A-Jay

My early August by-Catch has been fun ~ A-Jay

I like these types of threads. These types of threads almost always generate engaging, insightful, and thought-provoking discussions. There's been plenty of that dropped into this one already. My version of it is that Primary and Secondary Conditions is something developed by anglers and not something that's even on a bass's radar. Conditions that promote survival and a feeding advantage for a bass are the conditions we all seem do the best in. The specifics of primary and secondary conditions can vary greatly depending on the location and the season. I've had some (more like limited) success attempting to fish in what I conditions,,o bconditions,,te' conditions where I did well.But more often than not, while it might seem the same, it's really not. And the bass are quick to let me know by pulling a disappearing act that Houdini would be proud of. So in the end, I'm not sure what determines primary or secondary conditions I question whether such a thing even exists. But 'conditions' are just about all I have to go on. So I'll keep banging my head against the wall trying to 'get it right.' Fish Hard A-Jay

Couldn't agree more ~ And I am not a rookie. Quite the opposite. The open salt water theater is an entirely different animal. If you haven't already, please consider researching a buoyant Personal Locator Beacon. It requires no subscription for use and includes a digital display providing live status and GPS coordinates. We are talking satellite precision and military durability, that puts rescue in the palm of your hands. Expecting a cell phone at sea to save your life, might not be the best plan. This is IMO, is a better option. https://www.acrartex.com/products/resqlink-view/?srsltid=AfmBOooVzSkKDLjuj0hQsaIiW8U7hhVBMZ5AGsmxi_Pg3_uCbOtqba3j Stay Safe A-Jay

To be honest, I consider myself a bit of a hook snob. Meaning, I am willing to shell out whatever for what is, in my estimation, as important an aspect of my fishing success as the line I select. Therefore, I use single and treble hooks from Gamakatsu, Owner, and Mustad, which have provided me with a decent level of success. Not going to list the specific hooks, but suffice it to say, it's the higher quality lines of each. And I've listed them here before several times. While a sharp and mostly durable 'hook point' is no doubt important, For me there's a bit more to a 'good hook.' The hook's size, wire type and shape, the distance from the hook point to the barb's back end, and the size of the hook barb itself all play important roles. I understand, that not every basshead needs to or even desires this deep a dive into hook design and characteristics, and a simple fingernail scratch test takes care of it. However, I prefer going a little beyond that. Feeling confident in my terminal tackle is like a superpower. YMMV A-Jay

That's awesome to hear & thank you for saying so. That's stuff inspires me as well. 265 is 100 lbs more than I weigh . . . . . I believe you know this - But use or lose is Real. Here's to our continued success. A-Jay

Now why am I not surprised . . . . . Funny thing is so did I ! 😉 A-Jay

I've been shaving my head since I went in the service in 79. It was just easier. Not to mention that hat head hair while doing commercial Vessel boarding's at 2 am appears, let's call it less than professional. Or stupid if you like. And then as a DI - Chrome Done was a way of life. Once I retired I just kept it going. Finally don't be fooled, I am still mostly bald on top at this point, but now I just don't .... . .... 🤪 A-Jay

During a brief respite from recording my workouts, a few things happened. I stopped shaving my head and most of my face, I put on a few pounds and this thread just went over 100,000 views. That one surprised me. Any how, Push 2 Workout today and I felt like it went OK. Showing just the scheduled working sets. A-Jay

After a killer birthday steak and a little too much birthday cake, I'll be back in the home gym again today, busting out a workout. Still feels weird being closer to 70 years old than 60. Now where did I put my Geritol ? A-Jay

Thank you and Yup. Just add 20 to that 46 right there and you nailed it. A-Jay

That must have been one heck of a strong ironing board that could support your weight like that. A-Jay

Thank you for the messages and posts for my birthday! They are all very appreciated and absolutely made my day. A-Jay

While I use a mono leader on the front of my braid mainline, the bobber stops in front of a bait thrown on just straight braid can assists in keeping the braid from fouling into the baits front treble on the cast and while working it. A-Jay

Thank you very much my friend. I certainly appreciate it. A-Jay

Somedays, the supply of available curse words is insufficient to meet my demands. I hate that ! A-Jay

