A-Jay

Something just over 15 hours or so, depending on your latitude, before the Offical 2026 State vs State "Line In". Don't forget to check your drag ! A-Jay

I am right there with you. The state record SMB here is half a goby poop under 10 pounds. I might need to borrow Jake Housman's half a kayak, just to be in contention . . . Keeping it real . . . . 😁 A-Jay

Propane yes - Generator no. I've been holding off as long as I can. But we have been without power "Many" times. And while it always sux a little, wood stove and a cord or so on stand by inside the garage, always gets us by for heat. The propane stove takes care of the cooking. Burying food & frozen goods in the snow keeps them for a while. Biggest challenge is no well pump. Stored H2O never lasts as long as we'd like. Especially using it to perform septic duties. Now switch the no power to summer, and things get a little dicey. A-Jay

Every time . . . . . A-Jay

We'll be starting this new year off mostly buried in more snow ~ Oh My ! A-Jay

Lo sentimos, la lubina de roca no está incluida. A-Jay

After bringing this one back last year and having some fun with it, it was suggested that the next one run all year. January thru December. So here we go . . . . . This is a bragging rights only contest. It’s fun and pretty easy to do. To make it somewhat fair, bassheads are competing against the state record bass in their home state. (or the state where the bass is caught) I do realize that some states have crazy big bass at the top of the list but not all of them. From the bank, boat or wading, they all count the same. Lakes, rivers, reservoirs & streams. Goes like this . . . RULES 1. This is for FUN... 2. There are 3 divisions. Largemouth, Smallmouth and Spotted Bass. 3. Contest runs from sunrise 01 January 2026 to sunset 31 December 2026. 4. Artificial bait ONLY. If you are sight fishing, the fish must be hooked inside the mouth. All fish must be caught in PUBLIC fishing areas. No private stocked ponds or Mike Long imitations. Let's just police ourselves and be proud of that. 5 In order for your fish to count, you must submit a picture of the bass, the state record weight for the state the fish was caught in, and an accurate weight of the bass. Your fish must be submitted in THIS THREAD within one week of being caught. (No sandbagging) You may submit as many fish as you want as long as subsequently caught fish are larger within each division than your previous submission. 6. Scoring of the fish shall be completed as follows: Example Your fish weight = LMB 7.5 lbs state record of where the fish is caught for example Kansas state record = 11.80 lbs Your fish weight / current State record weight x 100 = your score. So in this case it’s 7.5/11.80 x100 = Your score of 63.55 (we’ll go 2 decimal places.) If you don’t have an accurate scale and you’d like to participate in this, get one. In the case of an actual tie, you both win. Now for the one time Entry Fee – At the beginning of your first post/entry, you must name the one food you’d never eat Again (even ay gun point). No need to claim whether you’re in or out. Just post’em up when you get’em. It’ll be a while before I can add anything here but I’ll be watching . . . . Good Luck, and I might even mean that this time. A-Jay

When this year finally ends, I’m raising a glass to us And yeah, I’ll probably cry a little while I do it. We’ve been through hell and somehow kept getting back up. We’ve been vulnerable, broken, strong, and healing all at once. We’ve grown in ways we didn’t expect. We’ve let go of so much. I’ve hated this year but d**n, We should be proud of ourselves for surviving it. So are we ready for this next one – you better believe it ! A-Jay

I add a small watermark to all my publicly available videos. (over 1K) Easy to do and has cut down on the number of folks reposting my content. If you feel like helping the outfit a bit, I'd say go for it. With almost 9K views, this one may have gotten the lodge a couple of clients. https://youtu.be/UYTzJHDCdMo?si=Nmw-SC05rPu4mH27 A-Jay

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1531904384785251/?fs=e&fs=e A-Jay

Complete bomb of a blizzard here the past few days. I'll be cleaning what's there, guessing 18 inches or so, with drifts at least twice that. Figure 3 tanks of gas. There's another foot on the way starting later today, but if I wait, it would be mostly unmanageable. The good news is - it's Tanker Tuesday. This is one of my all-time and biggest topwater brown bass . . . . https://youtu.be/QB1VOTaQuvE?si=U1WoRGZr2ZI5SdML&t=100 A-Jay

