A-Jay

First off, how's your Mom doing? My custom cover is high quality and very protective. Still doesn't do anything for the water spots on the hull. Goes on & off OK, but is sort of time-consuming and a bit of a PIA doing for every trip' solo and in the dark. The shortcut is the long way and the long way is the shortcut. YMMV A-Jay

@Nitro 882 ~ Congrats on the unexpected discretionary income and good luck with the recarpet job. I'd say that you have a wonderful selection of tackle and associated gear. I empty my rig before having it serviced at the end of each season. Two years ago I snapped a picture of what came out of my Lund. Since then, there have been slight changes, but not significant ones. I realize that my tendency towards redundancy may seem excessive. but it's been a part of my life for many years. I've 'tried' a few times to work towards lightening the payload. But everytime I take two things out, I put three things in. I was losing the battle so I'm going to just stand pat for a while and see how it goes. A-Jay

Agreed, the just pulled out of the water the wipe-down is the best-case scenario. However, I still have a need for this product. At least half my Lund trips on the water include me staying late and I'm putting the boat on the trailer well after dark. Then there's the chilly early & late season (snow) or I need gloves or fishing in the rain trips. These scenarios see me wiping the rig down in my garage when I get home or even the next day. A-Jay

Nice ~ Perhaps consider positioning yourself up wind of the spray. Hot Sauce in the face is admittedly not the best. A-Jay

Sometimes it doesn't seem real ~ A-Jay

I adopted a dual strategy for this trip. Launched out onto local Lake Menderchuck for an early bite, departed, and later returned for the action at sunset. It was a rather picturesque experience and one I did enjoy immensely. Depending on how the next week or so shakes out, could end up being my last trip of the year in the Pro-V Bass. A-Jay

For this trip, I took a double-dip approach. I took advantage of the early bite, departed, and returned for the action at sunset. It was fun and here are the best three of the day. A-Jay

Heading out into the crisp 30 degree north woods morning. Not sure what to expect. Should be calm, clear and hopefully warming up fast. Could use a few brown bass today. Seems appropriate. A-Jay

So sorry to hear this. It's easy to love a puppy and always hard to have to saygoodbye.. But it's the same type of love from beginning to end. It was time. GSDs are such a wonderful breed. So loyal, committed, and full of life. You both were so fortunate to spend and share your lives together. When the time is right and we don't wait long, we honor each passing with at least one new puppy. Not intended to be a replacement but does seem too help distract and balancece the pack. Hope you can remember the good tmes, and there are always a bunch. A-Jay

8 ~ A-Jay

I happened to watch that one myself recently. It's interesting how Mr. Chong discusses gets his jerkbaits down below 25 ft. Who would have guessed ? 😉 A-Jay

While I agree that access to bigger fish can be a real plus when fishing from a boat. However, the transition from being bank-bound to putting the puzzle pieces together on the vastness of big water can be both a blessing & a curse. As indicated by many threads & posts on the subject, the learning curve, although a ton of fun, it can be a bit daunting. This is particularly true during the initial year or two. A-Jay

Tomorrow still looks like a fishing day for me. However, I am planning to double-dip. I'll be on local Lake Menderchuck at first light until about 10 am or so. Then I'll come home, enjoy a grilled ribeye, and go back @3 pm for the late afternoon to sunset bite. This isn't my usual trip, but I believe it will be enjoyable. Might even get my string pulled a few times. A-Jay

I'm going with a wacky-rigged weightless Senko. Because it does almost nothing. Almost. A-Jay

Knocked out Workout day 3 this time around. It was a bit of a grind, but it definitely needs to be that way. Eat, sleep, train & repeat. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Most professional anglers have all of the tools of the trade, including cutting-edge technology. Despite this, they frequently experience zero-fish days. I'm certain I wouldn't fare any better. A-Jay

Tonight's weather is turning seasonal, as indicated by the fall's first Frost Advisory. Workout and yard work on Wednesday. That means Thursday is a fishing day. Air temperatures and wind direction/speed point me toward a local Lake Menderchuck afternoon-to-sunset trip. I'm not sure what the surface water temperatures will be, but I'm not opposed to anything in the 50s. Can you say jerkbait bite ? I can. Fingers crossed. A-Jay

Totally agree with this ~ A huge part of my addiction to fishing these baits is how angler input has a huge effect on the bite. I just love persuading a big fish to bite. A-Jay

Yes, I change hooks AND hardware. There's some additional info here . . . A-Jay

And this is the face after having to replace an entire record collection with an 8 track collection, and then turn that into a CD collection, which ended up transitioning to an MP3 collection and now I need a subscription to listen to that same music. A-Jay

Jerkbaits are my jam. They have a special place in my heart and also take up quite a bit of space in my rig. Early- and late-season smallies can be complete suckers for a jerkbait; including some real bruisers. Like any technique I fish, I can make it as simple or as complicated as I want. This is one where I've gone WAY down the rabbit hole. Specific rods, reels, line, terminal tackle, where & when to fish them, might just be scratching the surface. It was a personal choice but it's paid off for me a few times. Or you could simply cast one out and reel it back, that works sometimes as well. Have fun and good luck. A-Jay

Always hard to tell by a picture but just for reference, here are 2 that are no doubt over 7 courtesy of Mr @Dwight Hottle And 1 of mine that just squeeked over 7 lbs. And in this case it was 'the small one'. A-Jay

Workout Day 2. Oldness brings a steady grace, a quiet triumph in its pace. A dignity the years have spun, beneath the setting, golden sun. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

People have been running each other over with boats & ships for years. It happens on lakes, rivers, reservoirs, bays, and the open ocean everywhere in the world. Incidents where there is critical injury and/or loss of life are always intensely sad for everyone involved. Rules & regulations can and sometimes do change. But the fact remains that it still happens. Picking this single incident apart like it was some type of unusual or special circumstance is futile. Because it was not. It was a man driving his rig without watching where he was going and he killed people. Civil & criminal liability will be assigned. Very little, if anything else, will change. All we can do, as vessel operators, is conduct ourselves responsibly and IAW applicable laws and regulations. Additionally, it is crucial to remain vigilant for the countless operators who do not. Stay Safe. A-Jay

Yes. It came in the form of a citation and a fine. Afterwards, I was usually the only one smiling. A-Jay