A-Jay

U S Coast Guard Retired in 2007 after 28 years of service. As a Boatswain's Mate duties included traditional maritime law enforcement, anti-terrorism, force protection, port security and safety, Search & Rescue and Drill Instructor. But the best part was I got to save lives. Plus, they let me drive boats. All types of boats & Cutters too. It was an honor & a privilege to serve, went by in a flash, was incredibly intense at times and I'd do ALL it again just as fast. A-Jay

Hope this Helps A-Jay

@Bluebasser86 I did read about your recent rough ride and Congrats on the Win btw. I have a feeling that you may have down played your pucker factor a bit. Also your thoughts on beaching the boat and getting to your vehicle another way, although a giant PIA, may have been the way to go. One way that I help 'myself' decide on what to do in those type of cases is, I think about what I would tell my son to do if he called me asking, and then I do that. Either way You know I get it. As for the PFD, most quality inflatable PFD's have a Back up oral inflation tube tucked into it somewhere. Clearly not of any use if a victim is not in a position to blow it up. One Idea regarding inflatable PFD use is, there is no law regarding when you inflate it and it is perfectly fine to deploy it BEFORE YOU NEED IT. No one does it because it costs $$ to re-Charge it - but you could BLOW it up yourself if you have thoughts about it not operating automatically should the need arise. Finally "Swimming" for distance in ANY life Jacket is very difficult and SUPER Taxing. Add in all the clothes and footwear plus wind & waves, most of us aren't going much beyond where the environment will take us. Try it you'll see. Staying with your rig if you go in the water is best advice, regardless of it posture (upright or over turned) especially when one is NOT in a Life Jacket. In the Canoe, I use a couple of generic Cabelas units, One is a standard type 3 foam and the other is an auto inflate that I've had for several years. The foam is not very comfortable (but fool proof) and the inflatable at this point is like an old friend. In the Pro-V bass I wear a couple of Mustang Survival units. The inflatable was purchased specifically for that rig because if it's Aerodynamic 3D chassis reduces drag at high speeds. The Type III is essentially what what I wore in the US Coast Guard for many years. Not nearly as comfortable as the inflatable, but I trust my life to it either way. You'll see me in this one when the conditions get a click past 'sporty'. I do not kayak fish but have done it. The PFD requirements IMO for that rig are different because of the seated position and the paddling required. Mobility & comfort play a big role in what 'works'. Unfortunately I can not offer any 'brands' or models for you here, sorry. The Kayak specific Life Jacket market is HUGE and I'd encourage potentially buyers to get out to a reputable dealer and 'try before you buy'. Stay Safe A-Jay

I have to do this just to get into & out of many of the access point I fish from. Especially late season. A trolling motor prop is considerably less of a hit to the wallet than the SS prop. ? A-Jay

Really ? Sounds pretty sketchy ~ May not fall under that safety first headline. Which might be to idle all the way though the skinny stuff (in & out) and get on plane without the musical chair act. Could be a new way to find uncharted, shallow hard cover though. A-Jay

Perhaps consider checking into waters that have NO Ramp or other type of reasonable launching point. A kayak can be simply carried in & dropped into just about anything anywhere. Conventional bass boat, not so much. I do a little of this myself with a Canoe. And it's very peaceful. Fish Hard A-Jay

In the latest video posted here, the winds were forecast to be in our grill on the way out in the morning and at our back for the ride home. We kept a close eye on it and it's the way it played out as well. Would have liked to show the ride up the lake in the morning as it was 'pretty Intense'. But the spray on that stern camera made the video look like a ride through the car wash - so not very helpful I'm afraid. Suffice it to say, I was very conscious of where my bow was and it took a while. A-Jay

OK ~ So who is this 'everyone' person, and do you think they would take me fishing ? A-Jay

Perhaps ~ Either way, I am betting (and Hoping) that Bass Resource, as well as this type of discussion, can help keep it that way. Stay Safe A-Jay

Yes Sir I have a unit. Very effective. A-Jay

Been doing effectively with a throttle for a long time. While I can see the attraction and results of the throttle on the deck, having both feet available to help keep me in my seat is my personal preference. A-Jay

Initially responded in this one 8 years ago. The clip below include some of what I was advocating as it relates to operating in sloppy conditions. Stay Safe A-Jay

