A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ Good Luck A-Jay

Thank you my friend - Vessel choice is directly related to the size of the water that opens up first. If it's some of the smaller waters - The Old Town gets the nod. Big waters will see me in the Pro-V Bass. All things being equal I just want to float but if I could make the call, big waters have bigger brown bass - and the early season often offers a shot at some of the heftiest fish of the year - so The Lund it is. I'm ready either way though. It does make me feel better. Thank you & Good Luck. A-Jay

I have several 100 & 200 EXO's and they ALL have the Hawg Tech handle - I am a HUGE Fan ! Plus The customer service is second to NONE ! A-Jay

Good Luck ~ ! A-Jay

No, not really. I just made that up in a feeble attempt to sound dedicated. I actually get tons of 10 pound smallies on topwater right in front of the boat ramp at high noon. Me & Clint Eastwood. A-Jay

A couple of three days - but remember - I got the time, which I took. I have a little experience doing some basic rod building & repair, probably just enough to be dangerous. The handles I used as 'extensions' were otherwise scrap and while the glass stick clearly are not, I wasn't using them the way they were. So there ya go. Can't learn new stuff if we don't try. A-Jay Thanks - they are pretty sweet. I had a shot at another 705R a while aga but I blew it haggling over $20 bucks . . . Stuuuuuuuupid ! A-Jay

Yea - I'm watching this as it unfolds - 50-60's for the weekend but who knows what after that. Got two feet last year about this time. Drove by Lake Menderchuck again today. Still very Iced in, but the ramp is accessible and with 10 days left till my predicted open water date - It could happen. Doubtful, but it could happen. A-Jay

Yes - at the back of both. I will openly admit that my experience with rod building, repair and this evolution is definitely novice. Used the handles from a couple of sticks that were otherwise non-operational. One eva & one cork. I stripped everything off the blank (except the section of handle I wanted), matching / fitted the bare blanks diameter to fit inside the glass stick about a foot or so, and glued her up. The eva section on the 705 cut cleaner and was easily matched to the cork ahead of it. The added cork section on the 765 as a bit less cooperative. After shaping to get something close to a match, I used what I'm calling a decorative winding, to fill a small gap that I wasn't too excited about. A-Jay

And this is where that buffer zone you both enjoy comes in very handy. A-Jay

I just threw yup in my mouth . . . . A-Jay

After 2 hours - he got 'the bite' but missed the hook set. Ouch. In other news, Basstrak has Mr Johnston (aka Chrissy Dish Soap) in 36th place and in danger of missing the cut. A-Jay

Last season I fished my vibrating jigs exclusively on 7'4" composite Quantum KVD Cranking rods. These sticks performed as I had hoped; perhaps even a little better than I had expected. At the end of the season, I contemplated switching to glass, just to see. Prior to falling in love & eventually using these composite sticks, much of my 'moderate rod' needs were met by a couple of classic fiberglass rods spun up by Lamiglas. Always enjoyed fishing them but they had been sort of put up and forgotten about recently. Mostly because I always felt the handles were a little too short. Decided to fix that and place them back into active duty. After a brief stint in the A-Jay custom rod shop, the overhaul was complete. Matched them up with EXO 200's & 20lb Tatsu and we are good to go. Love the Hawg Tech handles on these btw. A-Jay

May want to rethink your choice in fishing partners . . . A-Jay

Solid Advice ^^^^^^^^ I fish solo 95% of the time and while there's what I would call 'light' traffic at the ramp when I launch, it's often busy upon my return. Good Samaritan's will routinely 'come to my rescue' when they see me approaching a dock myself, looking to 'Help' me - I always ( and as polite as possible) thank them but ask them to stand back. I've got it down pat and have no idea what the ability level or experience the person looking 'to help' has. Might be the human who needs 8 attempts to get his boat trailer backed down the ramp and 10 tries to get the boat actually on the trailer. I'm good thanks. When done, during the small talk, I will usually ask them to be at the dock again tomorrow morning a 3 Am, to help me launch. . . . A-Jay

Nicely Done ~ ! Tank of a lineside right there. Bet that was fun on 12 line. Congrats A-Jay

I've lived in a few places where ticks were thick. Having long hair, double coated dog just adds to the fun. For me, tall socks, long pants & shirts are the order of the day wherever I'm in their territory. The final answer is you. Thoroughly Check yourself after every outdoor adventure - everyone. Knowing what they look like (they can be really small too) and how to safely remove the insect is my advice. Procure & keep handy a set of 'tick extraction tools' makes the task a whole lot easier. Finally- avoid the woods behind my house . . . (my dogs asked for that sign) A-Jay

Good for you for preparing to succeed rather than preparing to fail. Your list looks good to me; although you may not be greasing your bearing quite that often. Checking them to ensure they are running cool(post &/or mid trip on a long one) may save you trouble down the road. Boat plug, motor height/trimmed up appropriately, charger plug removed & installed in a timely manner, all seem to be routine sources of the sad face for many a boat nick. My advice is to make your 'procedure' for hooking & unhooking, as well as launching & recovering your rig, into a 'routine'. One that you can and will repeat - every time. This can make the process easy, & effective which is what you'll be wanting. No points for speed during any of this. Problems can arise early mornings & late afternoon or night. Low light, Pre-trip excitement & post trip fatigue are all your arch enemies when it comes to getting it right & being safe. Staying in the moment and having your mind on the task at hand, will always be beneficial. Not doing so along with complacency, can prove costly & hazardous. A-Jay

A weightless Texas rigged Senko - any color as long as it's green pumpkin. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Replacing stock line ties with either oval or tear drop shaped split rings will all but eliminate the line from slipping between the rings A-Jay

While it comes with the territory, and I do prefer to be able to feel & know I trained the previous day; I am a little next level sore to-day and laying low. A-Jay

I'll tell you what I do but would first like to premise it by saying I usually throwing Rattle baits on a moderate composite rod with 12-20lb fluorocarbon line. Most all my crankbait hooked fish get the same treatment, especially if they are being caught on the rig described above; Once the strike is detected I keep reeling and as I feel the rod load & the weight of the fish, there is a hook set. However it happens while I'm still reeling (unless the fish is taking drag) and it's not nearly as pronounced as when setting up on a bass that ate a jig, soft plastic or other not constantly moving / non- horizontal presented single hook presentation. Comparably, sort of happens in slow motion. A-Jay

Perfect ~ He was probably thinking the same thing . . A-Jay

I guess - maybe it just caught me off guard. I'm over it. Either way, it's not my style. A-Jay

A-Jay