I’m still trying to get in touch with that guy so I can set up the extended warranty on my truck ! 😃 A-Jay

Well the blizzard like conditions have continued through the day and expected to go for at least half the night. Looks like we’ll be waking up to quite the winter wonderland. I’m hoping I get started with the clean up tomorrow, but if it continues into Tuesday & Wednesday as forecasted, I may just wait. Got some drifts over 4 feet and plenty of snow and ice hanging on trees and power lines. So far we’re still getting juice but that could be short lived. Earning me some fat smallness right now . . . Stay Safe. A-Jay

Workout Day 2 ~ I am less than 4 years away from 70. The man I will be then is being built by what I do today. Not what I plan. Not what I intend. What I actually do. My future self is watching. So I am making choices now that I can thank myself for later. #borninfiftynine https://youtu.be/Lc40iZX5Vdk?si=z8s5ChrJK_KZjTff A-Jay

Big waves are always relative to the size of the boat, ship or cutter I'm on. The smaller the boat , cutter, or ship I am running, the bigger the waves look. 30 foot waves, a 100 miles out in the north Atlantic in December in an 82 foot cutter, look really big. A-Jay

Been there - done that. Even got the T-shirt. And it surely is. Also make's one rethink their career choice. A-Jay

For mono I use a Uni knot. For FC I use the Pitzen, which is a great knot—simple, strong, and reliable. With a little experience it can be tied with virtually no waste of line. Most importantly - it's logical and once you know it, many other knots like SDJ (which I do use as well) become easier to learn. Side note, IMO just as important as being able to tie any knot correctly, is knowing (or having a pretty good idea at least) just how much pressure can be applied to the gear before the knot may be in danger of failing. I never hear of anyone ever doing this. Most find out what that tolerance is the hard way, when they lose a big fish. Admittedly there are a lot of dynamic forces in play here, especially when we consider the movement of a boat and even the wind. But I look at my tackle as an entire system, not just the knot. The rod, the line, the terminal tackle, and of course, the hook. Sometimes we have to 'lean' on a fish to land it. If we have no idea what our tackle can tolerate, I suppose we are both guessing & hoping. Neither are good strategies in my book. Not when it comes to the bass of a lifetime. So I say, test your gear. And not with a scale. Unless you're going to attach one to your tackle while fighting a bass, it's just a starting point. I need to be able to know by feel when I'm OK or getting close to heartbreak. Clearly this is not an exact science. But it surely helps me err on the side of safe, meaning I land more than I lose. Good Luck & Fish Hard A-Jay

I will keep this brief. We are getting Hammered Big snow, big wind, wicked cold / wind chills and crazy ice. I will be hiding in the basement hoping we can somehow mange to keep power. Probably be several days before we get a break. Good Times. https://www.facebook.com/ThePAWZ/posts/pfbid0DMTJTvg8Avo57DgPXwJJAab48rYVJMEibBkyehEeR2mvEKZvSsZZj31hvm2k9xBPl A-Jay

