A-Jay

For my own quest for plus size bass, "Timing' is Always Paramount. That's not to say that Location and the getting the Presentation Right are not. They most certainly are. So while Location can mean which Lake, which area on the lake, and especially which specific spot on the lake. And the Right Presentation can mean so much more than just What Bait; factors such as how I approach an area, my final boat position, determining the best casting angle, and even whether I chose a vertical or horizontal type deal. Timing can encompass, time of year/season, as well as time of day/night. For me that final piece of the puzzle, timing, often seems like The Toughest Nut to Crack. While I can & often do have some success on bigger bass in areas & spots that are 'similar' to other big fish producers, and there's situations where a particular bait that has triggered bigger bites for me will work in a few different scenarios, the Timing Deal is just So Hard to Replicate at times. It can be very random depending on the lake. Clearly early & late in the day (low light conditions) can be somewhat predictable, but not always. The Biggest/Rarest fish seems to have their own 'schedule' and It's up to me to figure it out. Sometimes I do, more often than not I do not. But that what makes it feel like 'hunting" them down. It's also why I will Camp out on a certain deal for days, weeks, months & yes, even seasons. If & when I will only get a shot at a bass that is in the top 1 or 2% population wise, and she is only going to be at a spot for 5 or 10 minutes a day/night, or a week or a season . . . . You tell me how important timing is ? Fish Hard A-Jay

Glad this one turned out mostly OK. Sometimes they do not. Good on you for sharing this one. Just like you, I do hope it might go over as a lesson learned, all be it a tough one. Fishing solo leaves little room for error and sudden stress has a way of setting into play a bunch more bad decisions while trying it undo the first one. Can get pretty complicated really fast. Regardless of the conditions. Warm water drowns humans too. Stay Safe A-Jay

Seems we may be slowly, and I do mean ever so slowly, creeping in the right direction. It's like a glimmer of hope on the distant & mostly frozen horizon. A-Jay

Great Bass & Cool Pic ! Congrats A-Jay

Very Cool ~ If you allow us, I'd be most interested in following your journey. The twists, the turns, & any changes. Any changes you decide to make in locations, techniques & even baits to support your efforts. Best of luck to you and I have to say, I for one will not be surprised by your success. Have Fun & Fish Hard A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

In the north woods looking for smallies, daytime spinnerbait conditions I do best in, usually include 'Some'. Some Sun, Some Clouds & Some wind ~ That deal accounted for my PB Brown Bass on a 3/4 Double Willow. https://youtu.be/frJAlndpO7E My night time spinnerbait preference is for little to No Moon and a little less wind. Cloud cover doesn't come into play unless there is a brighter moon, then having it obscured by clouds is desirable. I like a single Oklahoma Blade at night. A-Jay

@Jonas Staggs IMO, you are looking at this line test question in REVERSE. While there's no doubt that there is quite a bit of stress applied to our tackle when we cast; especially when using what can be considered 'heavier' baits. And for bass fishing, 2 ounces and up is certainly that. However, whatever those casting forces may end up being, they PALE in comparison to the stress & strain placed on our gear during a hard hookset & fighting of a large bass; especially when attempting to extract a big stubborn fatty out of heavy cover. We might be able to 'safely' cast a big bait with 12 lb test, but that same line with virtually disintegrate trying to put the one fish we're looking to get, into the net. So all things being equal, when using non-damaged line and good knots, when we select tackle (including type/size of line) that is very capable of coping with that deal, effective casting of the bait is taken care of. So in the end, heavy baits, on heavy gear for heavy fish usually require Heavy Line. YMMV A-Jay

In my quest for big brown bass I fish both baits, but don't really use them interchangeably. Vibrating jig is best for me early & late season in cool to even cold water conditions. And the spinnerbaits don't get wet until the water's quite a bit warmer. Not to say either will not get bites at other times, just that this when I use them the most. More info below. Fish Hard A-Jay Spinnerbaits https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/180370-fishing-in-the-fast-lane/ Vibrating jigs https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/211811-brown-bass-tools-~-questions-answers/?do=findComment&comment=2443715

Nice Bass & good hooks ! A-Jay

Best I can do ~ http://fishweb.com/maps/alpena/fletcher/index.html A-Jay

Nice Bass ! Early Season Fatty Congrats A-Jay

Full cork handles are nice. They bring me back to my youth. But they do seem to have a 'life span' which can be lengthy if cared for & not abused. I also have a few sticks with foam, which are OK but may have an even shorter life span than the cork. My Favorite and it's by a wide margin actually, is the St. Croix’s Xtreme-Skin Handles. I have them on a couple of older rods from the Rage Line and it is sweet ! Comfortable, non-slippery and seems super durable. Unfortunately that line of rods was discontinued a while a go and that handle is now only available in the Legend Xtreme line. Do not own any of those mostly because of the price point. If I were to tunnel down into the 'complete rod building' rabbit hole, I would most definitely be looking to use that type of handle on every one I spun up. Not sure it's even available though ? So for now & the foreseeable future, big bass seem content to eat baits delivered with the full cork. Fish Hard A-Jay

Wow ~ Great Bass ! You are on a role . . . . Congrats A-Jay

Thanks and Congrats on the successful body composition change. Keep the positive mojo flowing . . . . . A-Jay

Afternoon session today ~ 3 working set all for 8 Reps each; well mostly. Partial Dead Lift ~ Pull-Up Low Cable Row ~ Cable Curl Finished with some core work. Off Day Tomorrow #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Might not have been 'my most frustrating trip' but it was pretty close . . . . A-Jay

Cool ~ Good Luck & Fish Hard A-Jay

OK, Hello and Welcome to Bass Resources ~ Again. https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/135197-new-member-from-wi/ A-Jay

That is fantastic ~ Because my dance card is Way full at this point . . . . . #humbled A-Jay

I have a similar set up and had the same deal with the water coming up and back into my rig. Got Old very fast. No amount of 'adjusting' it came close to helping. I have a 'transducer' mounting plate on the hull Went with this unit. Solved it instantly. (not my rig in the pic - file pic) https://www.amazon.com/Boat-Zone-BLACK0101-Transducer-Shield/dp/B07ZL9SWWV/ref=asc_df_B07ZL9SWWV?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80333160033375&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583932709155520&psc=1 A-Jay

Thank You ~ I've been shopping for this type of deal for a bit. Making the purchase. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DRVM38X/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 A-Jay

Yes ~ A-Jay

I'm a Lipless bait fan ~ really like the baits versatility. My personal preference is a bit scattered, but I do have my favorites. ~ ½ oz RES and the RES 2-Tap both see heavy action. And when I’m short hopping a Rattle bait off the bottom like a blade bait – the Duo Realis G-Fix Vibration Tungsten Lipless Crankbait is almost like a secret weapon. It has a small thin profile but is ¾ oz. Casts like a bullet and sinks just as fast. Don’t buy any. A-Jay

Looks awesome ~ Very well thought out. Btw - looking forward that bump in my retirement pay. Admiral's rack in some serious scratch . . . A-Jay