A-Jay

Yes they are ~ Good Eye. A-Jay

I like the middle one ~ And what's up with that link ? A-Jay

Nice ~ Always thinking . . . . A-Jay

@12poundbass The pics are need to be submitted as part of the 'verification' (and I use that term very loosely) to establish Master Angler status and I've not ever seen them published any where. And I may be mis-remembering this - but I think they returned my pics to me with the certificate. More importantly, especially for the discussion here, none of the MA (Master Angler) submissions receive the type of scrutiny that a state record submission receives. Where the fish must be witnesses & weighed on a certified scale, with affidavits filed and where a state registered biologist must verify the catch (usually means there's a carcass somewhere / at the end of this process). My point is, using the information published regarding MA catches, may offer some trends perhaps, however, I believe that's where it's usefulness ends. The way the process is structured (or not) it leaves quite a bit of wiggle room for misleading . . . . . . So put that in your pipe & smoke it. (Don't know why I said that) A-Jay

A-Jay

Yea - I'm not going for major band torque - just want to secure them. A-Jay

Skilled tradesman need tools ~ A-Jay

Early Sunday morning session #mychurch A-Jay

Secret ? I use my fingers - if you're not, try that. A-Jay

MI Master Angler deal is C & R with a Photo. So there is no weight requirement - just length. Here's more info https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79119_79146_82441_82447---,00.html A-Jay

FYI First 5 or so Master Angler sized smallies I submitted, I may have been a little less than forth coming as to their actual catch location; spots were small and I didn't feel the need. So there's that. I don't submit them anymore as I'm hoping my next submission to the state is more note worthy. A-Jay

Thanks ~ Not sure if these are from or even near the top shelve but if they start jacking up my baits I'll replace them. Thanks for the heads up. A-Jay

OK ~ Hope it helps you out. A-Jay

And here lies your answer. A-Jay

That bold text pretty much covers it; especially in locals where 'boating is seasonal'. Add alcohol & drugs (some of which are now legal - wow) and the free for all is kicked up a notch or two. Holiday weekends on and around waters/harbors near major metropolitan areas often included everything you see on the highways & by ways. Main Difference of course is the sinking to the bottom & drowning stuff. Can really ruin an otherwise good time. When I'm on the water, regardless of the vessel I'm in, I expect that every boater is going to run me down. I make it my priority to do everything possible never to allow myself to be in a position to where they even have a chance of being successful. After surviving 3 intense decades on the Atlantic Ocean, I simply refuse to have my demise come at the hands of a 'distracted boater' on Lake Menderchuck. It's pretty much defensive boating to the extreme. Clearly the areas & times I'm yachting, there's very few other humans, and that's by design for a couple of reasons, one of which revolves around the matter at hand. A-Jay

While I'm up front casting, the console unit is on stand by, the bow unit and the 360 imaging units are usually running. Every once in a while - if I'm sitting in a place long enough (talons down)- I may turn one or all of them off. And here's a little nugget for you, the more I use it, the more I believe that the 360 unit - attracts bass - so there's that. And then we have the "Hydrowave" - isn't that a deliberately transmitted "electronic sound" that is advertised to attract bass ? (I do not own one btw) Who Knows. . . . . .  A-Jay

Like I said ~ Free for All. A-Jay

Day or night - It's particularly helpful when both vessel operators know & follow nav rules. Anything else is basically a free for all. Seen it. A-Jay

I like these ~ They are a mixture of 6th Sense, Bass Dozer and I think there's one Strike King mixed in there. I do up my own skirts so my preferred color pallet is usually perchy & bluegill/pumpkinseed-ish. I'm usually throwing them the same type of shallower deals I'd use a spinnerbait, but often when there's less wind and / or super clear water - around or over vegetation and high(er) in the water column. A-Jay

I know the feeling. Only one - but it was the Right One ! A-Jay

Thanks for the heads up but so far so good. A-Jay

I have not seen nor heard of a verified Double Digit green bass from Michigan. May not mean it hasn't happened, just that during this period in time where news travels far & wide in seconds, if it has, that angler should be admired for the self discipline they possess for telling absolutely no one. Other wise, I believe we'd have heard about it. Also we may see a Michigan Brown bass over 10 lbs before a Green one is caught. On a seperate note @CrankFate, if I landed a 14 lb GIANT with no record of it, I would need to be institutionalized; and I'm already pretty close as it is . . . . . . .? A-Jay

@CatchM Locating smallies from day to day, week to week, month to month, season to season and even year to year, can be a daunting task; especially on bigger bodies of water. However, it's something I have become seriously addicted to. Some solid points of view offered here above. Although initially penned with northern Michigan smallies in mind, here's a little light reading that may help out. Good Luck A-Jay

Couple of winters ago I decided to band together all the treble hooks in my arsenal using small rubber bands. I initially got the idea from an ice fishing video where the angler needed a compact way to store lippless baits. He banded the trebles and stored about 30 Baits in a peanut butter jar. Worked so well, he was able to just dump them into his hand and pick out the one he wanted - no tangled mess. After seeing that, I'd contemplated it before a few times, I just never took the leap. I wasn’t certain first, that if it would even work on every treble hook bait and second, and perhaps more importantly, that I’d be willing to take the time while I was fishing to remove and then replace them as needed. Picked up a couple of bags of white & multi-colored rubber bands from the hobby section at the local Wal-Mart and got down to business. Initially it took some time to apply the bands to all the baits, and I needed to come up with a repeatable, effective & most time efficient technique, if you will, of removing & replace the bands while I fished. I did so in short order, not exactly rocket science; just wrap them around a couple of times. Bands are on topwater baits, all square, crank, rattle & jerk baits. As well as Spy baits, and even blade baits. So, after going on two seasons of doing it, this is what I can tell you. Once done, it virtually eliminates, the tangled mess I used to get when attempting to pull out one, lipless or jerkbait for example, out of a compartment containing several; I get one and NOT NINE ! Banding reduces each baits foot print a little, which enabled me to store more baits in each box. This effectively did two things; reduced the number of 3700 boxes needed for the same number of baits AND freed up space for more boxes & baits – Win Win ! Not exactly a game changer in my rig, it has plenty of storage, but when I’m fishing from the Old Town Canoe – it’s a help for sure. And if I were a shore angler, this could be a valuable deal as well. Additionally, and as sort of minor but still beneficial factors, there is some reduction of rattle/sound from the lure boxes, as well as perhaps reduce long term hook rash as the trebles are no longer loose & free to rattle & bang around in the boxes as I rocket across the lake. Once I made this my ‘routine’ it has become second nature and takes seemingly no extra time at all. I’ll never not use them again. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. A-Jay

@jimmyjoe This might help ~ A-Jay