A-Jay

296 Days & a Wake up ~ As previously mentioned here, this trip is essentially 'booked' and ready to go; except for one detail; two open seats. You see, past several trips we book & pay for 4 fisherman, instead of just two. Then we solicit for a couple of willing bassheads who want to go. That allows us to charter, and fill all the seats, on the private aircraft that flys us straight to the lodge. These air craft are always in high demand. Super convenient, and gets us to the lodge early enough that we can fish an extra 1/2 day. Win - Win right there. As of yesterday the two 'open' seats have been filled and by a current BR forum member (and son). It will be their first trip to this magic place and that's always an exciting deal. One that I really love being a part of. #bigeyes I'm not going to spill the beans on who it is - I'll let him do that. Decent chance he'll see this and respond. Super pumped and it will be here before we know it ! A-Jay

Nicely Done Sir ~ Stay with the new life style. The benefits are many. Congrats and Best of Luck moving forward. A-Jay

Started here a while ago. Eventually ventured to a few other bass sites. The drama was over bearing. I soon bailed on every one. This is the only site I frequent now because there's just nothing else close IMO. You folks have helped me so many times and in so many ways, I could never explain it or ever come close to showing enough gratitude. And I bet less than half of it has anything to do with bass fishing. Thank you just doesn't seem sufficient. A-Jay

I was a big fan of that bait - And so were the linesiders . . . . A-Jay

Hello Scott and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ Congrats on the Nice Bass. A-Jay

It's sort of like when you buy a couple bags of groceries and three days later you have 'several' bags of trash . . . . . Some things just can't be explained. A-Jay

From @WRB "Always put a short section of finesse worm on the straight portion of the jig hook to prevent the pork trailer from fowling the hook point when a bass strikes. You can hammer the fatty head of the frog with a meat tenderizing hammer lightly to release oils to increase floatation. * To remove a pork trailer hold the jig upright with the hook bend facing away from you. Pull down on the pork trailer so the hook barb is at the bottom of the hole, then slide off the trailer. This takes a little practice. Use a pig blanket or lure wrap with sponge to keep the jig with trailer wet to prevent drying when not being used. Don’t add more scent if already scented. If not scented add a few drops of 100% pure anise to the jar. Slow down and let the trailer do it’s natural movement." A-Jay

Although I've been around a while, and the bait monkey knows, I've fished a seriously insane numer of baits in my time. The list is long and distinguished, however, a wiggle wart is not on it. Funny right ? As popular as any bait ever, and I just never owned or even fished one. So there's that. A-Jay

Mango rocking the Bi-eye. Very cool. A-Jay

Congrats Wouldn't want to be the runner up on this one. ? A-Jay

The 55 (Right side of pic) is my go to mid depth crawfish crank and has been for a while. Fish it on MH Cranking gear and 15lb FC - down to 10 feet Max. Has accounted for several 4 & 5 lb brown bass. The 50 (Middle of pic) is smaller, and I fish it on M Cranking gear and 12 lb FC - down to 6 ft Max. Has produced smaller fish for me - nothing over 4 lbs The 6th Sense Curve 55 (Left side of pic) is a killer bait. Size-wise fits nicely between the 55 & the 50. However I still throw it on M cranking gear and 12 lb FC - good down to 8 ft. Has produced better than the 50 but not quite like the 55 A-Jay

I remember when the Zen Master was talking about the mis-match message some baits send out. He specifically mentioned the Indiana & a willow blade; how, why & when he prefers one. Really made me rethink my whole deal. I don't use an Indiana much (probably should) but still throw a willow - a lot. But that's mostly because I can't find a 'Long Drop Blade' anywhere ! This clip is Gold ~ A-Jay Oh wait - I did find a few . . .

@Team9nine ~ You may be on to something right there . . . A-Jay

This one is not a "300" size reel, at least not by todays standards. More along the lines of a 150 or small 200 perhaps. I'll call it a '175', yea that's the ticket. Solid reel either way. Originally picked this one up to use as a cranking reel, as I prefer lower gear ratio round reels. But while the line capacity wasn't an issue, the IPT was. This one is slow - too slow even for me. Not certain exactly but it's perhaps a little fast than a Penn Levelmatic 920 which is a slothful 4:1. So this unit is probably close to a lethargic 5:1. Half way through my first long cast, I nodded off . . . . A-Jay

A-Jay

That's a Tank ! Congrats on the new Personal Best. A-Jay

See now, you guys are making me hungry. I've got a serious hankering for like 5 different kinds of pies. ? A-Jay

I'm not a big 'sweets' guy but there a few pies I'll snag a slice of if the opportunity arises. When fresh & done right - most all of the 'fruit' offerings can get my fork moving. However, top of the list for me is a Bourbon Pumpkin Pie with a big fat dollop of homemade whipped cream. It's always a special request . . . . A-Jay

Look up Fish Smart by Humminbird. A-Jay

I like the Megabass Vision 110, the Vison110+1, the Strike King 300 and the 300 Deep. The colors pictured here are some of my top producers A-Jay

Always an engaging subject here ~ Spending a day on or (or even off the water for that matter) with a human who possesses a vast level of both bass fishing knowledge & experience as well as the desire, communication skills and overwhelming passion to pass some of that on effectively, might be like hitting the bass fishing lottery. I'll apply the term 'pro' in my own way and go with BR forum members @WRB and @Catt School's in session. A-Jay

