus 6 degrees this morning, and both dogs had cold paw. According to the NWS, this morning's temp is 18 degrees below normal. In my mind, minus anything is below normal ! But I digress, because it's Tanker Tuesday. As this gorgeous girl went into the Frabil April before last, she was added to the ever-lengthening list of fatties who just could not resist the Shrimp 110. 51 days and a Wake up, which at this point is looking more like wishful thinking than reality. Fish Hard A-Jay

Been holding on to this one for a while. Looks like this winter's going to linger into the middle of May. Might as well launch it here & now. Lake Menderchuck and the Rainbow Smelt The rainbow smelt is a small slender member of the Osmeridae family. Similar to trout and salmon, rainbow smelt have a dorsal fin and an adipose fin on the dorsum. Additional characteristics include teeth, as well as a long thin body with purple, pink and blue iridescent sides. Smelt live out much of their life cycle in deep open water expanses. Similar to many migratory species, rainbow smelt ascend tributary streams to spawn over gravel. Their spawning period begins in the early spring when water hits 42-44°F (April), and extends for about a three-week period. Cool weather conditions may delay and/or extend the spawning period. Rainbow smelt spawn at night and usually return to the lake by morning. Rainbow smelt fry grow rapidly; landlocked in the Great Lakes most are mature by the end of two growing seasons, and nearly all will mature by the end of the third season. As with many other fish species, females grow faster and larger and live longer than males. Rainbow smelt grow to an average size of 3 to 6 inches in length in the Great Lakes. Now for the good stuff and something that I haven’t discussed here before. Most ALL of the inland lakes I fish and the places that have the biggest fish are all either directly or indirectly connected to one of the Great Lakes through rivers & or streams that feed into a Lake Menderchuck. Certainly not a secret, but a basshead needs to be on the water early enough each season to capitalize on it because most all predatory cold-water fish in the lake, including fat pre-spawn brown bass, certainly do. Knowing/predicting where all this goes down is not too hard. But I will say the timing can often be a little tricky. Super early mornings, the very first morsels of daylight, become the norm for the best success. Admittedly, making the correct bait selection is less arduous than just being there on time. Open water Cannot get here soon enough ! Fish Hard A-Jay

Man, tons of snow really jacks some stuff up. Who knew. Stay Safe A-Jay

That's what Everybody sees ! #fear. A-Jay

You're Welcome. As for the new reel, That's going to be between you and the bait monkey. Good Luck 👍 A-Jay

Initially last year I just brought back what had been done in the past. But thinking about it, this forum is mostly gear to artifical presentations. Not that I have anything against live bait. Pretty sure we all grew up doing it. However here and now, and when we break it down, it's sort of apples and oranges. So for now, we'll stick with what we're got. And there's nothing that says you can't start a live bait mater anglers thread. Have fun A-Jay

I do a partial in the summer and a then a full clean over the winter. Haven't mastered pulling the spool bearing just yet but either way full jobs are time consuming depending on the number of reels that get the treatment. As for lubricant, I have been using this and I like it. CorrosinX bearing oil, lubricant and grease. A-Jay

Hope everyone is safe. But I'm just here for the comments. A-Jay