A-Jay

Lynn spent the day at the Oncology Infusion center today as she received Part B of her scheduled Chemo. Part A was pumped in the week before last. Prior to Covid, I was with her every minute of all of these treatments, but now I'm 'not allowed' in the treatment room. Hate That. The meds seems to help her in the long run, but she earns it. These deals always start early morning and last at least through mid afternoon, and that's if everything goes well. The effects will put her down pretty hard for a few days, makes for a very quite house. Our dogs will no doubt be glued to her pretty much the whole time. Some how they just know. A-Jay

Hello Jacob ~ Nice Intro and Welcome to Bass Resource. A-Jay

Phyical a strength is a relative thing. There's always someone stronger and always someone weaker. Being the best version of me is where my focus lies. A-Jay

If & when you're willing to commit to it, you shouldn't be fishing during the teaching phase. You're the instructor, so instruct. Set them up for success in shallow water, on a school of dink bass and give them both a weightless Senko on spinning gear. Position your rig half a cast away, tell them where to throw as well as how to fish the bait; meaning mostly do nothing the bait does all the work. They will learn to detect a bite, hook and land the bass. Then you can teach them how to handle & unhook the fish (better without trebles). Finally you can teach them how to rig the bait on the hook themselves. All seems like a good place to start to me. Very little if any of that can happen effectively if you're focused on getting bites yourself. Good Luck. A-Jay

Fortunately I haven't needed much in the way of an actual 'repair' on my reels in a while. Mostly just a worn worm gear here & there. That said, for me and especially the casting reels, they are an investment. One that I'm not looking to replace right away. So to that end I have mine /cleaned/lubed & serviced every couple of years by @Delaware Valley Tackle. Service is top notch and offered at a fair price. If there's repair's needed, they will take care of that too. What does take a pretty big bite out of crime is the insured shipping both ways. However if something happens to the package en route, having them covered for the full cost might at least get new replacements. Without it, the reels would be a total loss. Not a fan of that. So I bite the bullet and drop the $$$. Replacement cash might take a while to receive but it's certainly better than the empty 'sorry' a USPS / UPS shipper would offer otherwise. A-Jay

While not a total Shimano fan boy, I have & fish both older & mostly newer casting & spinning reels. I do like the older spinners better than the newer ones. As for the casting reels, I like the older & the newer about the same. Might be somewhat different in function & design, but both perform well for me. (when I'm not picking out a professional overrun). #badthumb ? A-Jay

Nah ~ Everyone needs to go to the gym. And deep down, they all know it. A-Jay

Spent sometime before it got too hot working the dogs this morning, so I got a little bit of a late start in the home gym. Still knocked out 3 working sets of the 6 movements scheduled in workout 3. Showing the last set of each here. Plan to take the next two days off and then back hard on Sunday. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Way to brave what for most of us would be less than ideal conditions. But you obviously know that water and took full advantage of the opportunity presented. Thanks for the killer write up, the pic & especially the video. And I simply must say, you re fishing in one Gorgeous back drop ! Nicely Done Sir ~ A-Jay

I'm not the hugest Brussel Sprout fan there ever was, but I'll participate occasionally. I go with the 'steaming' method. Seems to help retain a little of the crunch if I don't let them go too long. Then it's a splash of a quality balsamic vinegar and a dash of Lawry's Season Salt. Just like Mom used to make. A-Jay

"Something Else" that I've come to factor into my windy day fishing. When it comes to presenting baits to just about any type of off the bank structure and or cover, (so drop-offs, humps, saddle areas, bottom contour spots like inside turn & long edges, even a mid depth weed edge), under the right conditions, each of these has a 'sweet spot' or at the very least, a somewhat more productive 'fishing direction'. I do much better when the wind is blowing STRAIGHT ON or STRAIGHT OFF any of the above, as opposed to blowing Down one side or the other or 'along it' (if that makes any sense). So if the structure I'm setting up on is facing West for instance, I'd prefer an East or west wind to fish it best. The more northerly or southerly flavor a steady wind has on that spot, the less desirable that spot becomes for me. At the very start of a wind event it might not matter much but as time goes on and wind currents increase, my success rate right there seems to decrease proportionately. So boat position is key and at times I will 'work with' a slightly cantered blow, but if I can relocate spots or even better, choose the right lake to start, I am usually a lot happier at the end of the day. #fishtheconditions I need to go fishing. A-Jay

For me, the wind (direction & speed) dictates where I fish. And that starts before I leave the house. Clearly conditions can and do change and forecasts are notoriously semi-reliable. But there are places/spots that get totally ruled out with big wind in a particular direction. So matching the two works better for me. That said, I totally prefer to be either heading up or down wind. Both work for me. What simply does not is making presentations with a big cross wind, especially long casts. That wild bow in my line makes me crazy. Always a last resort and rarely produces unless the bass are mostly suicidal. I'm forever hoping just to be able to present baits effectively. If and when I can do that, my odds and confidence go up a notch. A-Jay

These threads are fun ~ Always plenty of passionate viewpoints. They allow us to 'vent' juuuuuuust a little. Once we start to hit that rumble strip though . . . Well, you know. A-Jay

@Mobasser I can certainly relate to that sentiment. Every young serviceman & woman (Offiers & Enlisted) who is currently or has ever, made a 'Career' while defending our nation, started at the very bottom, chose a path and busted their butt to get ahead. Unmotivated candidates, need not apply; you won't make it. I'm starting to realize this topic really ruffles my feathers and how much I appreciate commitment. . Finally, it seems "Pride" has taken on a bit of a different meaning. Sure hope it gets better. A-Jay

Yea - Been so long since I've been able to actually hold one, I forgot about that one. I will admit that I can't say thanks for reminding me though . . . . Come On August ! A-Jay

It is a problem - a Big Problem. Mike Rowe has dedicated a good part of his humanness trying to alert the public & the media about the persistent skills gap & job shortage for going on 15 years now. https://youtu.be/-LhpFM2ChmA?t=186 When many of these tradesman retire, so does their skill set if there's no one willing to learn it & do it. Can't take care of what these folks do with an APP. Probably will get worse before it gets better. Very concerning, especially for the younger generations. A-Jay

I say Beast quite a bit. Seems I save "Toad" & "Sea Monster" for a few special fish. . . . https://youtu.be/3OXnPQs0bqQ?t=156 https://youtu.be/o9xew3tWuuU?t=1059 A-Jay

Started out this Independence Day in style with workout 2. Had some festivities to attend later so in order to do that we went with some super sets this morning. Always gets my attention. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

10 hot dogs at one sitting, My target only needs to be a keyhole . . . ? A-Jay

Kogels vienna baby ! Serve the curve. ? A-Jay

Fixed that one for you A-Jay

Rain delay ~ Don't they dunk them in water anyway ? I get nauseaus just watch that insanity. ? A-Jay

Happy 4th of July you wild man. Great to hear from you ! A-Jay

In a word, Yes it screws on. It's a little hard to describe but initially the trailer is threaded on as usual and still comes out the top of the bait. Judging that is a little different when the screw type trailer lock is involved but if you lay the trailer along side the bait you usually can come pretty close. A straight rig is still important to enable the whole bait to run true and not caddywompus. Once the trailer reaches the screw, simply spin it up onto the bait and stop once it reaches the end. You'll probably need to spin the body and then flip the tail over the hook point 3 or 4 times to get it done. Hope that helps A-Jay