A-Jay

A glide bait and surprisingly enough, Homer is pitching a shut out as well . . . . A-Jay

BOOM ~ ! Lake Menderchuck west just went open water this afternoon ~ You know where I'll be tomorrow . . And so it begins . . . Very exciting . . . A-Jay

After a couple of Days Off, I was back at it. Trying to remain capable. A-Jay

With something close to 1,500 miles between us, Might not be not that hard to imagine. A-Jay

Bluegill is a delicious freshwater fish with a light taste that is best fried or cooked quickly on the stove top. They have sweet, white, flaky flesh with a very meaty taste without being too fishy. This is delicious, simple, quick and very easy recipe how to deep fry Bluegill fillets with cracker crumbs, flour, corn flakes, milk, eggs and milted butter. Easy deep fried recipe. Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs fresh Bluegill fillets 1 egg 1 cup of flour 6 oz. milk 1 cup of cracker crumbs 1/2 cup of corn flakes 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper How to cook Deep Fried Bluegill Fillets: Rinse fillets in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Preheat deep fryer to 370°F. (170°C). Mix thoroughly milk, egg, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Slowly with small portions add flour to the mixture and mix until smooth. Mix cracker crumbs and corn flakes in a small mixing bowl. Dip fillets in batter, then in the cracker crumb mixture, and drop into the preheated deep fryer. Fry for 4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the deep fryer and place on a paper towel to drain. Notes: This Deep Fried Bluegill Fillets is a very affordable dish. It is delicious, simple, quick and very easy to cook. Prepared time 15-20 min. This recipe for Deep Fried Bluegill Fillets serves/makes: 6 A-Jay

Changed that one for you. A-Jay

Somehow I got this bait back doesn't usually go that way. https://youtu.be/S_Owp6ZVN0U?t=1361 A-Jay

80 lb and 24 volts = doing it right the first time. Be that guy. #noregrets A-Jay

Cue the hot fat ! A-Jay

Thanks ~ However, I conveniently and deliberately omitted the 2 or 3 seasons that 'easy' process often takes me. No sense spoiling it. A-Jay

It already is ~ A-Jay

~ My version of the A-Rig for Brown Bass ~ 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 even 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. hat 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, 20 lb Tatsu and a 6.6:1 reel. A SK short Arm Rig, 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 two trips. Most all of the how-to present the bait still seems to apply. I just use bigger gear & bigger baits to do it. Heading into this next season I will be looking hard to broaden my A-Rig fishing application horizons just about every chance I get. More to follow (hopefully) A-Jay

Find Open Water . . . . . . Use whatever 'methods' I need to find areas that are holding the bait. Single out the areas that have bait & bass. Establish when the bass are feeding, as well as what Presentation(s) or Techniques(s) will get bites. Be there at the right time and doing the right thing. Use the net & the scale - repeatedly. Be thankful / grateful for my good fortune. A-Jay

Thank you for taking the time to offer such a thorough and informative response. And while I can get with just about all of that, I have admit that I don't feel incline to need to change anything; with my mind set, perspective or approach. Hope this doesn't come back to haunt me. A-Jay

Found a couple of live web cams that are showing open water of some lakes that are a couple of hours south & west of me. So that puts a little pep in my step knowing any of the Lake Menderchuck(s) might now be too far way from open water. Might have to start practice casting again, just to get in shape . . . A-Jay

Perhaps consider a somewhat more supportive & stable footwear choice while your at it - Especially when fishing like a mountain goat . . A-Jay

Happened nearly every day somewhere ~ https://fb.watch/cvV611Vc_8/ A-Jay

Still a cost thing for me. I use wet lead to power the canoe. Think they are going on 8 or 10 years now. I use AGM in the Pro-V bass and I got 5 years from them with what I'd call at least average use with superor care. The price tag of the newer deals semms disproportionate. A-Jay

I used to bounce all over the state. Mission was to find waters with a healthy habitat that supported plenty of bait & more importantly a decent populating of plus size brown bass. Have since narrowed my 'choices' down quite a bit. When the target sized fish are available, I'm fishing those deals exclusively. Once that's not the case, I'll participate in the reach out American plan and fish wherever. Mostly just for a change in view. A-Jay

From this morning . . . . Downer works but I'm about ready to kick that description up a notch. Perhaps something that rhymes with trucks . . . A-Jay

LOL ~ No, off day. Is it that apparent ? A-Jay

Still have hard water here - I'm letting my mind wander. More than usual I mean . . . . . Spawned out of another current thread regarding bass fishing 'off shore'. Active vs Not Active How can we determine this in advance ? Can we even do it ? If and when a bass eats, does that make her active ? Can she be 'active' and not eat ? IME, bass that are relating to something; cover/structure, whether they are in shore, off shore or somewhere in between, seem far more prone to be 'active', Especially LMB. I feel like the presence of bait can increase the likely hood quite a bit. Suspended fish seem to be 'inactive' more often than not. 'Opportunistic feeders' is a term we hear quite a bit. What does that even mean, and who decided this ? How did they figure this out ? At no point do I ever feel like I 'fooled' a bass into eating. I present a bait, the decision of whether she eats it or not has very little to do with me. In my mind, when it comes to feeding, bass that can't figure out where to be and when, in order to survive, don't. Sort of goes along with the term 'confused'. I've heard many an 'expert' say where the conditions have the bass confused - Really ? Yea, I'm not buying that one either. We all know who's confused here and it ain't the bass. I'm standing by for heavy rolls . . . A-Jay

When I put out a platter of freshly caught & fried up fish, regardless what the combination might be; keeper walleye, yellow perch, crappie & bluegill. The Bluegill is Gone first - Every Time. #sweetmeat A-Jay

Local Lake Menderchuck this morning ~ Right before it started snowing ~ again. A-Jay

Perfect, you're welcome. A-Jay