Tom shared these incredible catches in the forum a while ago. A-Jay Coming up on February 9th the day I caught my 1st bass over 18 lbs at Lake Casitas 1981. Like this week, it was very windy, but on Monday light rain was forecasted, mental health day from work! I decided to fish from my 14’ Lund to park near shore, and to fish uphill all day using hair jigs. About 9:30 after trying a few spots arrived at a major lake point with a saddle; the light wind and rain to my back made a very long cast. I watched, feeling the line and nothing when taking up slack to move the jig. Kept reeling faster until a head shake, then sweeping the back as hard as possible. The rod loaded, and then nothing until the bass jumped completely out of the water. I am thinking maybe a DD but the fish was moving very fast, unlike a big bass, and right at the boat, then turned, and luckily the drag wasn’t too tight. Now the bass acted like a big fish running deeper, looking for anything to wrap the line in. The bass came up to the surface about 10’ away; my heart nearly stopped at the size of the bass. Backed the drag off slightly and managed to hand land the bass using both hands. On my scale the bass weighed 18 lbs 11 oz. Put the bass in my cooler aerated “livewell” and run to the marina for an official weight. 3 weeks later Ray Easily catches a 21 lb 3 oz state record bass. Tom PS, to be continued. The Easly 21 lb 3 oz Casitas is the 1st 20 lb+ Bass caught outside of San Diego lakes and stirs a lot of excitement. Lake Isabella in north-central California produces an 18 lb 13 oz and several other 18 lb class giants in 1984, fueling more excitement that California could break the world record standing since Perry’s 1932 record. Wednesday, January 27th, 1988, is another light rainy day—time for another mental health time on the water. Castiac has been producing some giant bass for the live bait anglers, Crupi. Kadota, Samson, etc., and I have dialed in a good jig bite. The light wind is out of the NE with a drizzle. Every place I want to fish has a live bait angler anchored fishing crawdads. So decide to try Sharon’s rest area points, but need to cast into the wind, try it anyway. There is a center point off the middle of the ledge area that drops into very deep water. I make a cast using my jig and miss where I wanted it to land and loose line to pull out. Turn the reel once after taking up slack; the jig doesn’t move. Getting ready to shake the jig free and feel movement. Drop the rod tip and reel fast with rod sweep; a strong, heavy bass runs into deeper water. All I need to do is fight this bass; there's nothing to get into. The bass doesn’t jump but stays deep until I try to land it, then it makes a head-shaking surface run. This bass lets me open its mouth and grab it by hand without any fuss. Weigh it 17.4 lbs on the digital scale. 2nd giant bass takes 7 years after the 1st. Tom PS, to be continued. The 90’s at both lakes, Casitas and especially Castaic, start the circus when Bassin Magazine offers 1 Million $ $$$ $$$ award for a new World Record LMB. March 6th, 1991, is a Wednesday, and I decide to go to Castiac early and get in line for the lake to open. Arriving there is a line up over a mile long at 4:30A. Disappointed because Castiac fishing has been good. The lake is with limited parking, so decide to drive up to Casitas instead. I hadn’t been fishing at Casitas that year, and when I got there, about a 1/4-mile-long line was waiting for the lake opening. Casitas has 2 lanes, 1 for annual permits and the other for day use. My tag is still good, so get in right away. March Casitas Bass are in the spawn cycle, so decide to run up to the dam area for cooler water, hoping to find pre-spawn bass and look for bed fish later in the day. The first stop is the west end buoy line point, and I try my Huddleston wooden trout lure that has been hot at Castaic and is ready to go. Fished for about an hour, catching 2 good bass. Move the east end of the buoy line, make a cast, and decide to try my hair jig casting over the buoy line parallel to the steep ledge wall where a tree is underwater. Make several casts trying to get the jig right next to the rocky wall, and get a solid strike after retrieving about 10’; set the hook and pray the bass doesn’t run out into the tree. The bass comes up and stays up before diving back down but away from the tree. My 2nd 17.4 lb bass and 3rd giant. Tom PS, to be continued. March 4th, 1992, is stormy, rainy, and windy, so I try Castiac knowing it’s a circus, but the bad weather should keep the traffic down. Only about 30 boats in line but not opening due to wind. Some people leave! Around 8A they open the lake. The NE wind puts whitecaps sideways to the main ramp, and we get redirected to the west ramp, which is normally closed on weekdays. It’s around 9A before I get on the water. Decide to fish my favorite spot, the “old folk’s home,” up the ski arm. It’s a miserable day with cold wind and rain and I decide to detour into Slalom Bay to get out of the wind and regroup. Fishing is good, and I catch several good bass. Notice the wind has shifted and whitecaps have laid down on the main lake. Wet and cold I decide to try the old folk’s home. I like to fish this spot up against a wall, casting out into deeper water and working the jig slightly uphill, up and over big boulders. Fish for about 30 minutes, losing 2 jigs, and moved around to the opposite side. The wind has been blowing in, and it is easier to detect strikes with the wind and rain against my back instead of my face, plus I am cold. Make a longer cast than planned due to the wind, reel in about 20’ of line, and let the jig sink when slammed before hitting bottom. The problem now is the fish is on the other side of a rounded point in deeper water than me. Start reeling fast and on the TM to move out past the point and let the wind blow me down lake to fight this bass. It works, and the bass is away from the point in deep water. This bass isn’t coming up and making hard runs, wearing itself out. Tired bass when I grab the mouth. 17.6 lbs, #4. Tom PS, PB is next. March 3rd, 1993, Lake Castiac. The Bassin Magazine circus isn’t at its peak anymore, but boat traffic is still high, but not as crazy, with anglers from every state with high expectations. I am back in line and watching the early bird launch and run. Up the Fish Arm to old outhouse bay and Elizabeth Canyon where Crupi and Kodata fleet of baits are located. The ski arm isn’t well known for giant bass, good for me😎. The weather is good, no wind and overcast with light showers. A little wind would be nice, and it will come later. I run to the old folks home and fish awhile, but nobody is home. Try a few other areas with no success. Ponder joining the Fish Arm crowd but decide against it. I run up to the Fore bay buoy line and cast my swimbaits, the breeze starts up, and I catch a swimbait bass. Better jig weather than swimbaits, and return to the old folks home and plan to stay. Start on the wall side, make a halfhearted cast getting ready to settle in. Take up the slack and turn the reel handle a half turn and shake it. The line jumps slack, I know what that means and reel fast, sweeping the rod back and setting the hook. This bass runs and jumps a full body length out of the water and runs straight under the boat out the other side. I push the rod tip down below the TM prop and swing around to fight the bass going fast away from me. I never had a LMB make a 100’ run before. It’s all deep water along the walls, and I just need to keep in control. This bass doesn’t want anything to do with the boat, and I must net this fish. 19.3 lbs, short of my lifelong goal to catch a 20+. So many giant bass are being caught; I am still confident The 20+ or WRB is possible back in 1993. Tom Thank all for the positive support, really appreciate it. Just thought to tell my untold history behind the bass in my avatar. It’s hard to comprehend what Bassin magazine’s million-dollar circus caused for Lake Castiac, you had to be there. Castaic is a V-shaped lake, 2 arms; fishing and ski arms. The dam is nearly a mile long and 300’ high, riprap-faced, and off-limits to fishing. The lake is small, each arm about 1 1/2 miles, steep rocky banks and a few 1/2 mile long creek arms. People came from several states with motor homes and boats to get in on the prize money. Castaic opens 1/2 hour after sunrise, closes 1/2 hour before sunset. The lake is maxed out with 300 parking spaces. The motor homes can park in an overlook area, setting up spotting 200 power scopes to watch anglers and phone information to the boater. Catch a bass and boats show up. This went on every day for nearly 3 years at Castaic. For these reasons I fished out of my 14’ Lund w/15 hp Evinrude with my older Lowrance paper graph and Humming Bird super 30 flasher. My Skeeter bass boat stayed home because when you launch a bass boat, all eyes follow you. Castias wasn’t as easy to snoop or as pressured, but it was about the same size lake with a big island separating the lake into 2 arms. The big difference is Castias has camping areas to accommodate hundreds of anglers that can stay for months. The pressure was about equal for 3 years.