Hello Brandon and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Plenty of solid drop shot hook advice offered here already. Here's some of my version . . I've been through quite a few makes, models and even more sizes past few seasons - I've settled on these. Reasons are - they match my baits, they match the tackle I'm fishing them with, and most importantly, they HOOK & HOLD the Bass I'm Looking to Catch ! Both the Brown & Green models. Supplemental info - over the past say, three or four years, much of my drop shot fishing, especially mid-late season, has migrated to using 'bigger baits'; relative term. Where in previous deals I was using, the standard skinny 4 & 6 inch Sculpins, Robo worms & Dream Shots - and they catch bass for sure, I started drop shotting a baby rage craw, and then a full-size craw and then 4 & 5 inch Fluke and started getting bites from more bigger fish. But along with that, I was losing a few fish, because the hooks & manner I was using them was apparently inefficient. First off, in some instances, my hook selection was too small. Secondly, while I like nose hooking, seems it's not the best way when I'm targeting bigger smallies - which is ALL The TIME pretty much. Nose hooking also picks up eel grass when it's there and the little hooks have a tendency to skin hook a lot leading them to come unpinned too much for my liking. I do Tex-pose my drop shot plastic when needed but all things being equal, I prefer not to if I can. ***Note *** regarding the Hooks Pictured - I use SEVERAL DIFFERENT sizes - I offered these to allow for the name, brand, type, and model number identification purposes. So we've ventured into using a little bigger, longer shanked hook. So if you look at the Picture provided, the bottom row - those are all GREAT DROP SHOT OPTIONS and ones I still use a ton; mostly for nose hooking. That whole top row of hooks are what I go to for bigger baits and when I want to 'top hook' a bait; meaning inserting the hook like you would put say a swimbait on a jighead. Where the hook goes in the front/nose of the bait, is threaded into & down the body of the bait BUT comes out the top. Still a drop shot, but when a fluke or a caffeine shad is rigged like this, the hook up to land ratio goes way up. Brownies are generally impaled in the top or the roof of the mouth and they generally Do NOT come off. I definitely use a little 'beefier gear', like M instead of ML and 8-10 lb fluorocarbon leader instead of 4-6 lb. The bigger Hook size demands a bit more pressure to sink it successfully, but after that, it's just a matter to playing that brown tank into the net. This works GREAT for Green bass too. Think Rage Craw ! A-Jay

300 Days & a Wake Up ~ A-Jay

As noted above, the term 'it depends', really does apply when it comes to Winter Storage And Maintenance Batteries. The type of battery and charging system drives the best course of action, especially when a rig is stored outside. Here's some do's & Don'ts: (for traditional lead-acid battery) Do: Get It Clean and Keep It Clean Dirt and corrosion can increase a battery’s discharge rate. It’s important to clean the battery casing and the terminals thoroughly before you connect anything to it and throughout the battery’s life cycle. As long as you properly cleaned the battery before you store it, you should be able to just keep it clean and dust free with a clean dry rag for dusting. Don’t: Put Your Battery In Storage Without a Charge One of the worst things you can do is store a battery away for a few months without charging it. All batteries have a natural rate of self-discharge. By not charging the battery fully first, you are just asking to come back to a completely dead battery that can’t be revived. Do: Make Sure It’s Completely Disconnected If you’re not planning on removing the battery completely from the equipment it’s connected to, you’ll need to make sure that the battery is disconnected from any and all terminals. It’s important that nothing touches the battery terminals that could potentially create a discharge. Don’t: Forget To Plan For Off Season Charging Whether you will be using a trickle charger or just simply hooking up a standard charger every so often while the battery is in storage, it’s important to make sure that you have the charger you need and that it is in good working order. There’s nothing more frustrating than to check on your batteries and find out the charger you have isn’t working or isn’t an effective charger for your battery. A battery that has been kept charged throughout its lifecycle will last longer and perform at peak levels throughout its lifespan. Do: Keep An Eye On The Environment While not storing your batteries on a cement floor isn’t really an issue anymore, it’s still the safest bet to keep it off the ground and in a temperature controlled environment. Moisture and extreme temperatures are a sure fire way to increase your batteries rate of self-discharge. A good rule of thumb is to store the battery above 32°F and below 80°F. One of the most common mistakes during winter months is storing flooded lead-acid batteries in a discharged state. A discharged battery in extremely cold temperatures will allow the electrolyte to freeze, causing it to expand. Electrolyte expansion can crack the battery case, causing a leak or complete battery failure. A fully charged battery has a freezing point around -80 °F while a discharged battery has a freezing point around 20 °F. By keeping the battery fully charged during the winter months, the electrolyte is less likely to freeze and cause unexpected failures. One of the most common mistakes during winter months is storing flooded lead-acid batteries in a discharged state. A discharged battery in extremely cold temperatures will allow the electrolyte to freeze, causing it to expand. Electrolyte expansion can crack the battery case, causing a leak or complete battery failure. A fully charged battery has a freezing point around -80 °F while a discharged battery has a freezing point around 20 °F. By keeping the battery fully charged during the winter months, the electrolyte is less likely to freeze and cause unexpected failures. Don’t: Store It and Forget It Batteries are not items you can put away for the winter and forget about. They have to be checked and maintained throughout the entire time they are in storage. In fact, lead-acid batteries that are properly maintained can be stored for up to 2 years. Pay attention to the charge levels. Some maintenance chargers have an auto shut-off and some don’t. (You’ll want to make sure your charger is keeping the battery right in the charge range as outlined by the manufacturer.) If you are charging off and on throughout the storage time as opposed to using a trickle charger, you may find yourself getting frustrated with how long it takes the battery to charge. Keep in mind that while a higher voltage may charge faster, it’s a lot more damaging to your battery. Once you know how, storing a battery is an easy and effective way to lengthen the life of your battery and keep it working like the day you bought it. https://northeastbattery.com/battery-101-store-batteries-off-season/ A-Jay