A-Jay

How about some crazy by catch ~ While fishing a deep point with a jerkbait for early season brown bass, I hooked what I thought was a U-Boat. With the bait lodged on the top/side of her face, hoping the 10lb InvisX would hold her, it was all I could do to keep from pooping my pants. I was super lucky as she actually broke me off while I was trying to net her. But she was gassed and just sat boat side for a second. Which was long enough for me to scoop her up in the little Frabil. First time for this guy to hold such a Beautiful Full Framed Beast. 48 inches of stunning Michigan Musky. A-Jay https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/215910-new-pb-musky-~-video-added/

This is a fairly broad spectrum question and could elicit a 10 page response depending on the detail included. Here's my wide brush answer. Not a kayak, but I fished from a canoe for a full 10 years before getting into my current rig; Lund Pro-V Bass boat. My experience has been good - ok maybe even great. I was fortunate in that I had some experience running and maintaining a powered vessel, as well as towing one. So I sort of knew what to expect in those areas. If this is your first venture into power boat, motor & trailer ownership, there's definitely a learning curve. And compared to a manually propelled craft it can seem like quite a bit at first. As mentioned in a previous response here, clearly the costs of ownership are more than an unpowered paddle boat. And storage can be a problem if one doesn't have or make the space for a full sized rig. Either way a capable towing vehicle will be required as well. On the other side of all of that and while I still love and do fish from the canoe, now I've got the option to safely & easily access bigger water ~ that has bigger fish. Which is exactly why I ventured in this direction. I'm calling that a win. Finally, fishing bigger water can be intimidating. Even with a fully equipped & decked out bass rig, finding and catching fish is just as challenging for me, as fishing from my canoe; perhaps even a little bit harder. So worth it though . . . . . . A-Jay

When the spirit is willing but the flesh feels weak, I put my head down, grit my teeth and grind it out. That's how Total Body 1 went this morning and when it was done, it was good. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

In October 2018, I was most fortunate to spend 6 ½ days fishing on Lake Baccarac in Mexico. Shared the boat with good friend and truly great stick, Big Fish Jeff Howell. This was my 7th trip to this special lake and once again Lake Baccarac showed out ~ Big Time. Both Jeff & I are not ‘numbers’ guys – meaning we generally do not count how many bass we catch. Instead we choose to fish for the biggest bass; an approach that may not always result is high numbers but hopefully bigger fish. However as this special week in Mexico continued and the numbers of true giants began to and continued to go in the net – we had no choice but to keep track. In an attempt to simplify things, we decided that in order to be a “score-able bass’ the fish would need to be at least 7 pounds. These would be the ones we ‘count’. The final count for our 6 ½ days (approx. 65 hours) for two guys fishing on Lake Baccarac: Over 7lbs ~ 20 Over 8lbs ~ 16 Over 9lbs ~ 11 Over 10 lbs ~ 4 Over 11 lbs ~ 1 Over 12 lbs ~ 1 So that’s 53 bass over 7 and of those, the average fish was right at 8 ½ pounds. It’s also one score-able bass every 73 and a half minutes. Jeff's biggest 5 of the trip were: 12.23(a PB), 10.58, 10.22, 9.96, 9.61 = 52 lbs 9.6 ounces My biggest 5 of the trip were: 11.30, 10.22, 10.14, 9.83, 9.28 = 50 lbs 12.3 ounces. That's Pretty Crazy. And so is this ~ I've watched the videos from this magic trip 'several times' and it still doesn't seem real. A-Jay

Read this. A-Jay

I hear ya. Deloads are part of the process. Enjoy your Vaca and come back Ready to make it happen. A-Jay

Hello Colin and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

I don't fish it a ton, in fact it's at least half way down the on favorites list. But Ned gets me a few decent brown bass a season. And remember, elephants love peanuts. A-Jay

Because the places you fish Have bigger bass. Keep taking note of where when & how you caught them. And then just keep doing that. A-Jay

My Canoe has been comfortably riding on this Castle Craft trailer since the spring of 2008. Super easy on & off. A-Jay

Spent much of my off day yesterday chopping wood. So we're calling that one an active rest day. Still, Total Body 3 this morning. After plenty of warm-ups, I did two working sets of 7 exercises. Showing the second set of each here. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Sounds like a great Trip. Congrats btw - and pic or video to share ? A-Jay

I like the guy and also subscribe to that channel. But he fishes alone a lot. I actually sent him a message about this, he never responded. Hope for the best I guess. A-Jay

Interesting ride for sure. Interior is listed as made with vegan leather. First I've heard of it so of course, I looked it up. https://mahileather.com/blogs/news/all-you-need-to-know-about-vegan-leather A-Jay

I am willing to bet a bag of Flat worms, that your benched for low performance reels are in dire need of service. 15 to 20 years old reels that have never been cleaned (and that no longer cast well) Always benefit from a little TLC. Perhaps think of the cost as an investment, in your tackle. A-Jay

Welcome back ~ Nice Bass too A-Jay

I thought you were going to say that the bass rub up your bait for you and that they do a bang up job ! #255 A-Jay

And that's When It Happened ! #crazybigbass ? A-Jay

Agreed ~ And I was dropping a comment here to say this very thing. For me the bold type above falls into the "timing" category. Which I think most of us agreed in @Mobasser February Hawg Hunter thread plays a fairly important role in this deal and can be the toughest nut to crack at times. Finally, I'd encourage the OP as well as any and all bassheads on a similar pursuit, Not to place a time frame on your success. If we stay committed to this, and a big part of committed means fishing bodies of water that actually have the fish we're hoping to catch, it can very well happen. But we must remember, Nadine is and will always be, on Nadine time. Good Luck A-Jay

I say have your older reels serviced by a professional just one time and see what you think. I'm betting you'll be pleasantly surprised at what you get back. Reel performance often deteriorates over time. Like most anything with moving parts used near water, servicing them regularly is a solid plan. A-Jay

Please accept my condolences for the loss of your brother. A-Jay

Total Body 2 this morning. Started with single leg training. Step Back Lunge with front leg elevated, Leg Extension, Calf Press, Overhead Shoulder Press, Weighted Under Grip Pull Up, and a Leaning Press. Performed three working sets of each, showing the last one here. #borninfiftynine When your passion and purpose are greater than your fears and excuses, you will find a way A-Jay

They need to be super fresh but I've wiped out a few raw bars all on my own. #tasteslikethesea A-Jay

Nicely Done Congrats A-Jay

Sorry about your Dad Clayton. A-Jay