One great aspect of fishing, is we get to do it any way we want (legally of course). Some folks just fish, other folks take a few pictures, some even capture their trips on video. I'm one of those. Big fan of having my favorite adventures saved digitally. Some I share, some I just keep for myself. Got close to 550 fishing & boating videos, 350 or so I've shared publicly on a super basic You Tube channel. It's a fun part of fishing for me. One of The Best aspects of running the GoPro's, is since I mostly fish solo, being able to capture killer pictures from the video is so good, it really is. IMO, anyone who wants to put in a decent effort, can do it. A-Jay

Maybe because it over 10 years old. What phone were you using in 2015 ? A-Jay

I'm never flippin or pitching baits as there's just nothing to flip or pitch to here. That said, is there some Basshead rule where it's illegal to cast using both hands ? If there is, I am for sure a felon. Been doing the two handed cast for decades. Sure saves the wear & tear I'm certain I'd have using just one. Tried one arm for a while, didn't go well. Felt like swinging a bat or a golf club with one hand. #why https://youtu.be/8x9A8IP3j7w?feature=shared&t=12 A-Jay

I'm fishing mostly for smallies in open water. Walkers & poppers are very effective here but are at their highest power when I can get them as far from my rig as possible. This is how I get it done ~ A-Jay

Northern Michigan ~ Jan ~ Iced in Feb ~ Iced in Mar ~ Iced in 99% of the time. Open water routinely happens sometime in Apr. I do keep track of this. Apr & early May ~ Numbers of Plus Size fish with a decent shot at a trophy Smallmouth Bass Late May into June ~ We do Green Bass from the canoe July ~ Don't fish much at all August & Sept ~ Real Big Smallmouth potential again. Just not the numbers seen in the spring. Early Oct ~ Good Numbers time for respectable Brown bass but trophies are rare. Mid Oct thru November ~ Rolling the dice. Average first snow fall here is 16 Oct. Towing the Pro-V Bass on snowy roads requires at least 3 pairs of under pants. Instead the boat is winterized and goes into garage hibernation. Rest of November usually too darn cold & windy. December ~ We usually have hard water by then. Home gym see's a lot of action. Got to be ready for the next season, and so far I have been. A-Jay

Unless I go off the reservation and fish for another species, the majority of my trips for big brown bass are not bite days. (juvenile smallies don't count) So getting 'bites' or not does not drive how I 'feel' on the water. I am always feeling at my very best, when I can consistently be on the water I need to be as often as possible. Being 'in tune' with all things fishing from boat handling to casting and of course eventually hooking and landing a few tanks. As an example, annually, I do not fish much or even at all in July. There's a few reasons for it but most of it revolves around lack of potential success. But come August, at some point, it's on like donkey kong so I start fishing - Hard. (I do this in the spring as well but working around the cold windy and routinely unstable weather makes consistent safe time on the water a little tricky) Usually takes several trips of getting up at zero dark thirty, making the long drive and then the long run across the lake, arriving on scene on time (first safe light) finding the bait (and staying on them). And then being able to successfully repeat that process several days a week for up to 4 weeks. Casting and working the rigs, baits and techniques I'll need to be proficient at in advance of actually needing to, is a real confidence booster me. Might be like golfer making a several trips to the driving range. Finally I will always review my trip video looking for bad habits and or goofball moves so that I can clean those up. Because IME, they will eventually cost me a big fish. Not a fan. Fish Hard. A-Jay

Well I had to name it something . . . . . Morning started out foggy and cool with just the slightest breath of a wind. I had every intention of long bombing an A-Rig all over the flat I was on, but the topwater bug got a hold of me for the first hour. After that, the lake went super glass-like flat. Had no choice but to bust out the weightless wacky rig and go to work. Showing the best three green bass that went into the net; first one came on a sexy dawg walking bait. But the rest, including another very spirited pike, all came on the 5 inch senko in goby color. Finally, I have to give big props to the St Croix Avid 7 ft ML stick and the newest Shimano Vanford 3000 for doing all the heavy lifting with 10 lb Sufix 131 and an 8 lb Big Game leader. The Mustad TitanX Wacky/Neko Rig Hook in 1/0 was on the business end. I had fun. A-Jay

I'll be indulging in the traditional Birthday Ribeye on Friday. Rare is primal. A-Jay

Yes- Twice. She was over 5 on my thumb. And less than that on my scale. 🤣 A-Jay

Different day, Same Deal. A-Jay