A-Jay

That one cost me a few bucks ~ 🙃 A-Jay

There's just no replacement for time on the water. Even if it's only a few minutes apparently. Nicely done. I was hoping that I had made the right choice, just never really knew for sure. Now there's no doubt. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource A-Jay

This is escalting rather quickly ! A-Jay

Not a bigger boat but maybe TW can help me increase the tackle payload ? Thanks, it is exciting, even if this is the 3rd or 4th one I've ordered. The process is really easy especially if the dealership sales staff has their act together and is willing to actually work with and please the customer. I love sitting down, going through all the packages and options. End result, no surprise upon delivery. I get what I paid for and smile the whole time. Lastly, it's no secret the new rig prices are pretty high. But going for the last of the 2026 models before the 2027's is helping. Next version of this rig will be different and even more $$$$. A-Jay

Got one of my all-time favorite emails from GMC this morning. A-Jay, c‍ongratulations. Your 2026 GMC Sierra order has been received by your dealer and confirmed for production. Every meticulously crafted detail of your new vehicle will come to life so you can chart your next adventures. GMC will send status updates as new information becomes available. This way, you can actively follow your Sierra’s journey to your driveway. Vehicle Model: 2026 GMC Sierra AT4 Menderchuck Edition Interior Trim: PERFORATED LEATHER-FRONT SEATING - JET BLACK WITH KALAHARI ACCENTS Exterior Color: ONYX BLACK Order Number: 8675309 More to follow. It would be really killer if this rig showed up early and I could slide out of the old lease and right into this one. #wishful thinking. A-Jay

Not anymore, apparently. A-Jay

Admittedly I haven't gone back to look. I think it may have happened a few times in the 10 years or so I was fishing from the canoe. But those were really small bodies of water (#puddles) compared to what the Pro-V bass is routinely gunning across. A-Jay

Your generosity overwhelms me. A-Jay

Wish this was an April Fools' joke— But sadly, it is not! Active Weather AlertsWinter Storm Watch Issued: 3:40 AM Apr. 1, 2026 – National Weather Service ...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON... * WHAT...Heavy mixed precipitation possible. Total snow and sleet accumulations up to two inches and ice accumulations between one tenth and one quarter inch. Winds could gust 25 to 35 mph from the east. * WHERE...A portion of Northern Lower Michigan. * WHEN...From late tonight through Thursday afternoon. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Thursday morning and evening commutes. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...A mix of snow/sleet/freezing rain is expected to change to all freezing rain early Thursday morning. Temperatures are expected to warm above freezing during the afternoon. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation. && Makes me want to spoon out an eye ~ 😜 A-Jay

It's a Paul Krews' hand-poured custom job. This one's part of his Smallie Collection. https://paulkrew.com/smallie-collecion/ fbid=1570699429802494&set=a.1101589770046798&type=3 A-Jay

Good to see you back @Captain Phil Here's to having nothing but better days. A-Jay

After much deliberation, I’ve decided it’s time to part ways with my pride and joy: my Lund 1875 Pro-V Bass. Yes, you read that right, I am officially listing the boat that everyone knows I would never, ever sell. Honestly, it’s just too fast—the 200hp Mercury Pro XS is honestly ridiculous, and I’m tired of arriving at my fishing spots before the sun has even decided to wake up, leaving me waiting around for the fish to finish their coffee. The Lund’s massive, rock-solid casting decks are just too stable, and quite frankly, I miss the "thrill" of a lower-end boat that actually makes you balance. The Pro-V makes fishing too easy, and I've become too accustomed to keeping my tackle perfectly organized in the cavernous rod lockers, which is frankly ruining my "organized chaos" aesthetic. Plus, I've decided to downgrade to a vessel that doesn't have a proper 4-bank charger or a custom-fitted travel cover. I am looking for a quick sale, so the first person to bring me $200 dollars in wrinkled singles and an expired can of Barbeque Pringles takes this aluminum masterpiece home. No tire kickers, and definitely don't ask why I'm suddenly selling my fishing soul— just trust that this is a 100% legitimate, non-fictional post that you should totally fall for. April Fools! 🤪 A-Jay

We are hoping for the best for you and Coco. A-Jay

Nice Bass. Congrats 👏 A-Jay

@Carolina Pines WTG - A 57 year old motor That is awesome. Like a vintage piece of times gones by. Saying they don't build them like they used to is IMO a wild understatement. I can't think of too many units that were built even 10 years ago that I could expect to last even half that long. A-Jay

I'm going the other way - Small gas outboard for me. Better to have it and not need it than to not have it and need it. Using the motor to get to the spot so I can save all my battery juice for when I begin to fish, is how I would go. Plus as @Pat Brown mentioned, drained or dead batteries and an approaching front when I'm some distance from where I put in, makes me nervous. Stay Safe A-Jay

Here we are, last days of March. Melting conditions have been mostly favorable the past week or so. However we did have thunder, lightning & hail. Which my dogs really enjoyed at zero dark thirty. I'm looking at a mere 16 days & a wake-up. I can almost taste it .. . . . . Not sure that's going to happen at this point, but I'm going to be ready either way. Keeping with the Tanker Tuesday theme: Here's a 6.48 lb cold, super early-season jerkbait-choking mutant. A-Jay