Looks like we'll be getting some more winter-type stuff. A-Jay

Mud Hole has a wealth of info and is my go-to. They also carry quite a variety of rod-building gear. https://mudhole.com/collections/rod-building-equipment A-Jay

Workout Day 1 ~ Living life at my own pace, collecting moments, not comparisons. #borninfiftynine https://youtu.be/G0qDSvl3hhU?si=8aqm6YLsfRpRubAe A-Jay

I'm not saying I'm old. But what I am saying is that my dinner time and my bedtime are getting dangerously close together . . . . . A-Jay

@Eric 26 We were very sorry to hear about Steve. Some dogs understand our hearts better than words ever could. And Steve seems like he was one of them. He stayed by your side, always gentle, always trying his best. His beginning was hard, but from the day you found each other, he was never alone again. You shared a wonderful journey, but most of all, you were there at the end, when he needed you more than any other moment in his life. Holding him, loving him, just as he loved you. Forever a good boy. A-Jay

This loss leaves a sharply sad physical void, transforming once-vibrant shared history, inside jokes, and daily routines into heavy reminders of a future that will no longer exist as planned. Our relationship with Tom here transcended the physical, as the knowledge, experience, and memories he shared became an enduring, and even spiritual part of the very roots and foundation of the Bass Resources Forum identity. He will be missed and never replaced. Rest in peace sir. A-Jay