A-Jay

In this area most of them seem to be some combination of dark red, brown and perhaps a hint of orange at times. If you're interested, here's a bit more crayfish 'info' that I found fairly helpful. https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/211811-brown-bass-tools-~-questions-answers/?do=findComment&comment=2389892 A-Jay

For those who have one, the boating season may be upon you or perhaps just ramping up. Folks who can be on the water all year, I envy you. Either way, the timing may be right for this one. I happened across this video quite by accident (popped up in my que). After I watched it, I felt the need to share. It's fairly recent, had a happy ending (meaning the people survived) and includes quite a bit that I believe we can all relate to. I am not personally familiar with any aspect of this, only what appears in the clip. I do not care to Monday morning quarterback any of the specific actions these men took before, during or after the event. Also I will not be commenting on any of the advice or equipment recommended in the video. You can determine what's applicable to you & your boating situation as well as any lessons learned. My own experience has shown that carrying a full load of safety, signaling & location equipment that is well beyond every 'legal requirement', can be a solid plan. Stay Safe A-Jay

Rain is expected across my slice of northern Michigan with the steadiest rainfall expected this afternoon into the evening. Highs in the upper 40s and 50s, combined with rainfall, should help to rapidly melt snow and ice on each and every Lake Menderchuck. And later this week I plan to load my gear into the boat; which I emptied to clean last fall. "Baby steps Bob." A-Jay

This was a REAL EYE OPENER for me Too ! After learning to fish at night, this has been the next best thing. Being able to go back and watching 'me fish', has helped me to virtually eliminate many 'bad habits'. From the way I launch & recover the boat, to fishing & working baits, even playing & landing fish. Totally helped me 'streamline' every bit of it. My goal is to be 'smooth', with little to no wasted motion. It's a work in progress but I'm a whole lot better than I was. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

I have used several different cameras over the years to video my fishing trips. Started in the Old Town Canoe with a Garmin Virb and eventually went with GoPro's. Compared to what's available now, the Virb is ancient technology at this point. Currently running GoPro Hero 9 Blacks. Best Gopro made so far IMO. Does it all well and with a short learning curve. I use a YoloTek Boom stick to mount a camera on the stern. This enables bigger views of what's happening. It's a telescopic NON Powered model (which I prefer) However many folks use & like their plug & play powered models. I clip a second camera to my windscreen up front for close up views. I can get some decent footage & pull pic from either one. I use only GoPro Branded batteries as my experience with knock-offs has been bogus. The larger micro SD cards hold more data and faster cards make everything better when it comes to editing. (UHS-I U3 100MB/s Full HD & 4K UHD) So 128GB & 256GB is the max my cameras with run, so that's how I go. Amazon has decent prices usually. I use Movavi Video Editor Plus 2021 to edit. It's a bit more than I really need but I understand it and am adding a few new 'tools' to my bag slowly. Also, I enjoy using it, which once you get into this, is a good thing. Things I've learned along the way. I get out of this - exactly what I put into it. The more on top of the video aspect of my trips I am, the better it works out. Taking care of the gear pays off; storing it all in a padded camera case protects the investment. Quality SD cards that are routinely formatted in the camera can help save heart break later. At first it felt like I was 'wasting too much time' on the water 'fussing' with the cameras. But after a short while, I had it down so setting up and running the cameras became part of the routine. Besides purchasing the Pro-V Bass itself, capturing video of my fishing the past few years, both locally & south of the border, has honestly been one of the most fun & gratifying deals I've ventured into. Having video (and pulling pics) of some once in a lifetime fishing memories, that I can watch and share over & over, is well 'worth the effort' IMO and pretty hard to put a price on. I'd encourage every basshead on this forum to seriously consider it; can't imagine how you'd ever regret it. I certainly Do Not. A-Jay youtube.com/c/AjLynn45thParallelFishing

I am rarely successful getting suspended bass to eat anything. In my mind these fish are there for a reason and unless they are busting on a ball of bait, it seems they are at least in a neutral mood and perhaps more often than not - negative. What I would suggest is to note the depth that they are suspended at and then locate some structure close my that's at the same depth. Bass will often move horizontally in the water column to go and eat. So a point, a hump, a steep bank or drop off could be where they head next to chow. Maybe you could be there waiting for them. Good Luck A-Jay

The benefit of quality split rings for me comes into play when I change out my trebles. Baits that catch many fish and or are worked through & over cover, can & do become dull. So I change them - often. While any split ring will wear out over time doing this, the Owner rings last well beyond most standard offerings. This saves me time on the water. Something, I will readily admit, I have precious little of. YMMV A-Jay

While these may not actually be 'names' of the rods, by listing them under the 'technique' title St Croix seems to be coming pretty close to naming the sticks in the LTB line. A-Jay

I have clips but RARELY use them. Prefer instead to retie; which after a few fish, I often do - just because. Allows me to have 'knot confidence'. Otherwise with the clip, I might fish the same knot on a rig all day without ever checking it, until it's too late. YMMV A-Jay

Nice Bass ~ Congrats A-Jay

Walked right into that one. Well Played Sir. btw - Megastrike is not an acquired taste, at least not for this goof ball. A-Jay

Yup ~ I even use Ovals on my swingheads ~ Who Knew ? btw - I love it when there's teeth marks on the Tungsten football head. A-Jay

Do not like regular round split rings at the line tie for any bait. Hate when the line gets caught in the "split". Usually go with oval rings on everything but lately I've been liking these pear shaped rings at the line tie of my topwater Treble hooked baits. Especially 'The Walking Baits'. A-Jay

This is very interesting. I have not heard of this seasonally variable mouth toughness in bass. Always figured it was sort of the same all year. A-Jay

I am. And that will contine for quite a while unfortunately. But it seems like you're due to get a few fatties any day now. Good Luck A-Jay

Contradict Away, please. That's how we get better. A-Jay

When it comes to hunting plus size bass, location almost always trumps presentations for me. I move. A-Jay

Addressed a low inventory of assorted terminal tackle as well as a couple of the more productive early season paddletails. A-Jay

I agree with @WRB ~ And even though you're fishing from shore, @C5Longhorn while fighting the bass, perhaps try to keep your rod tip down. We do it to discourage the bass from jumping, which is when we lose some swimbait fish. Many times there's nothing we can do but High sticking them seems to encourage the air show which like I said, often doesn't end well for us. When I manage to get it right it can look something like this . . . https://youtu.be/lydc75yYYqQ?t=937 A-Jay

I am a Big Fan of the older versions ~ A-Jay

Nice Bass and Killer Pic ! Congrats A-Jay

Can't say, it's a judgement call. I just don't want the shirt impeding a craw type trailer action. So either the trailer need to be longer or for a more compact presentation, I cut the skirt back sufficiently. Sounds like you're on track. A-Jay

Fortunately, I knew enough to ensure my property was graded correctly during construction (and it is) so that flooding is nearly completely mitigated. The mostly sand soil also helps to eat a bunch of that, once the ground starts to defrost a bit. Not having to shovel the roofs at this winter has been wonderful. A-Jay

The precursor to mud season in upon us ~ 44 Days & a Wake Up ~ A-Jay