A-Jay

It was part of my job description for a long time, pretty much by default. Saw some gruesome scenes much of which I've had to work on to forget. Boat propellers and human tissue don't mix, Commercial fishing rigging kills guys just about every week somewhere, suicide, bridge jumpers, the list is long. It doesn't 'bother me'. Started early enough. Watched my Dad take off his middle finger with a table saw when I was 10. He barely flinched. Wrapped up the severed digit along with the wound with his white handkerchief (always carried one) and said, "Go get your mother and tell her we need to go to the ER". They re-attached it but it was a prop for the most part. Things we remember. A-Jay

Easy to understand your concern. Sending you both our best my friend. A-Jay

Been running these. Both the older and this new version. Very stout. A-Jay https://m.tirerack.com/tires/description.jsp?tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=All-Terrain+T%2FA+KO2

This time of year makes 'feeding the machine' a little easier. Meaning I'm getting plenty of calories. But I may have scarfed down a little too much anniversary cake yesterday. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Your boy has that entire deal backwards. He pays you to work on that unit. I'm thinking $800 a month should be more than fair compensation. A-Jay

I rotate through three pairs of Onos myself. (blue, amber & green lens) Big fan & have had nothing happen to any pair as of yet. I think going on 3 years now, maybe more. If they are not on my face, they live in the case. Good Luck with your search. A-Jay

You Know it. It's been Bravo Zero (which mean ready to go) for a couple of weeks now. Don't plan on using it for the first several snow events though. I like to let the drive get all packed down with a solid base layer. One that hopefully lasts until March or so. A-Jay

Fred Arbogast Mud Bug A-Jay

Nice Bass and New PB ! Congrats A-Jay

I am not a river guy. Instead I fish deep clear lakes for smallies. I can agree with your timing premise, and I'll take it a bit further. When I'm looking for the biggest brown bass in the system, IMO a few things hold true. They are the fewest in number. They only make themselves accessible a few times a season. Might mean a day, a couple hours or even just a few minutes. They are THE WARIEST of the bunch. And they are The Hardest to get a bite from Hook, fight & Land. So it stands to reason, at least for me, the more times I can be in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing, the better chances I have to hold a trophy. If I'm lucky, it happens once or twice a season. If not, there's always next year. Fish Hard A-Jay

Interesting thread @ol'crickety I'm not exactly sure when or where it happened. I think it was somewhere between the Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon administrations that I figured out that when it came to bass fishing, I really liked to cast & retrieve my offering. Whatever it was. Back in the day it was mudbugs & hellbenders, jitterbugs & crazy crawlers, rebel minnows & daredevil spoons, spinnerbaits and the Black Fury. Despite many of my better bass coming on the Creme rigged night crawler (2 hooks a spinning prop and some beads) I disliked it, as the effective presentation had to be so slow. Fast forward 11 presidents later, I haven't changed all that much. While the bait's and places I throw them certainly have, the favorite premise is still the same. Chunk & wind; most always for northern Michigan brown bass. Latest deals for me that have proven to check all the boxes are Swing heads, swimbaits, A-Rig & a Vibrating Jig. Jerkbaits are in my soul at this point. Top waters and spinnerbaits are still big players as is a wide variety of shallow & medium running crankbaits. When it gets tough, I'll fish a traditional jig/ craw and feel fairly confident with it. But these days I'm rarely reaching for it first. Don't even remember the last time I pitched a 'rubber worm' at anything. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Fish Hard A-Jay

The late version of a Mercury Optimax (2016) 200 hp 2-stroke was decent and virtually bullet proof for me. But it was loud, adding oil all the time and the exhaust fumes were not all that great. Re-powered to the (2018) V-8 4 stroke 200 hp ProXS. Comes with all the performance and none of the 'negatives' noted above. I was a staunch 2-stroke dude for a long time. Not any more. https://youtu.be/T7LO6RQA7yY A-Jay

My wife & I use that same head lamp strappy deal to take the dogs out at night & early morning works well and is surprisingly bright. Mystery logs in the leaves are no fun. A-Jay

Cool pic but watch out for that bird flu ~ ? A-Jay

After a couple of much needed off days, I was back at it this morning. Performed my usual 2 working sets of 7 exercises. Showing one here. Finished this one off with a couple of triple drop sets. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

I think this is close A-Jay

Every couple of years, almost always during hard water, I'll pick a stick or two to refresh. Usually just taking the stock guides off and then spinning them back on with new material. If there's a need, I replace one or all with new. No problem admitting I'm a total novice, but it's not really that difficult. Taking my time and having the right tools & materials is as often the case, is helpful. A-Jay

I prefer a green or red lens. A-Jay

Taking an active rest day today. Back in the home gym tomorrow. A-Jay

Minn Kota offers "Tilt Brackets" as an accessory. Allows the Talons to be laid flat on the deck to facilitate in/out of storage or other low clearance. They were a must have for me. A-Jay

Been running twin 12 ft Talons on the Pro-V Bass since 2016. I use them every single trip almost as much as I use the Fortrex. Replacing the remote(s) batteries a couple times a season is routine. Just depends on how and where you fish. For me, they are vital. A-Jay

I'm not a giant multi tool fan, but I do use them when I need a 'quick' fix for something. Thinking about it, I carry one in the GMC, The Lund, The Canoe and I'm pretty sure there's one in the tackle room. Like I said, hardly use them but when I need one, I'm glad I have it. They are all different models of varying quality. Mostly on the thriftier side though. A-Jay

I'm fortune in that most all of the deep cool water lakes I frequent are home to a variety of game fish. And while I 'target' the big brown bass the majority of the time, I have been know to veer off track for a solid walleye or northern pike bite. Brown trout & the occasional Muskie often make early and late season appearances. Although I love catching them, I do not usually target those guys. Fish Hard A-Jay

Once there's ice anywhere (especially on the boat ramps) Safety becomes a concern and a limiting factor. Big waters here get nasty late season while the smaller lakes are often quite fishable & safe(er). So the Pro-V Bass gets put up as that mess approaches and if there's a day or two here and there when I might consider wetting a line, I'll break out the Old Town Canoe. Water temp plays no role for me as long as it's not hard water. But I hate fishing in gloves, so super cold & wind has me huddled by the wood stove. Finally very late season brown bass (Late Nov & early Dec time frame) that have moved & set up in their wintering holes are routinely pretty easy to find and usually willing to bite. I just need to be willing to endure the elements to get to them. Fish Hard A-Jay

WTG ~ Out-rageous Musky Killer pics too. You need a GoPro so bad it isn't funny. Strap one to my favorite hat and you're golden. Congrats Sir. A-Jay