A-Jay

Made my first trip to bigger water, Lake Menderchuck, this morning. Cooler air temps, moderate north wind, and water temps in the 45 range. It's been blowing here for a few days, so the usually clear water did have some color. But the biggest deal was the lake level was way measurably higher than what I'd experienced before. Tried fishing, like the deeper water didn't matter—wasn't paying off. Called an audible and moved inside a bit. I think it took three casts. Old fat girl T-boned a perch with a vision of 110, and the fight was on. After a few anxious minutes I managed to slip her into the Frabil. Man, that one felt very good. Yanked the scale down to 5.77 and then pooped all over the place. I think I got credit for poop's weight, which made the cleanup a little easier to take. Either way, this is my new big fish for 2026. An hour or so later, the north wind can on strong, and despite my best efforts, I had to bail. I'll take it though. A-Jay

On some of these vast, deep clear northern Michigan lakes, being at the right place, at the right time & doing the right thing can be a daunting task. But this morning, I nailed it ~ A-Jay

I am making it happen on a cold and windy Lake Menderchuck. First fish went 5.77 lbs. Report to follow and I hope that's the dink of the day. A-Jay

YOU WILL MISS BITES. Bass like to eat the head. Just cut the line back 6 inches if it's kinked, re-tie and keep casting. A-Jay

Workout Day 3 ~ Despite being super basic, this one always seems like a bit of a grind. Maybe that's the best part. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Looks like tomorrow's another fishing day. I'll be making a hike to one of the lakes that, until recently, was closed due to the crazy snowmelt/big rain flooding insanity that's been terrorizing Northern MI for weeks now. Only two things I know for sure are the ice is melted and the boating access is open. After that I'm winging it. Leaning towards a morning deal. But not too early, as the air temps to start the day are expected to be well below the Mendoza line again. Add in the north wind, and I'll be in layers. Hoping for the best either way. A-Jay

You're right—I've usually already put at least one in the net by now. But it was a wee bit chilly yesterday, so I was pacing myself. 🥶 A-Jay

Something magical about an early morning departure in April ~ #anticipation A-Jay

Hello and welcome to Bass Resource. A-Jay

Made my first crack-of-dawn trip this morning. I've made better decisions. Air temps in the high 30's and an east-southeast wind that made it hard to fish cleanly. Water had dirtied up, not surprising. But I was surprised to see the water temp in the low 50s already. Local Lake Menderchuck is a shallow dark-bottomed deal that warms up very fast. I poked around a bit early, mostly trying to keep my hand from freezing off. It eventually warmed a bit as the sun finally poked through late morning. The wind did not let up. Either way, I managed a dozen trophies in training, with one just sliding over the 4 lb mark. All on Megabass jerkbaits that included perch, of course. Alien Gold and Baby Kingo patterns both attracted some attention in the colored-up conditions. Not sure what the rest of the week holds. I had planned on hitting it hard on some bigger water, but after today's debacle, I am second-guessing myself. Wind blew out my video, so here are a few pics. A-Jay

Sharing this one from the lake. Someday I might need to go live. But this will do for now A-Jay

First pre dawn launching of 2026. As I head out into the cool, crystal clear skies of this dark north woods morning, I am stepping back for a second to count my many blessings. Can't say what Lake Menderchuck may have to offer, but being on the water as the sun peaks over the horizon, is a view that soothes my soul and Never gets old. Here we go. A-Jay

Just to bring a point of view from the opposite direction. I am all in on Shimano. And I'd rather fight than switch That was for the other OGs. 😎 A-Jay

My 3 biggest smallies have come on 3 different baits A 3/4 oz spinnerbait A vision 110 jerkbait And a ned rig. I can make very little correlation between fish size vs bait size. IME, showing them something close to what they are presently looking to eat has been effective. YMMV A-Jay

Busy weekend so far, and that will mostly continue through this coming week. Dropped the first run of fertilizer this morning. I'll finally get to wash this past winter off my truck later today. Looking forward to that. Detailed the interior yesterday; it came out pretty sweet. Then there is an early Monday morning trip to Local Lake Menderchuck again, but I do expect the winds to blow me off by noon. Tuesday is a training day. And then the REST OF THE WEEK is looking so fisherman-friendly; it's actually scary. I'm planning on making my first pilgrimage to some big water on Wednesday. Depending on how that goes will dictate where, when, and with what I'm making my next cast. Could be boom, could be bust—time will tell. I've put in some serious time & effort waiting for quite a while to get on something like this. It would be nice if it paid off. A-Jay

Workout Day 2 ~ At this point, training is as much an exercise in mental toughness as it is physical strength. Getting into the gym on schedule, hitting my meals, and keeping my sleep cycles disciplined requires a kind of grit I just didn’t need 30 years ago. Knowing that only drives me harder. There is a deep, quiet satisfaction in getting it done—over and over. It’s wildly rewarding. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

The historic flooding that’s devastated so much of Northern Michigan this spring is finally showing signs of receding. It’s been over a month of high water. And while it’s dropping slower than any waterfront owner or marine business would like, At least there’s movement. It’s been a frustrating stretch. As a basshead, I live for the windows of opportunity April and May usually provide. But with most launch sites flooded out and closed, I’ve been relegated to sitting on my hands. I did manage a few local runs to some smaller, unaffected waters—glad to have had that much, at least— but it’s not the same as getting after the big water. The bigger ramps are finally starting to open back up now. I’m just hoping the weather cooperates and gives us a few fisherman-friendly windows. This coming week is looking like it has some real potential, so we’ll see how it plays out. Either way, I’m ready to roll. New trailer tires are on, and the rig is dialed. Fish Hard. A-Jay

Workout Day 1 ~ Some days I feel like I'm "training." Other days I am most definitely feeling like I am "working out." With the emphasis on work. This was one of those. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Lynn and I are both sad that Coco passed but happy to know she had a great life with you and yours. There's a lot of pride in knowing you both took such good care of each other for so long. In time I hope you'll smile everytime you recall all those Coco stories. Stay Well. Maybe go fishing. A-Jay

I am guilty as charged. But it's all good. We just missed you @Glenn So tell me again how much this forum means to so many of us . . . . . #lifeline A-Jay

I hear that. I use these replacement fittings on three different grease guns. Pretty sweet. A-Jay

Perhaps consider a Dutton Lainson Trailer Jack. They offer a wide selection of quality units and have a decent and very long standing reputation. https://www.dutton-lainson.com/products.php?cat=35&srsltid=AfmBOooCz2AoP1r9nX9-y4S9xfc7wO3ulla1-6Vorzf5UAJ1F0-DVeFB I've been riding one for coming up on 10 years. No problems. Good Luck A-Jay btw- many of these units are available from other vendors and on line.

Since you've had open water now for a while, and you've also been enjoying the winter/summer roller coaster that is always part of it. I would like to officially welcome my Minnesota basshead friends to the wonderful world of trying to Bass fish up north in April. So are you fishing in a snowmobile suit or a swim suit ? Good times. A-Jay

Yes I am. I learned to fish jerkbaits on casting gear and that was the norm for a long time. But made the switch to spinning gear once I got on the big super clear waters here. It was a distance game. Still is but when I can give one arm a break, and continue use the net and the scale, that's a good thing. Additionally, that P5 is not just any casting gear. Can't wait to throw walking baits with it this summer. Got an extra spool coming in the mail so I can use mono. A-Jay

Just realized this was a 19.96 lb bag. One of my better efforts from local Lake Menderchuck. A-Jay