A-Jay

LOL Not me. Looked fun though . . . A-Jay

@12poundbass My 'dog yard' out back was an acre of woods when we moved in fall 2007. Purchased this place with the full intension of clearing it, fencing it in and building the kennel aka Big Dawg House. Excavating Company cleared it and I did the rest. (I did not built the kennel however) Prepping the soil for seed was a bear and planting the pines paid off. It was and still is some work but when I get it right it makes me happy. I pulled these pics off my wife's FB page. Shows the before & after pretty good. In the first pic, I am standing where the dog kennel is now. 15 years later the pines trees are doing well. #betterthanrocks A-Jay

Lines in on day one this morning - just happened in fact. 5 good bites a day might be all it takes to win this one It's any bodies event at this point. Here we go A-Jay

In the winter, most of the water under the ice is 39 Fahrenheit; however, there is a thin layer of water under the ice that is colder than 39 and therefore less dense. This thin layer of water floats on top of the lake under the ice throughout the winter. In the spring in when the ice melts off the lake, and the top layer of water on the lake gets warmed by the sun to 39 F, which matches the temperature of the rest of the lake water. Then the spring wind picks up and the lake mixes again. This is called spring turnover. Oxygen and nutrients get distributed throughout the water column as the water mixes. The timing and duration of spring turnover depends on the size and depth of the lake. As the weather becomes warmer in late May, the surface water warms again and begins to float on top of the cold deeper water. Once the lake begins to form into layers, summer stratification (layering) has begun. Most lakes in north are considered dimictic, meaning they mix twice a year - spring and fall. Shallow lakes, less than 15-20 feet, behave differently and can mix more often throughout the summer. During spring turnover, the clarity of a lake usually decreases because mixing brings up nutrient rich water from the bottom of the lake and causes the lake to look cloudy. Also, the algae start growing due to the available nutrients, which decreases water clarity. Then, when turnover is complete, the clarity increases. A-Jay

The longer this hard water season hangs on, the more prepared I expect to be for open water. #hellacioushooksets A-Jay

My wife discovered this little varmint in the wood pile a couple of morning ago. A-Jay

Agreed ~ When I first purchased these units, I did 'Register' them with Minn Kota. (on line thing) Initially it was what I needed to do to realize a decent 'rebate' that was available at the time of purchase as well as satisfy the warranty requirement. By including the unit serial number in my email, they could have recognized that. Not sure if they did that or not. Now I just have to figure out how to effect the repair . . . A-Jay

It's also the same keeper that's on my new favorite swim jig ~ https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Evergreen_Grass_Ripper_Swim_Jigs/descpage-EGGR.html A-Jay

Me too. A-Jay

I was going to use Mr Hugh Janus but thought better of it. A-Jay

I like this ~ A-Jay

LOL ~ Maybe I should have asked for the "Ultrex Upgrade". A-Jay

Me too ~ And sometimes the the vendors get bummed out and ask me wait until I've paid for them . . . A-Jay

First Day of Spring was pretty nice Tank spent it jumping as high as he could for every snowball I'd launch his way. And once he spotted the GoPro, videoing was pretty much done for the day . . . #tankslife A-Jay

After the off day, it was Leg Day. Went 'Heavy' this morning. And that's Definitely a relative term. A-Jay

Bet Mr Long does . . . Sorry, I know that's low hanging fruit but I could help it. A-Jay

While checking over my rig recently, I discovered that there was a split in one of the Talon spikes about half way up. Not exactly sure how or when that happened but I can guess. I don't exactly baby my gear all the time. Minn Kota covers the spike with a Life Time warranty. Sent them an email yesterday (Sunday) containing pertinent product/contact info and explaining my deal. I was pleasantly surprised by a most favorable response today. I've include my own & Minn Kota's correspondence below Thank You Lori ! A-Jay Good Day, I have a pair of 2016 12ft Talons, that I purchased new with my Lund 1875 Pro-V Bass Boat. They have been Great and I can’t live without them. They are model 1810412. One has suffered a broken spike (actually split or splintered) Unit serial # Q078MK0XXX I’m hoping to replace it before open water up here in northern Michigan. I was about to order a replacement on line but noticed the note indicating a “Life Time Warranty” on the spike. The original part number was 2372008 however it seems that has been replaced by part number 2882008. Hoping all that is correct. Either way, how would I go about utilizing this warranty ? Thank you in advance Mr. Menderchuck Hello Mr Menderchuck, I'm sorry to hear of the broken spike on your Talon but I have processed an order for a new one to be sent to you. You do not need to do anything else as far as the warranty, I have taken care of this for you. Thank you for contacting Minn Kota, Lori ps - good luck with the Brown Bass (OK - I added that part) #comicrelief

I totally hear you and thanks btw. And right back at ya. A-Jay

Thanks and it's sort of sad, on a couple of fronts. Perhaps in the extremely unlikely event this actually happened, I could just take an 'illegal' picture of it, and make a 'guess the weight' post. A-Jay

Not sure what NY and PA's rules are but here in MI there's only two ways that deal can 'legally' go. Catch and Immediate Release and a "Possession" - which starts the Saturday before Memorial Day and ends 31 December. Many of my largest brown bass catches happen during the C & R time. So a 'record catch' could not be officially recognized under those rules. Record submission rules could not be fulfilled with an 'immediate release'. I've thought about this quite a bit and while I have a 'plan' for the 'possession' time, I'd be very satisfied with my own video and 'non official' scale results from in my boat during C & R. Finally, I'm not totally sure I'd even share a record at this point. And you know why. #lakemenderchuck A-Jay

"Our New Lake" Bet that feels pretty good to say. A-Jay

They were too far out there for a walk but it's all good. My own WP's seem decent for now. And I'm Always on Lake Menderchuck. A-Jay

It's the ice fishing Perch Patrol on ATV's There were maybe a dozen anglers enjoying the morning on the ice. A-Jay

The Perch Patrol in Action ! On ATV's even. A-Jay

Yes it is . . . The Perch Patrol in Action ! A-Jay