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

I like pizza. Hi Steve. A-Jay

I need to believe it before I can see it. Performed two working sets of 7 exercises. Showing one set of each here. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

@Mobasser Thank you for the follow up on this one. A little bummed for you that there was no new PB but super happy you made the commitment to take the journey. "Anyone who would ever tell you that targeting and catching big bass is easy, is not being honest. It's hard." I totally agree with this one. It is pretty much my motto & mindset as I prepare and head out onto just about every lake I fish. But I had to 'learn' how to temper my expectations with realistic results. In other words, when the conditions seem right and 'I think' I'm in the right place, at the right time and doing the right thing, and then I completely blank, I have to try not to let it ruin the trip. Because it happens a large percentage of the time. Part of the game. Easier said than done, especially in the beginning. But the satisfaction that comes with putting it all together even just one time every season or two, is hard to put into words. We both know it can happen at any time on any cast. And I for one will not be surprised when it happens for you - very soon. Fish Hard A-Jay

I got on some decent brown bass early spring and again late summer. Somethings change and some things stay the same. https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/251335-2022-~-year-in-review-video/ A-Jay

Nice pike. The Gamakatsu EWG Treble Short Shank 2X Magic Eye is a solid option. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gamakatsu_EWG_Treble_Short_Shank_2X_Magic_Eye_6pk/descpage-GETX.html I'm thinking size #6 on the small side & #4 on the bigger side Might want to pump up the rest of the hardware to match it (split rings) A-Jay

Such a challenging deal, especially if I didn't absolutely love everything about it. Well, except for the muscle soreness. Never have gotten used to that. Performed 2 working sets of 7 exercises this morning. Felt pretty good. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Every 'scrounger' type bait out there, MUST be worked very slowly, to run correctly. Especially the medium & long bill versions. Regardless of the trailer type, most of todays high speed reels would need to be cranked ultra slow to keep the bait from spinning. So trolling one, is just about impossible. A-Jay