A-Jay

I don't really need more, I mean seriously. But there's a few more in the locker, hanging on the wall in the garage and a small collection of retired sticks in the hobby shop. As outrageous as that is ~ And we're not even talking about ALL the Striped Bass stuff I had but sold most of before moving up to the sweet water. And I have no problem mentioning all this because I've seen PLENTY of pics in this forum of collections of gear that totally DWARF my whole deal. And you guys know who you are . . . . . A-Jay

This one was inspired by another thread current running which discusses Dedicated Rigs and is not news to those of us that do it. So why do bass fishermen carry multiple rods & reels with them on the water? Shore bound & boat bass fishermen alike, often prefer to carry various rods to match fishing techniques that can change fast on the water. Having different action rods already rigged with lures affords us the flexibility to change tactics quickly which can equate to catching more fish. There can be various reasons why bass fishermen like to fish with many rods on standby. Flexibility, convenience, and speed probably covers most of it. Being gear junkies may be part of this as well. (I know it is for me). Matching conditions on the water by having multiple rigs prepared for different scenarios and on standby, can be a solid plan. There’s enough factors that negatively affect our fishing and that are out of our hands. Being prepared is something I can control (mostly). Selecting the right gear and bait for bass fishing is a big deal at times. This includes the Fishing Line itself which can be just as important as the rod. Multiple rigs allows for a line type & size flexibility not reasonably possible with one or two rigs. I carry extra pre-rigged spools of varying line types/tests for this very reason. Plus I’m a crazy person. While it certainly can be done, changing out line on the bank or in the middle of the lake, never really seems quick, efficient, or very practical. Another aspect of what ends up in a basshead’s rod locker may be that even though our current (insert older) gear is most likely perfectly fine, improving technology and marketing can make us feel like we need the newest model; the latest & greatest. I’m certainly guilt of it. All said & done, in my mind ALL my rigs are “dedicated”. Dedicated to catching the most & biggest Brown bass I can. Fish Hard A-Jay

This is the longest trek I take, but I don't drive it . . . The top four Lake Menderchucks average less than 90 minutes each way. Which is just about my limit at this point. All the local Lake Menderchucks however, are considerably closer. Like 10 minutes or less. In fact I'm heading to one that's 4 miles away right now . . . . See Ya ! Fish Hard A-Jay

My personal St Croix Warranty experiences has been mostly positive. A-Jay

Clearing skies and cold northwest breezes have led to widespread Frost Advisories and Freeze Warnings across central/northern lower Michigan and the U.P. The Advisories and Warnings take effect at midnight and run through 10 AM EDT on Friday. The map below displays the Frost Advisories in the light blue tones, with the darker areas showing the Freeze Warnings. A-Jay

I don't use blades locally. Seems like too much. Always use blades down south. Nothing is too much there. A-Jay

Boat & Canoe A-Jay

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. Ok So - the A-Rig for me is a really interesting deal. 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 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. 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's plenty of fish shallow(er) say less than 10 ft. Clear water helps but 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 - first week of August. I have found several Huge Smallies Super Shallow early 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 were 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 - top water 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. 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 this 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. How I fish it - I use a 7'6" MH Mod stick, started out with 20 lb Tatsu FC but have since seen better results with 17 lb. Prefer a 6.6:1 reel. Early success came on the SK short Arm Rig, but the bigger bass were busting the wire arms off the bait before I could get them in the net - super bummer. Have since switched to the G Funk Baits Bama Rig. No more wire failure. Almost always prefer all 1/8 oz VMC Boxer heads and either SK KVD Swim N Shiner or Rage Swimmer - I like the baits right around 4 1/2 inches (I'll trim them if I need to). 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, best results come when I can retrieve it just fast enough to keep "hovering" along in the correct slot of the water column. Either way, I want this thing right in their face when it goes by - not way above or below them - right in their grill. Almost seems like it angers them the way they hit it. Intermittent quick reels handle turns, that make the rig 'jump ahead' a little - can be Money ! Finally, I do not do much largemouth bass fishing locally, however I have fished the A-Rig south of the border for those giants last few trips. Most all of the how-to present the bait still seems to apply. I just use bigger gear & bigger baits to do it. Here's a couple of clips of local A-Rig fish. (btw - I'm no longer using cull clips) https://youtu.be/-Me1PRCP6Vw?t=51 https://youtu.be/6Ds4Z22ywnY?t=625 Hope that helps Fish Hard A-Jay

There is an after the fact aspect of the big picture you might not be seeing. ALL the lives of the thousands & thousands of local, state and federal agencies, committed & dedicated to rescuing or recovering accident victims are most certainly endangered in just about every occurrence. BTW - this is the single most restrained response I've ever made here. A-Jay

I don't even use it ! Ever. ? A-Jay

Finally, The FG knot will tie itself. A-Jay

My local early fall/late summer bait bite has been going on since Mid-August. Effective bait choices for me are primarily driven by where the bait & the fish are. Best deal for the biggest brown bass has by far been shallow; less than 10 feet. For Topwater it's been Walkers & Poppers, Spinnerbaits in the wind, & Vibrating Jigs almost any time. As the days get shorter and the water cools, Rattlebaits, Flatsided Cranks and Swingheads see a lot of action, as does a Swimbait on a jighead. Vibrating jig is still an excellent option, just need to fish it slower. And don't forget about that jerkbait #donkeybuster A-Jay

I got that one from the master of taking quality brown bass pics, @Dwight Hottle A-Jay

This spinnerbait fish had some relatively vibrant coloring, even on the face & fins . . . . . A-Jay

Any single waterway that borders or is with in the bounties of one or more states as well as any bordering countries, (Canada & Mexico come to mind) will fall under federal law hence USCG regs apply. There are very few instances where state & Federal regs will differ on these waters. So the Mississippi River system, The Great Lakes, Lake Tahoe, Lake Champlain, Lake Fork just to name a few, but I think you get the idea. When I was conducting enforcement actions on recreational vessels in these type of situations, we usually bowed to the state regs and just turned the offenders over to them. Commercial and international maritime traffic is a different deal and it's when the USCG Marine Safety Office gets involved. A-Jay

I just run it until there's no water left in the linez. Like I said it takes at least two runs. And I was wrong about the units capacity. It's 2.5 hp. 10 gal. 125 psi. A-Jay

It's a tank unit that puts out 140 psi. Blows out 4 long zones. I run it through two times. Has been good for five years now I think. A-Jay

Both of these fatties seemed like beautiful representations of the genus. A-Jay

Watch them do it once. Then you'll know what you need and how to do it. It's easy and I was tied of waiting for a guy. Compressors are cheap and handy for other projects. Like filling truck, trailer and mower tires. A-Jay

Baylee was a Blue Eyed Most Brindle Mix of who knows. Showed some pit, some husky and perhaps a little Angel. But what a Special Dog with the most interesting personality. She's one that's hard to forget. A-Jay

Blew out the irrigation system with the air compressor for the 'winter' yesterday. Still need to pull the fuse & cover the A/C unit as well as winterize the mowers & blowers. Be a few more weeks for that though. A-Jay

My wife & I both have an affinity for special K9's. Collecting them might not be the right term as they unfortunately have an expiration date. But it sure is awesome sharing time with each and every one. There's waaaaaay too many to list here. Here's just a few of the ladies. A-Jay

Flannel is a religion here. Second only to most anything Camouflage. A-Jay

Just to be clear ~ The Pro-V Bass hull IS NOT LEAKING ! Good Talking to ya A-Jay

LOL ! A-Jay