A-Jay

You're welcome my friend, I took a shot. Unfortunately that is pretty much the extent of my technical ability. Sorry. A-Jay

Sweet ! A-Jay

I'm a totally satisfied St Croix customer while using their warranty program. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ First things first, you are going to want to learn how to 'set-up' that casting reel. This will offer you a better chance at being successful as you learn to cast. There's plenty of excellent info in the BR articles section on how & where to begin. https://www.bassresource.com/how-to-fish/ Perhaps a little later, we'll introduce you to The Bait Monkey. A-Jay

Nicely Done. As for the pics - click on my attachments at the top under your profile tab - the top of that page will indicate how much "space" you've used or got let or not have left. May need to purge a few attachments to make space - (get out of the red) I'm constantly doing this as I like to post too many pics. Good Luck & Congrats on your successful project completion. A-Jay

OK ~ At this point I'm getting pretty close to as 'lean' as I can get without Really getting extreme with my diet. Not exactly looking to do that. Like most anything, too much of a good thing often starts to work against us. And being too lean can actually be a health risk. So, I'm going to sort of keep training and eating right, with out getting crazy, and see where it takes me. So far - So good. #bornin59 A-Jay

After a couple of quality days off I was ready & motivated to get back at it. Expectations were fairly high and when this was one done, I think I did OK. Still taking it semi-slow adding weight to each exercise and hoping I can get stronger, stay lean & not blow anything up. So far – so good. I’ve been fortunate in that I have been able to stay consistent with what I need to do to support these workouts effectively. Eating & sleeping right as well as training smart so as not to get injured; something that I’d taken for granted in years past. At this point there seems to be a fine line and the margin for error is slim. Being able to string several months of training in a row is very satisfying. A-Jay

Me too ~ But some years that doesn't happen for us until July. A-Jay

Quite a round so far today ~ And @Team9nine - Look at you on the Wheeler train. He's got a double digit lead going into the last period today. Two Words - Nailed It ! A-Jay

Otsego County being in the northern center of the state, seems to always be one of the coldest spots in lower MI. Fishing's pretty good though. And I'm not wearing shorts in my house yet A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Two of my favorite places are what I like to call 'hiding in plain site'. They are both areas that despite seeing fair amount of both fishing pressure & recreational boating traffic throughout the mid summer season, hold some great fish. It's a early & later season and timing thing; almost always is I guess. One is shallow clear water flat, that has an inlet that feeds it, isolated weed to hold bait, and a very critical but easy to miss, mini-drop that goes from 4 feet to 5 feet. That little drop is 250 feet long and absolute MONEY ! As for the timing - the 'magic' only happens from the very start of daylight to 1 or 2 fingers of a sunrise. Then that deal is done. But many times, that 60 minutes or so, has been awfully good. The second is also a clear water, fairly busy & mostly walleye lake. It's a shallow water flat that is well away from any of the deeper stuff that is most often trolled for walleye. The 'juice' is an 8-10 ft deep, 100 x 200 ft area what's got sunken timber spread out all over it. Seems left over from some logging operation. It's all that petrified hard stuff and it sort of flat & right on the bottom; meaning it doesn't poke up more that a few inches. Super early season, seems half the pre-spawn brown bass on the lake come & sit on this stuff, I think it's warming a little faster and they like it. Either way, I like it - a ton. Funny that I fished this place for almost 9 years, never knew it was there. Thank you Side Imaging. This wood on the bottom lake is usually the first place that opens up annually and the first place I usually visit for my initial shake down cruise. Lost a next level brown bass there the year I found it and have been looking to settle that score. Maybe in a couple of weeks . . . . . . . A-Jay

Not a local picture but still made me laugh ~ A-Jay

I'd be surprised if we didn't. Sadly we got 2 inches last night & it's snowing right now. Still 'early' for us though, so we're good. Will not complain if it gets warmer though. A-Jay

Just had to bring this one back ~ “Genius is the gold in the mine; talent is the miner who works and brings it out.” A-Jay

Short answer - yes, mostly. More info ~ When replacing trebles on baits that suspend, the KVDs work but the Gamakatsu Aaron Martens TGW Finesse Treble Hook is a little lighter - so it usually doesn't affect that baits ability to suspend where the KVD can on occasion. The Gamakatsu Magic eye trebles fall somewhere in between the two mentioned above as far as weight is concerned. They can be beneficially when looking to fine tune a suspending presentation. They seem lighter than the KVD but a bit heavier than the A-Mart hook. The Owner ST-35's are 'wider' - they are spread open to 150 degrees, making them a bit better as a front treble on wider or fatter cranks & top water baits. So that's my version of Treble Hook OCD - and I'm sticking to it. A-Jay

Swung by Lake Menderchuck this afternoon ~ We're still locked up - Not a surprise at this point but we could be trending in the right direction. A-Jay

I live through winter. A-Jay

Under an hour left in todays round. All kinds of action around that cut line. Seems the pucker factor is high once again. A-Jay

No doubt. Sometimes they flock to FLA - And sometimes they flock out of FLA . . A-Jay

Fantastic post Mr Jones ! Should be pinned. And I'm all about "The List" A-Jay

Nice. I'd be hitting that open water ASAP ! I'm planning on swinging by Lake Menderchuck for the first time later today. Just for a look see and to wave to all my 'friends'. A-Jay

While we are getting day time temps & sun warm enough to promote snow & ice meltage, we still have a way to go. BreeZo was checking out the level for us this morning. If this keeps up and we do not suffer too much in the way of additional snow, My prediction date of 15 April for open water, could be more of a reality than a pipe dream. A-Jay

Depending on brand, type and style of replacement treble hook you're looking for, sizes #1, #2, #4 and #6 should cover just about all your needs. There are a few brands that offer the in between sizes or odd numbered ones of #3, #5. There is also the option of standard & short shank as well as 1X & 2X wire strength. I have gone to almost all short shanks and I usually go up one size if I can at least on the front of a two hook deal. Most Jerkbaits are good with 4 or 5. 1/2 oz Squarebills & lipless baits are a 2 in the front and a 4 in the back. Medium cranks are the same. Large cranks get a 1 in the front & a 2 in the back. My brands of choice are the Mustad KVD EWG 1X strong 2X short, Gamakatsu EWG magic eye short shank, the Owner DST-35, and Gamakatsu Aaron Martens TGW Finesse Treble Hook MH all in the sizes mentioned above. I change every stock treble and some of the hardware right out of the box when needed. Owner Hyperwire round & oval split rings almost exclusively. If you're interested in a great deal on a career supply of new stock hook replacements - check out the Flea Market - I just posted some F/S. A-Jay

I've sold a few rods here. The shipping is always a profit eater. Only way I've found to take some of the sting out of it, is to sell multiple rods and ship them in one tube. Sort of like a package deal. Always have had to offer them at a very attractive price; otherwise referred to as cheap. But if that's what it takes . . . . Even then, the shipping still feels like it takes a pretty big bite out of crime. Never expected to end up with a retirement fund out of it - but breaking even or losing money hardly seems worth it. Good Luck A-Jay