A-Jay

Total Body 2 this morning. Performed a couple of working sets of each movement and finished with a drop set. Showing some of that in this one. Mark me as taking care of business. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

‘What size PFD do I need?’ ‘Do lifejackets have a weight limit?’ These are just two questions (of many) that regularly surface when kicking off conversations about getting marine enthusiasts into the best possible PFD for their adventures. Whether you have a specific activity you’re looking to find a PFD for, or if you’re wondering what vest best suits your height and weight, we’ve lined up expert insights from the engineers here at Mustang Survival to help you confidently navigate your personal PFD selection and purchasing process. The answers to the ‘best PFD’ questions might surprise you - and it’s all based on science. Come along for the ride as we explain buoyancy, and how choosing a PFD comes down to two simple questions. More info here ~ https://mustangsurvival.com/blogs/resources/how-to-choose-a-pfd I use these. They are currently on sale too. https://mustangsurvival.com/collections/approval-rating_type-iii/products/elite-28-inflatable-pfd-auto-hydrostatic-md5183 A-Jay

Never experienced bill failure on these baits. I do make some effort to store them securely with "bills up" or with the box flat. A-Jay

Nicely Done ~ And CONGRATS on every front. Such a pretty place. Enjoyed the video. A-Jay

I agree ~ btw - That's all the same bait, just different angles. A-Jay

Big Fan of the Respect series (#32) GG Midnight Bone Yellow Belly got me. A-Jay

Enjoyed a couple of off days. Back in the home gym this morning. Modified my routine a little. Less Dumbbell movements for a while. Felt good. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

We do some external stuff. I try to get it up 'early', meaning before there's a blizzard. Usually right about now and It comes down right after new year. ? A-Jay

Hard to know for sure. So many factors could affect it. Clear water might be one, might not. I fish some clean lakes, where at times I can see the bottom clearly in 20 ft. That said I get more bites on a drop shot with 6 lb leader than 10lb. But in the same lakes, I'll be fishing a full 5 wire A-Rig, and have the rod practically ripped out of my hand. (which btw, is pretty addicting) As mentioned here in previous responses, line 'size' can play a role in bait action, casting distance, baits running depth, Hook setting (especially at distance), fish fighting & landing ability. I'm often more concerned with all of that in advance of whether or not a bass can see my line. YMMV A-Jay

There's quite a bit of interesting stuff being shared here. Life is the greatest teacher especially when it comes to marriage / living together. Folks that are 'together' learn in the trenches. Single folks see it all 'from a distance'. Sadly, "Bad' marriages get all the press and "Good" marriages go largely unrecognized. Each of us may see the world in a different way. There may not be a single, unifying, objective truth as we're all limited by our perspective. Perhaps marriage is like that. On a personal note, my own marriage is easily my highest achievement and most significant commitment. These past 23 years have taught me the importance of having the patience to listen, the capacity to understand, the compassion to give comfort, and the joy to laugh and be myself. YMMV A-Jay

Total Body 3 today ~ However I was feeling really flat and mostly uninspired. It happens. Rather than blow off the training, I just dialed it back and hammered it out. Plan on taking two days off to enjoy the holiday. Stay Safe #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Love throwing topwater at big brown bass. Been doing it for a while from both a canoe & The Pro-V Bass. Mostly in 'open water' and it's usually walkers, Poppers and a few rip baits mixed it. ALL happens on various 7' to 7'4" M spinning gear for me with 10-20 lb braid mainline & 12 lb mono leader. (either green big game or maxima ultragreen). And it seems I like a longer leader than most - because I'm working with at least 20 ft and often as much as 25. I prefer Super long bomb casts to specific targets. And YES, bite usually come either just after the baits settles or soon there after. The rare time bass will take a poke at topwater close to the boat are at night, super early/late grey light and in the fog. So low visibility that hides the negative ques of both the bait and the boat. High quality after market hardware & trebles are a must for me and rarely let me down. Fish Hard A-Jay

Nailed It ! A-Jay

What was you're best lure and set up this year? Not sure how we are defining 'best' in this one. However for me best means biggest and that was a 6.54 lb brown bass and happened right here : https://youtu.be/o9xew3tWuuU?t=1013 My set up included: QUANTUM TOUR KVD TKVD150SPTH Limited Edition casting reel 6.6:1 Spooled with 15 lb Seaguar Tatsu on a QUANTUM TOUR KVD MICRO GUIDE TKVD706MB composite cranking rod. Bait was the notorious 3/8 oz Z-Man Evergreen Chatterbait Jack Hammer with a 4 inch Yamamoto Zako Swimbait ~ Both Green Pumpkin and heavily coated in Megastrike Fish Attractant Original Fish Hard A-Jay

My wife strapped the GoPro on Kya yesterday out in the dog yard. She loves bombing around in the snow. The Dog not Lynn . . . . https://www.facebook.com/100000092564585/videos/1475493759627718/ A-Jay

