A-Jay

Perfect ~ And it won't be long before the Lucky Craft Pointer collection starts showing up there either. #greatdealsabound A-Jay

Nicely Done Sir ! Congrats and I am officially Jealous btw - while that trolling motor stabilizer bar is probably better than nothing, it sort of ends right there. If you are looking to do what that thing says it does but doesn't, The TH Marine Troll-Tamer Trolling Motor Locking System is the way to go. Super easy to install and is Rock Solid. Cheap way to help protect that investment, especially when purchased during any pending sales. A-Jay

I hear ya and I will openly admit that I have Stayed With the Plan to the bitter end and ZEROED many times, just stubborn I suppose. Pretty much all of 2020 infact. I can definitely picture you doing this too. Gringing your teeth the whole time, or maybe that's just me. A-Jay

Not to hijack this thread, but perhaps consider having the louder one knock style as well as a bait that presents something less. That may have you covered. A-Jay

When it comes to walking baits for me, once the castability and walking action boxes are checked, IT IS ALL ABOUT THE SOUND. Baits that can and do successfully Call the big brown bass to them, get fished the most. The size, profile, pattern and even on the surface action all come into play well after the sound does. Those Megabass baits look, cast and walk great. They have a different more subtle sound that plays well under some conditions. The Rover is a solid producer. A-Jay

In this day & age when everything seems to need a 'name', my style of bass fishing routinely revolves around the basses food; just about all season long. I guess I'm a "Bait Hunter". As far a presentation & techniques are concerned, anything goes. (except the Old Ball & Chain, I hate that thing) A-Jay

Bummer you lost gear but at least you survived the insanity of a season that Michigan presented in 2020. My personal fishing season can be summed up in a single pic...... Here's to a more productive 2021. A-Jay

A-Jay

If we are not feeling a strike, how do we know we missed one ? Asking for a friend. A-Jay

Fishing in fog for me is similar to other low light conditions. Seems to help the bite more in warmer water conditions than in colder. However as mention here already by several astute & experienced fisherman, navigating in very reduced and especially near zero visibility conditions is serious business. Completely doable IMO, but you have to go slow. Finally, it's interesting to me that 'professional' derbies are delayed & often cancelled for it, yet the participants are surely seasoned boaters with the best mapping available. A-Jay

While it's not a requirement for me either, it certainly is very convenient. The other side of it is that on the lakes where there is no dock available or in place at a ramp, I see very few fellow bassheads. Big fan of that. A-Jay

I rarely use a trailer hook. A-Jay

Seems in order to mark the shallowest area, whoever positioned that marker would have needed to go aground to do it. A-Jay

Since I'm such a big fan of these Freedom heads and the bait concept in general, I picked up two of these baits spring of this past season. I've had quite a bit of success with the Megastrike Strikeback spinnerbait. (which features a semi-free swinging hook design) seems to increase high speed hook up ratios as well as staying pinned more often than not. Both good qualities. By adding the ability to easily change the hook and or the skirt, I expected this one to be $$$. My initial impressions of the Freedom Live Action Spinnerbait is that it's a quality bait with decent components, runs true at speed and is easily re-tuned. (big deal for me as brute Brown Bass routinely mangle burned spinnerbaits) https://americanbaitworks.com/collections/spinnerbaits-buzzbaits/products/live-action-spinnerbait However my own 'spinnerbait season' (usually late summer & into the fall) was Horrid. So I do not feel I was able to offer this bait a fair chance to displays it's full potential. I will most certainly be giving this one another shot in 2021. A-Jay

I'm with this guy ~ He knows some stuff ! A-Jay

Do you think there's such a thing as an expert in bass fishing? Interesting topic ~ May depend on one's personal way of defining the word expert. Over the course of a lifetime on the water, one can use experience gained to help to continue ones Bass Fishing Education. But when does one have enough to be considered an "Expert" ? Does the learning ever stop ? I'll say never & no right there. And to even come close, especially during this day & age (consider just the last 10 years) a basshead could certainly benefit from having an above average ability to learn & adapt to the ever changing times & techniques. Could the anglers that did well in the past do it now ? Conversely, could the successful bass anglers of today still make it happen back in the day ? Both those times in bass fishing history were wildly different. I'd propose that good is good, may not matter the "When". That said, the list of humans my own version of a bass fishing expert, is fairly short. Does include several BR members, as well as few 'professionals'; but definitely not me. Won't keep me off the water though. A-Jay

Hello and welcome to Bass Resource ~ Seems you may be getting a visit from the Bait Monkey soon. Enjoy A-Jay

A woman goes into Cabela’s to buy a rod and reel for her grandson’s birthday. She doesn’t know which one to get, so she just grabs one and goes over to the counter. The clerk was standing behind the counter wearing dark glasses. She says to him, “Excuse me, sir. Can you tell me anything about this rod and reel?” He says, “Ma’am, I’m completely blind; but if you’ll drop it on the counter, I can tell you everything from the sound it makes.” She doesn’t believe him but drops it on the counter anyway. He says, “That’s a 6-foot Shakespeare graphite rod with a Zebco 404 reel and 10-pound test line. It’s a good all-around combination, and it’s on sale this week for only $20.” She says, “It’s amazing that you can tell all that just by the sound of it dropping on the counter. I’ll take it!” As she opens her purse, her credit card drops on the floor. “Oh, that sounds like a MasterCard,” he says. She bends down to pick it up and accidentally farts. At first she is really embarrassed, but then realizes there is no way the blind clerk could tell it was her who tooted. Being blind, he wouldn’t know that she was the only person around? The man rings up the sale and says, “That’ll be $34.50 please.” The woman is totally confused by this and asks, “Didn’t you tell me the rod and reel were on sale for $20? How did you get $34.50?” He replies, “Yes, ma’am. The rod and reel is $20, but the Duck Call is $11, and the Catfish Bait is $3.50.” She paid it and left without saying a word. A-Jay

Great Pic ! A-Jay

Congrats ! Hope we catch a glimpse of this killer Bass. A-Jay

Thank You Gents. I forgot to mention that I am also a Bed Rug user & abuser and have been for many years. Certain I would not own a rig without a Bed Rug. After several Z series units and no problems, I am hesitant to stray from what has worked so well. While the Z2 is a newer model (and I will be sure to address the ventilation situation), the back glass style and the way it forms around & over the tailgate on the CX Revo is intriguing and something I am seriously considering. It's so hard to determine what's what on my PC monitor. May take advantage of the forecasted sun tomorrow and visit A.R.E dealer. Just waiting to hear back if they have a Z2 and CX Revo demo on the floor there that I can check out in person. More to follow I guess. Thanks again A-Jay

Been a fan of these units for many years. Prefer having the covered bed, especially with several big dogs. Had a few different models on several different trucks, but on the last three rigs it's been the Z series. Quality unit with great fit & finish I'll be taking delivery of a new AT4 in Feb 2021 and am currently doing a little 'advanced research' as to which cap to go with this time around. A.R.E. has recently updated the Z series with the new Z2 line and also added the CX Revo. Both seem like they could be what I'm looking for however, prior to the final judgment, I'll need and intend to take the 90 minute cruise over to the 'local' A.R.E. dealer for a first hand view of my options. Either way, I'd certainly appreciate any experienced feedback here from any & all BR members who have some input one way or the other. Thanks in advance A-Jay

I can sleep when I'm dead. Or at the very least - all winter ~ ! A-Jay

Just Booked the Oct 2021 Trip ~ 336 Days and a Wake up A-Jay