Took me a while to figure this bait out—like two seasons. I thought I had 'tried' everything I could; no bites. Turns out, not everything. For the places I fish for brown bass, it's all about being around the right cover. SURPRISE—I know, right? But seriously, the bait excels for me when I can get it to 'hang up' in the cover a bit. Pause there, and then keep moving. How fast of a retrieve, how long of a pause, and what type of cover (and depth) is always seasonally dependent. The bladed jig has been such a big fish producer for me that when the conditions are right, At least in my mind, it's hard for me to throw anything else. So cooler water early and later in the season, it's a lighter 3/8 oz bait fished low & slow. Zako proved to be a great trailer. Warmer water—late summer—it's a 1/2 oz bait moved a little faster and higher in the water column. Some of that is because the grass is taller by then as well. Finally, in the lakes that have goby, using these little gems as trailers, has been like a religious experience. #revolation (I snip off the little pec fins.) Cooler water catch ~ https://youtu.be/o9xew3tWuuU?feature=shared&t=1013 Warmer water catch~ https://youtu.be/sITpRNLz_04?feature=shared&t=192 Fish Hard A-Jay

Yup and thanks for the thought. I tried a couple last season. (no blades) But my fishing last year was a train wreck, so I am totally willing to give them another shot. I will say the baits on the rig seem sort of close together—bunched up, if you will. Either way we'll see how it goes. A-Jay

I have a couple, but I'll drop this one here and now and the other one a little later. My version of the A-Rig for Brown Bass ~ Right off the bat, I will say that I threw an A-Rig for the better part of two seasons, trying to force-feed it to smallies. Got a lot of great casting practice, but that was about it. But once it clicked, it was a Beauuuuuuuuuutiful Thing. Now, I'm semi-addicted to the thing. First, it's a bit of a bear to fish for any length of time. Obviously it doesn't cast very well (more of a full-body heave or lob than an actual cast), but it does require quite a bit more effort to fish than most anything else I throw in Michigan, anyway. Second, the strikes are straight-up vicious, and every brown bass I've caught on it has been in the plus-size class, so there's a decent reward for the effort expended. As for what clicked: I initially even got the idea to fish it for brown bass from Mark Zona. But rather than actually watching how, where & when he was having results—I thought I could just go out, throw the thing around a bit, and hook up. Didn't happen. Once I went back through what he was offering and really digested the deal, I was eventually able to get on some fish. It took a while, though. So like I said, I love throwing it because the strikes are great and so far, it's been a big fish catcher. However, it's not a deal I use all season or on every lake. I have found two specific situations where I use it effectively. The first starts pre-spawn, but not super early. More like once the water temps get to about 55 or so—and there are plenty of fish shallow(er), say less than 10 ft. Clear water helps but is not totally needed. But smallies are sight feeders, so clean is usually better. What is needed are long casts. The fish have to be willing to chase the bait—so if it's too cold or too dirty, they will not. I usually start throwing it once the smallies start to follow a jerkbait to the boat without eating it—often they will eat this thing hard! This bite will last right up to the spawn for me—and then a little into post-spawn—but not that long - as brown bass will often head deeper pretty quick, and I'll use something else out there (usually a drop shot or spy bait). The other A-Rig bite comes back in the late summer—the first week of August. I have found several huge smallies super shallow early in the morning (very first light) hunting perch right at the edge of the inside weedline in less than 5 ft. Unusual to say the least, but that's where I got my PB so I don't ask questions; I just go fishing. These big fish are super spooky way inside in such skinny water, and getting them to eat has been a challenge—topwater works, but that bite dies fast each morning—so once I tried the A-Rig, it was on like Donkey Kong. I was surprised it didn't spook them, as it hits the water like a bomb, but they'll follow it and eat it—no problem. A good thing is, a little later in the morning and again in the afternoon, these same fish move out to isolated weed clumps in 8-12 ft, waiting for the next low light to go back inside & eat again. By throwing the A-Rig around these clumps, I'm often able to get a few more bites from some great fish I'd often given up on in the past—sometimes at noon with the sun just blazing! Tons of fun. While watching Zona hammer smallies with this thing, he kept talking about how he wanted the rig to kind of "hover" in the water column. I didn't know what the heck that meant. But after getting some fish, I sort of have an idea. The A-Rig is certainly not a contact bait, meaning you can fish it around cover, but you can't be in it at all. But where it is in the water column and at what speed, is EVERYTHING. Traveling along, about 2 feet off the bottom seems like the sweet spot. And while there are times when they will smash it while I burn it along, the best results come when I can retrieve it just fast enough to keep "hovering" along in the correct slot of the water column. Intermittent quick reels handle turns that make the rig 'jump ahead' a little—can be money! A-Jay

Workout Day 4 ~ Last training day for March 2026. It feels mostly weird to type, but this summer I'll be 67 years old. And the thought of being 3 years from 70 leaves me asking myself, "Where did the time go?" Either way, I am going to try and keep plugging along like this until the bottom falls out. Which I'm in no hurry to get to, btw. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Just got the word that both Inga & Gisela have been claimed by some lucky humans. As expected, they are skipping the foster stage and going straight to their forever home, together. It's always a good feeling when littermates are not separated. Wishing them the best. A-Jay

The North Woods is still in a state of suspended animation. It's melting pretty well, day & night. It's just that there is so much snow and ice that it takes a while to get through it all. Still looking at at least 3 weeks would be my guess. I'm trying to stay in shape either way. https://www.facebook.com/reel/2523235391405281 A-Jay

Since my last entry here, I think I've repacked twice, purchased some new sunglasses, changed out a few baits and even subtracted a few baits. Most importantly, perhaps, is that this one is already paid for in full. Which, for a retired enlisted guy living on a fixed salary, is a pretty big deal. I call it creative financing. My wife thinks that's funny, but this is no laughing matter. OK - maybe it is. 188 Days and a wake-up. And here are Scorable Bass stats from the epic Oct 2018 trip. It was getting hard to keep track on the water. So Big Fish Jeff kept the notable catches on his phone. This is a screenshot. Ask me again why we call him Big Fish Jeff. A-Jay