A-Jay

I split the difference. Two fingers in front of the reel stem & two in back. Never really thought about it, just always did it that way. From today . . . . A-Jay

Ended the 2021 season today with this little Fatty ~ Stay Safe A-Jay

Made it happen in the Old Town Canoe today ~ Blade bait, jerkbait & a swimbait were all killer. Love November Bronze in the SUN ! Fish Hard A-Jay

Perhaps think about opening up your fishing horizons a bit. In other words why limit yourself ? Get the bigger/more HP rig now. You'll thank me later. The difference in price between the two rigs now, is quite a bit less than a whole new rig later. "I wish I would have purchased the smaller less powerful boat" Said no one ever. A-Jay

Sweet Rig ~ And it's got your name written all over it ! Go for it Dude A-Jay

The seasonal movement for the majority of smallies is most likely to vacate the shallower creeks and winter out in the deeper river. Might be some of that going on. A-Jay

Blade Bait Lipless Rattle bait (fished like a blade bait) Hair Jig and a Small heavy headed swimbait gets honorable mention. A-Jay

OK ~ Tie some up and fish them. And when they score a few of these, I'll gladly pay you the $10. A-Jay

Hello and welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

I picked up a couple of the Elite Tech Smallmouth Spinners, almost 10 years ago now. Love, Love - Love these sticks. Been discontinued for a while so I've been babying them a little. Even re-wrapped / upgraded the guides one time along the way. Still see a lot of jerkbait action and have accounted for some great fish & memories for me. Very happy with them. A-Jay

@papajoe222 I Couldn't Agree More ~ Been a member for a while as well. Since day one there have been three deals that have always rung true here with me. The Golden Rule. Good People attract Good People. This Forum's Foundation begins with it's Newest Members, not the other way around. Saying Thank You, doesn't seem like nearly enough. A-Jay

Thank you - And while agree it takes some effort, it's not too bad., Especially when you like to do it. Preparation may be the key. And The Memories ! As I get a little further & further down this road, they mean more & more. A-Jay

Clearly this entire thread reads like a who's Who and a Finesse Hall of Fame at the same time. So Good. By the time I was 'deep' into my bass fishing deal, I was (and still am) fishing mostly alone. Well ahead of the video age, my personal list has come and was built over the course of many years. In the beginning, mostly all second hand, while poring through books & magazine articles, periodicals as well as many hard to decipher pictures and drawings. Back then (and especially today) there was and still is, plenty of "advice". Perhaps more now than ever before. Either way, when it comes to how & where I fish, what was and has been very helpful throughout this entire process, has been learning to adapt what is useful, reject what is useless and most importantly perhaps, to add what is specifically my own. Might always come with a ton of trial & error, and I'm still working on it every trip. But that's fishing. A-Jay

I hear ya ~ I have been a GoPro user for many years and through every model since the 5's. The 7's locked up AND Over heated. Traded them in for 8's, which my wife likes but I do not. Real buggy. The 9's didn't come cheap and before the overheating shutdown deal, they were IMO, 'the best' version of an action camera that I had used from GoPro. The 5K video & 20 megapixel photos are stunning, the advanced Hypersmooth 3.0 stabilization has been unmatched to date, the front display is SO helpful, and the battery life seems quite good. All that said, none of that is worth a dime if the darn thing only works in a specific climate. While the local weather has only been hot enough for the occasional disruption, which I've been able to live with, but my trips south simply must have total coverage. Not sure what I'm going to do, but I've got 'some time' (insert hard water) to come up with and execute a new plan; which may or may not involve a couple of new and or different brand/style of cameras. Just not into this video stuff enough to justify 'next level' equipment. If I can't make it happen with point & shoot GoPro's I might bail on the whole deal. We'll see. A-Jay

Just dropping this one right here, from two days ago ~ A-Jay

I replace them with either Mustad KVD 1x Strong 2x Short Triple Grip Treble Hook or Gamakatsu EWG Treble Short Shank Magic Eye 110's, 110 plus 1's and the 110 Silent all get #4's. The 110 plus 1 Jr gets #6's Owner Hyper wires split rings are solid and I’ll always use the oval & or pear shaped versions at the line tie; which prevents the line from slipping into the ring itself. I hate that. #2's work for me. A-Jay

C'Mon man Don't encourage her ! ? A-Jay

I hear Ya J ~ I'm doing Total Body workouts so I'm getting it from all angles. Of course, after a listening to me sort of complain a bit this morning, my wife hit me with "Toughen up Buttercup !". A-Jay

After more than two weeks out of the gym, that actually seems much longer, I've started getting back into it; all be it slowly. First few workouts back are always just a little more than a warm-up. As my humanness re-acclimates to the process & the stress, I'll begin to turn it up. Yesterday was sort of a mid-level deal as far as intensity goes and it went well despite still staying on the safe side. As always, the dirty little secret that will forever be a part of effective resistance training is DOMS - delayed onset muscle soreness. And man am I feeling it this morning. Certainly not the first time and won't be the last. No way to avoid it really. Learning to recognize it and perhaps know it's coming while being willing to cope with it is all part of the commitment this deal takes. Still don't really like though. When added to just the everyday Old Guy body soreness, it certainly get's my attention. Stay Strong A-Jay

Had a nice dumping yesterday ~ Got a couple more inches overnight. A-Jay

As a prior Search and Rescue Professional, from both the planning and operational side, leaving an accurate float plan with at least one responsible adult every time we hit the water is Rule #1. Inculding accurate phone numbers of the emergency agencies you want them to call in the event you are overdue, saves valuable time you may or may not have. All of this is far less helpful if and when plans change, you don't keep them informed. Requires a bit of time and effort on your part but you need to ask yourself, am I worth it ? I know I am. A-Jay

Glad you're both uninjured. Bad stuff happens to good folks all the times. Can only be so prepared. Stay Safe A-Jay

For a little thump, flash and color, I'm thinking small Red Colorado on the inside and a Chartreuse Indiana on the end. #norules A-Jay

Just as a PSA ~ There is a Private Charter Plane option from TX direct to the air strip at Lake Baccarac Lodge. Besides making the customs experience incredibly painless and brief, you can take your full length sticks on the charter, no problem. It really IS the way to go. #novanride A-Jay