A-Jay

That First part is the very essence of my existence. The last part is how I roll when the Honey Do List takes more than one day to complete. Fish Hard A-Jay

How about The Lazy Ike ~ (no not that one) A-Jay

Cool Morning but topwater gets my blood flowing ~ Fish Hard A-Jay

I can train long or I can train hard. But I can't train Long & Hard. A-Jay

I think so - But it's capable of handing any horizontal moving bait I'd normally fish on any other MH stick. In fact I throw 3/4 & 1 oz spinnerbait rather nicely. A-Jay

I am. Lews seems to have a line of KVD compsite rods that may be very similar . I use the 7'4" MH https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Lews_KVD_Composite_Cranking_Casting_Rods/descpage-LKVDCC.html A-Jay

I think @Glenn did a video on something like this recently. Seems much of what we do or don't do, can be so location, season, condition and even personally specific, that hard and fast 'rules' can be tough to apply across the board. One thing's for sure though, putting red treble hooks on baits is just plain foolish. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

I know - Another example of this is how freakishly big & fat the Brown Bass are in local waters that have a full on goby infestation. Places I catch smallies that do not have goby in them, the smallies seem like a different species. #notnormal I like it though. A-Jay

In my mind, I have always thought of that size bass as freaks of nature. If the trout were never planted and those bass were not force fed, that whole era would have never happened. Since the free feeding is done and gone, so are the vast majority of 17 lb plus fish. Tell me I'm wrong A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

I carry mini bolt cutters. High leverage design makes short work of any hook I use. Even when forced to use my non-dominant hand to do it. Fishing alone makes that a real possibility. This pair by Capri is half the $$ of the Knipex 71 01 200, which just may be the industry standard. My own tests indicate the Capri's are totally sufficient. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01018D2CS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Perhaps work it with a stop & go type deal. That pause can be productive. A-Jay

Nose hooked Fluke on spinning gear. #longcast A-Jay

Thanks ~ Tank's certainly getting 'Big' and at 15 weeks, it seems like almost daily now. He's a White German Shepherd Belgian Malinois Mix. https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/241440-introducing-the-newest-member-of-our-pack-~/ A-Jay

I used to store them. Now I 're-home' them. Gives me a 'fishing related' project to participate in during hard water season. Plus, I like money. Happening again here shortly. A-Jay

Tank enjoys the Bass Resource forum as well. He's very helpful, especially with my breakfast . . . . . A-Jay

Over the years, I've kept many journals in various forms. Back when surf fishing was part of the addiction, location, tides and moon phases were driving the deal. Most all of that happened at night. When I got back to the sweet water and bass fishing I did it again. I was fishing all new water for the first few years and having some notes seemed helpful. On both fronts, as time went by I used/referred to them less and less. So I stopped keeping them. During the 'transition', I started taking and posting video of my quests for Brown Bass. As far as being a useful tool, this was a Game Changer. Instantly shows me all of the routine what, where and when info, and then the video shows me so much more. The Good, the Bad and even The Ugly. Besides capturing a few epic fish catches, it has helped me clean up quite a few bad habits I would have otherwise probably never knew I had. Now I make the effort to ensure at least one GoPro is running whenever I am wetting a line. Fish Hard A-Jay

I do it and am about to do it again here soon. As for 'losing too much money', that's all about perspective for me. The day I purchase gear that money is gone. Anything and I do mean anything, I recover for it after that, is gravy. There's some time & effort I need to expend to do it right. @J Francho covered it nicely above. Finally, gear is only worth whatever a basshead is willing to pay for it, regardless of what I think it may 'be worth'. Any sentimental value I may have is worth nothing to a new owner. It's value is set the moment it sells. There are literally thousands of post here with gear that never sells simply because the seller doesn't get that. I price gear with that in mind. Always seems too low at first. Good Luck. A-Jay

Man ~ That's close ! You should be able to start smelling those Margaritas any minute now . . . . A-Jay

Hello diehigh and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Thanks ~ Glad to hear it my friend. Looking like next week has some potential locally, especially if we can manage get up out of these 40 degree daytime air temps. My arsenal starts getting really narrowed down as the days get shorter. But a swimbait see action right to the bitter (cold) end. Stay Safe A-Jay

Training later in the afternoon is tough for me. Spinning up the effort & intensity can be a bear. Either way, Super happy I got it done. A-Jay

I sincerely hope the best for you in the future. But it doesn't have to be that way. I'm 62 as well. Physical & mental strength can be maintained. One simply needs to make it a priority. Stay Safe A-Jay