A-Jay

Thanks ~ That's Lake Menderchuck West. It can be a little tricky to find though. A-Jay

Cool. I'll be interested in your results. And by all means, spool that baby up with 6 lb test. A-Jay

Braid & leader (FC and Mono) is a spinning gear only deal for me. Uni to uni has never let me down. I run a relatively long leader often 20 ft plus, so Re-tying often is part of my routine. Launching any knot through the rod guides over & over may wear on it, at least a little. I feel better with a fresh connection. Old guy eyes and especially cold fingers, can make any knot a bit tricky to get right. The good old Uni Knot is easy for me to tie, day or night and has been helping me put fish in the net for a while. A-Jay

The RV crowd uses tire covers as those rigs sit for long periods of time. Usually something like canvas, easy on & off. Much more 'protection' from the ? than any spray or tire dressing could hope to be. A-Jay

ALL my swim jig fishing sort of feels like a finesse type deal. Regardless of the water temp. Like a spinnerbait or vibrating jig with any blade involvement. I use the bait's weight, line type & size as well as the trailer selection, to assist / enable me to fish the bait at the necessary pace. Whether that be high up, in the middle or at the bottom of the water column, it's still almost always 'around' some type of cover. And I do best by keeping it moving. IMO, a grub is the 'subtlest' trailer and my choice for the coolest/coldest conditions. (that's a relative term) A small paddle tail comes in next followed by higher action trailers like craws. Which are often reserved for when the bass seem more willing to chase; usually somewhat warmer water, but not always. Matching hook size/gauge to the condition and my tackle can help and I'll even use spinning gear when I need to. Routinely for long casts with a 1/4 bait when I'm not target casting, but instead looking to cover water. While there's a fairly wide array of bait's and presentations that will get bites early season, a swim jig is one of those and an often over looked one at that. The bite's usually pretty fun too. Good Luck A-Jay

I hear ya ~ While I still possess a fairly extensive inventory (relative term), at the end of the past couple of seasons, I did manage to re-home some of it. But there is much work to do. My reasons are similar except I'm not willing to go with the D - word. So I'm just calling it Stage 2 CRS. Not sure how many stages there actually might even be, but I'm pretty sure I sailed by Stage 1 about decade or so ago. Life comes at us fast . . . . or so it seems. (anyone seen my pants ?) A-Jay

Good Luck ~ A-Jay

What if the D takes the first pass in for a pick - 6 ? Do then kick it back to the other team 'so they can have another try' Or is the game over ? #bushleague Not a fan A-Jay

I think I know which weight the angler was hoping for. But there is really no way to "Know" which weight was accurate without comparing it to at least one other scale. btw - I'm not advocating or promoting any rules change. I like it the way it is. A-Jay

Good Luck with that. A-Jay

Here too - Freezing Rain mostly. And I know THAT feeling ! A-Jay

A year ago yesterday, I was on the water for my first trip. I got out onto local Lake Menderchuck and while dodging some icebergs, I didn't see a fish. Still felt good getting that first shake down cruise under my belt. This years a different story. Complete mess next several days as winter and hard water fights mightily to hold on to it's rather firm grip. And after this blows through and unless we get a week of Africa Hot stuff, 07 April is NOT looking good at this point. But it is what it is . . . . Hope any & all Bassheads who are wetting a line this week, can hammer a few for me . . . . A-Jay

That's Killer ~ Hope you get some good ones ! A-Jay

Like I said, not a Pro. But I'm not a fan of that particular deal either. A-Jay

Not a Pro - not even close. But I do fish and routinely have multiple rods up and rigged on deck. The simple answer for me is yes, it does save some time. Along with that comes the convenience of some versatility. It might not be that hard to understand if one looks at these rigs like tools. If I opened up my tool box for a job which required a set of sockets, and I had two sockets at the ready. I might be able to do the job perfectly. However if I opened up that same tools box and I had a full set of sockets, I might be better prepared for that same job. Great thing about bass fishing, we all get to do it the way we like. Fish Hard A-Jay

One of, if not the most used Hummingbird accessories on my rig. Invaluable is right, especially during periods of reduced visibility and or at night. Leads not only to much safer navigation (at any speed) but directly to more and bigger bass for me. Don't talk about it much but it's like a secret weapon. Highly recommended. A-Jay

Quantum Tour KVD Cranking Rods ~ circa 2013, second version I like them. 7'10" MHM x1 (Black Stick Jacket) 7'4" MHM x3 7' MHM x2 7' MM x1 A-Jay

Pretty sure I'm not 'alone'. A-Jay

As the season progresses and some of my techniques & presentations change, so does 'the line up'. But here's the early season rigs ~ A-Jay

Having some knowledge about whatever the bass are looking to eat in the body of water I'm fishing, at time of the year and time of day I'm there, has been helpful. Example; super early season (low 40's water temp) yellow perch spawn in the back of shallow coves. Much of that happens early morning & late afternoon (insert low light). Ignoring this and fishing deep would have me completely missing out on what has been in the recent past, one of my best big brown bass patterns. Are there fish to be caught out deep? There probably is. And when the goby feed is on, I'm there too. Clearly nothing's guaranteed and this in only one example. I believe this goes to the point that the bass know what their prey is doing, when & where. They also know which deals can offer them the best opportunity to feed. I try to make my job to learn this as well - and there's quite a bit to it and it seems to change; wildly at times. So when I'm deciding on fishing location, at any point in the day, I'm including this into the 'equation' in some way. Fish Hard A-Jay

NOTHING will ever stop folks from making bad decisions ~ On water and or on the road. No Law. No Rule. No Speed Limit. Nothing. All we can do is our best to operate safely & defensively, while being ultra vigilant to stay out of their way. Stay Safe A-Jay

Some Day ~ Just not today. Got a nice big fat Winter Weather Advisory starting tomorrow . . . But it's 1 Week and 2 days ~ A-Jay

I add the red treble. It's a confidence thing. A-Jay

I picked up a modest selection. Be a couple weeks before I can fish them. Changed the line tie to an oval because standard rings there make me crazy. I plus sized the trebles to #4's. The stock 6's seem decent but also pretty small. Either way, the perch pattern looks Very Promising. #stunna A-Jay

Picked up a modest selection. Just to see what the deal is. #stunna A-Jay