A-Jay

The Moon. Is it good or bad? Does it help or hurt ? And what about artificial lights like dock lights and street light etc. May be No definitive answer. The water's here in northern MI are for the most part Very Clear - often 15 feet plus of daytime visibility. As much as this plays a role during the day, it matters at night as well. Fish can still see me on nights with a big moon or in areas where there is sufficient ambient light. And the Shadow the boat makes on a brightly lit night sticks out like a sore thumb. If I disregard this, it definitely negates the effectiveness of being there after dark. Moonless nights are by far The Best for Fishing but were hardest to learn to fish in. Even nights where I can be out there before the moon comes up or after it goes down are always much better for both numbers & size. However, some my best nights have been Full Moon events BUT there was sufficient cloud cover to obscure it. Even a partially cloudy condition is often enough to do the trick. Clearly, some full moon nights are almost like day time. You may not even need a light of any kind, it’s so bright. These times are definitely easier to get around in, cast and fish in. I say cast because there may have been an occasion or two where a lure was launched across two or three docks or even 50 feet or so straight into the woods. If the waters you fish have color & / or limited visibility, you could be golden & be able to hammer fish while having the benefits of the moons brilliant glow. A-Jay

Total Body 1 this morning. Showing my last working set on this one. Cranked out a 15 lb improvement on the Vertical Leg Press. Finally back up to my fighting weight 167 this morning. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Congratulations to Dustin Connell ~ Big Win today. Had to lay the smack down on some real hammers to do it. His second this season - I think he's the only angler in that class so far. Love it or Hate it, seems FFS was once again a Huge Player. A-Jay

Did you see this?! Dakota Ebare broke his personal best with this 7-pound, 10-ounce smallmouth! He came within 12 ounces of breaking the New York State RECORD!! I Un-Real ! https://fb.watch/eQ-5VwwlCP/ A-Jay

DC is dropping Big Brown A-Bombs on the field ~ 22 lb lead right now Dude. A-Jay

Here it's the secret sauce. Happens in the creeks first as that deal cools faster. Guess who is waiting near the mouth for the bait to come spilling out into the main lake ?? Give ya 2 guesses and the first one doesn't count. . . ? A-Jay

For that specific fish, I actually do not. I usually mention it in video because it plays some role. But I was so caught off guard I didn't. I will say that subsequent trips during that same mid August time frame, have seen temps vary from high 60's to mid 70s. Weed die back is key as once it starts, bait becomes more vulnerable. A-Rig sees a lot of action. A-Jay

When the conditions allow, I'll do a 'this is my set up' video next time I'm out on the water. I'll include links of the gear in the description. The set up has changed (improved) over the years and as the technologies have gotten better. Once I got the routine down, it's just a matter of sticking to it. Keep an eye out . . . . A-Jay Edit ~ Done . . .

Latest addition I like it ! Fish Hard A-Jay

Closing this one out ~ Reel was delivered yesterday. Oh. My. Nice reel ! First impressions are all good. Did some 'casting' out in the back forty which was very impressive. I'm certainly looking forward to getting on the water and testing this drag. Seems another review may be in order. Thanks again. A-Jay

I take video and pictures come out of that. Some of what is captured gets posted, some does not. Takes a bit to put it all together. However reviewing it allows me to relive it. Hard to beat, especially during hard water. Fish Hard A-Jay

Thankfully no. Would have made a career on the north Atlantic miserable. Know folks that did though. A-Jay

That's Sick ! A-Jay

2021 GMC Sierra AT4 Didn't buy it for the MPG's I Absolutely Love This Truck. A-Jay

Nicely Done @AlabamaSpothunter Bummer losing that giant. Nothing is as final or feels as bad, as breaking one off. Hope you get another shot. A-Jay

Morale can be defined as the state of the spirit of a person as exhibited by confidence, cheerfulness, discipline, and willingness to perform tasks. I've always accepted responsibility for my own morale. Never counted on anyone or anything else to drive that deal. Goes for when I was working and especially after I retired. If 'I'm busy', it's almost always by choice. But definitely not a requirement. A-Jay