Let's start at the beginning. What is your ultra light set up - rod & reel ? What presentations are you using it for - techniques/baits ? What type of environment are you fishing this deal in ~ Lake/pond, rivers, streams ? What fish are you targeting ~ bass, panfish, trout, sturgeon ? Why the FC leader ? In the lighter test (less than 8 lb) IME FC knot strength is garbage. Regardless of the connection knot used. Since the lines is so thin anyway, a quality mono leader will have a superior knot strength, and still get plenty of bites. Lastly, my experience with nano braid was brief & bad. Casted great but had absurdly weak knot strength in the lightest test. Might need to switch out the entire line & leader deal and go with something else. A-Jay

Total Body 2 today ~ I'll often do a drop set (less weight) after my two working sets. Showing those today. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Some very good stuff being shared in this one. Thank you to all that served. My service career was quite different from much of what has been noted above and occurred all in Conus. There were certainly challenges but I believe I came out of it mostly OK. I'm on the back side of life at this point and find myself challenged by a couple of different deals that weigh on my mind body & spirit 24/7/365. Open water & hard water is an annual 50/50 deal so being able to come here and 'escape', even for just a short bit has been very beneficial. I read something a while back about living in the present that really hit home. Reading about it is one thing, but when I was not doing it, it seemed like I couldn't really help me. I was Very wrong. It's something that I still need to remind myself of daily, but I highly recommend it. Please take a few minutes and read this. “Most people are prisoners, thinking only about the future or living in the past. They are not in the present, and the present is where everything begins.” -Carlos Santana- A-Jay "The present makes us exist in a certain place. Although we sometimes underestimate the present, everything we do in the present moment will be our personal inheritance. Living in the present allows you to build a whole world that will then become your legacy. Living in the present implies being aware of each situation and finding our eternity in every single moment. Naive people spend their time looking at other places while standing on an island full of life opportunities. There are no other places, though… There’s no other life but this one. The present is ephemeral and thinking intensely about an unknown future or our troubling past may cause it to slip out of our hands. Forever is composed of “nows” Although it may be difficult for us to understand the physical dimension of time, the truth is that life is now. There has never been a time when your life wasn’t now. The present is so transient that this line you just finished reading is already part of your past. The future, on the other hand, is what you project when you think about what you’ll be doing on the weekend instead of focusing your whole being on reading what’s before you. The present moment is the only time we can modify with our actions and decisions. We sometimes put so much of our energy into thinking about the past or future that we don’t realize just how quickly the present moment flies by. It’s important for us to stop for a second and think about the number of times we’ve kept ourselves from living in the present moment just out of fear of future or past memories. Living in the present moment allows you to be thankful for everything If our happiness at this time consists mainly of memories and expectations, we’ll only be vaguely aware of the present moment. If we do this a lot, we won’t be able to be fully conscious of what goes on around us. That keeps us from enjoying the little things and experiencing them fully. Breaking the habit of constantly looking back and forth will be of great help if we want to enjoy our current reality. Focusing only on the future or past can jeopardize our present to the point where we start asking ourselves if we’re living in the real world or if it’s all a fantasy. The present moment doesn’t last for a lifetime. Today seems eternal, but it won’t exist tomorrow. Keeping ourselves present in our reality may seem like an easy thing to do, but it requires practice. The reason for this is that we’re used to giving free rein to thoughts that aren’t part of it. Living in the present gives us the chance to learn from the many events that go on in our daily lives. You may think that you do pay enough attention to your reality when, in fact, all you do is think about the consequences of your past actions or how scary the future is. It’s okay for a past event to make you feel upset, but why remain angry due to something that no longer exists? Keep yourself present and grateful for your current reality. The secret to having a healthy mind and body is living in the present moment instead of complaining about the past or worrying about the problems the future might bring."

After some R & D, turns out I actually prefer most all of my minnow baits to be 'countdown'. Don't tell anyone. A-Jay

Wasn't able to make a trip to Lake Baccarac Lodge in 2022. Each of my many between 2013-2021 have been very positive. A couple were pretty epic in fact. But as fertile as that lake is, it's still bass fishing. I am really hoping to get back there at the very first opportunity. A-Jay

It's all good and I agree with you @RDB. Never fished that place but have done some damage in Mexico over the past few years. Having never seen any 'charts' done for big smaliies, but I'd be willing to guess the odds are even smaller. A-Jay

Found this again ~ https://www.facebook.com/JoshJonesFishing/posts/pfbid09hPFZL93y79v55kMz4rcMCowGD4GBa89MrwVfm5TdEma8ARuANS1Td17VRuz6LF6l A-Jay

You should be good . . . A-Jay

Back around to Total Body 1 this morning and it was all business. Two working sets of 7 exercises. #borninfiftynine A-Jay