Quite a bit of chatter regarding Boating Safety on the forums recently. Great to see IMO, as I believe it aids in keeping folks thinking about it's importance, both on & off the water. Safe boating is the aim of all boaters and comes from education/training and experience. This information comes from Boating Statistics reports, provided by the United States Coast Guard, is presented in the interest of safety by helping boaters learn from the experience of others. It includes data from incidents that occurred on this counties navigable lakes, river & oceans. Fatalities that occur on boats which are not registered, certainly happen but not included in the annual statistics. Annually these numbers change a bit year to year, however 'the average annual data' can offer a rather sobering look at what happens on the water. - Boating accident fatality rate hovers near 5.2 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels. - Where cause of death is known, 80% of fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of those drowning victims with reported life jacket usage, 85% are not wearing a lifejacket. - Where length is known, eight out of every ten boaters who drowned were in vessels less than 21 feet in length. - Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; where the primary cause is known, it is listed as the leading factor in 23% of deaths. - Where instruction is known, 70% of deaths occur on boats where the operator has not receive boating safety instruction. Only 20% percent of deaths occur on vessels where the operator has received a nationally-approved boating safety education certificate. - Where data is known, the most common vessel types involved in reported accidents are open motorboats (45%), personal watercraft (19%), and cabin motorboats (16%). - Where data is known, the vessel types with the highest percentage of deaths are open motorboats (48%), kayaks (14%), and personal watercraft (8%). What all of this says to me, is that the rigs we all fish out of, motor boats, bass boats, canoes, & kayaks, are at THE TOP of just about every Boating Fatality category. Don't become a statistic. Please Stay Safe A-Jay

I have had a ton of success with the Zako - Still do in fact. But because so many of the bigger lakes up here have goby his little number rides around on the back of at least half the Vibrating jigs I throw. I call it The Thunder Goby ~ and the smallies here choke this thing down hard ! A-Jay

Nice ~ Like these ? ? A-Jay

Most Hours into: If I added up the actual hours fished, past few seasons it would probably be a Jerkbait. However there's a few other deals that get wet on a regular basis, so it might be pretty close. Trouble figuring the fish out: In my world, that means I can't find them. So I'm reaching for the ignition key. It's all about location. Confidence Bait: This one seems to change season to season & even year to year. Currently it's a dead heat between a deep diving jerkbait & a vibrating jig. A-Jay

No. Tan lines on me now means I was careless and more importantly, selfish. Someone that loves me dearly and means more to me than life itself, needs and depends on me to be around as long as I can. #eliminaterisk A-Jay

Thanks ~ With both my wife and I being U.S. Coast Guard Retired, (almost 50 years of combines service) our home is 'decorated' with a literal 'plethora' of assorted maritime themed items. As for the split grip - I don't see any advantage and prefer a full cork rear grip when I can get it, but that ship seems to have sailed recently. A-Jay

Thanks - I use U-40 Cork Seal on all of it. Which helps out in the long run. But I have to come clean on this one and say, these pics were taken during hard water, so the sticks hadn't been used yet. A-Jay

While the Rapala Sub Walk has been mentioned here a time or two, it's rarely a bait seen on anything pumped up my Matt Allen & Tim Little or any other YT sensation. Which is fine by me . . . Casts a mile and allows me to fish sub surface in skinny water. And starting this or maybe next week, these guys will be a Player again for me. Fish Hard A-Jay

I have a rod locker plum full of setups for smallmouth. Here's a couple of the latest additions ~ I like them. A-Jay

My Kill Switch lanyard is attached to my life jacket. So I need both to get on plane. Stay Safe A-Jay

Cool ~ Looking forward to checking it out. Minus some of 'the colorful' stuff I guess. A-Jay

A deep Isolated Wood field, at the bottom of a drop-off, in 15 - 20 feet. #thejuice A-Jay

@Darth-Baiter @MN Fisher @jbsoonerfan Any chance you guys are being way too hard on yourselves ? I'll say that there is no "Right" way to record our fishing trips. Just Our Way. I totally get it - we rarely look & sounds like 'we think' we do, once we see it back in video. Sort of a shocker at first but once we get over that, it get's a lot easier. My advice is, EMBRACE your individuality, it's what make you - You ! So keep recording and enjoy Your Show . . . Stay Safe & Fish Hard. A-Jay