After the rather abundant, Pre-Spawn Big Brown Bass action here is in the rear view mirror, the "Fall Bite" immediately becomes my next favorite time frame to expect big things. It's another time when plus size fish come shallow again and are looking to eat - rather voraciously I might add. None of that is a surprise really and just about every basshead on the planet, knows it. However, what has been a pretty big surprise to me, especially the past couple of seasons, is just how 'early' on our calendar this can happen; but please allow me to back up a bit. For a long time, years in fact, my impression & expectation of 'the fall bite' revolved around cooler air & water temperatures much more than the date. Well in advance of even considering vacating my hunt for big brown bass in the deeper haunts, and well before I secured the drop shot & spybait rigs, I was eternally waiting for that first 'bite' of cold air or those first few 'cold nights'. Traditional thinking says this is what is supposed to trigger the bigger fish to move 'shallower' and get them feeding. And clearly there is and probably will always be quite a bit for 'truth' to that. The Length of day may also be a willing participant. Something we may all agree with is that not all the bass in the lake are doing the same thing at the same time. So is there a chance, that some fish big fish move in shallow and feed before the frost is on the pumpkin ? I'm here to say, Absolutely. So while for years I was out deep, pretty much getting my lunch handed to me in mid to late August, there were some real brutes laugh it up some pretty skinny water, and I was none the wiser. Fortunately, during a mid-day, super high sun, lunch time RECON mission, I happen to get lucky, real lucky. I was throwing a spinnerbait around way up on the inside, stuff I would have thought was far too skinny to hold fish, at least not the type I was looking for and not at that time of day. As my bait passed by this isolated wood in less that 4 ft of very clear water on a huge sand flat, a 5 lb brown bass shot out and blasted it. To say I was surprised is quite an understatement - seemed a kin to getting a bass from Wal-Mart parking lot. It was that 'weird' to me. That was 6 years ago. This is that fish catch . . . https://youtu.be/EkCJNqul4lI I thought, "this fish must be sick or something" Nope, aside from the Strike King Burner hanging out of her face, she was fat & sassy and seemed totally healthy. Had to be an anomaly. Either way, I poked my face in there at sunrise my next trip and found the bass already in there slurping up every 4-5 inch yellow perch they could find, and there were schools & schools of them. So Good. Accordingly, I started looking insider earlier & earlier each season. And while no two seasons are the same, it appears that even the first or second week of August is NOT too soon, up here anyway. One of my local 'on land indicators' is when the 'ferns start to turn brown'. I've been capitalizing on this late summer deal ever since. Besides some of my best topwater catches, my PB Brown Bass came that very next year off that same flat; also on a spinnerbait. So long story short, if you have an area(s), that come to life a later in the season, it might not be totally crazy to check them out a little sooner. This weekend, I'll be out (in the garage) in the Pro-V Bass ensuring all my Gear is Good To Go. Fish Hard A-Jay

For that sized swimbait on Spinning gear, I go 7' MF stick rigged with 10-15 lb braid and an 8 – 10 lb mono or FC leader. I fish clear water and my leaders in front of braid are always at least 20 feet. Works well for me. Never felt like this was 'long' until I stated reading that many bassheads use something much shorter. Sure that works too, I just like the extra length. as for line color, I started using the 'green' and have stuck with it. Tried the white & bright colored braid mainline and didn't care for it. For leaders, the mono is green (Maxima Ultragreen or Big Game) and the FC (Tatsu) is clear. A-Jay

Our pack gets NexGard (chews) year round. Switched from the topical 10 or 11 years ago. Was always tough getting the 'oil' through the heavy doubled coat dogs and onto there actual skin; so we prefer the chews. Chews are more $$ but we buy in 'bulk' so our Vet cuts us a break. Haven't seen a flea in years but still get one or two ticks early season each year. A-Jay

Been using parasite clips for years. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/search-tackle.html?start=0&count=30&searchtext=parasite+clip Holds the bait on an ewg or round bend hook as well as preventing it from sliding down the shank on the strike and balling up/covering the hook point. Goes on between the weight & the hook, Size small & medium will do most everything. Hook sizes from 1/0 - 6/0 A-Jay

If you can see the fish, they can see you. Rarely ever a real strike generating situation. Go at night. A-Jay

In the recent past, I've been Much Better than I used to be. But this week I sort of regressed a bit. Ordered a new reel as well as an embarrassingly ridiculous number of Jackhammers. In my own defense, the jackhammers were on wicked sale and @Glenn sent me a new rod. So I'm pretty sure it's mostly his fault. ? A-Jay

Nice Intro ~ Welcome. A-Jay

Looks Really Good ! I'm actually enjoying a pretty killer plate of sushi ~ Chef's Special . . . . A-Jay

After celebrating my 63rd successful lap around the sun yesterday, I was once again fighting gravity this morning. As scheduled, Total Body 3 was the focus and I was highly motivated. Happens right after most every birthday these days. #borninfiftynine A-Jay