A-Jay

Jordan Lee is a Beast at the end of these things ! A-Jay

Let's Go ! A-Jay

Personally - I would not. However when you're catching & landing Fatties with it - I'm pretty sure you'll quite 'the crowd'. When you're not - expect some Maybelline references. A-Jay

Reels, yes - Rods, sort of.. I use one brand of low profile casting reel and one brand of round casting reels. (Quantum & Shimano) Rods for me are pretty technique specific. So while I have brands I prefer, I own/use several to meet my needs. (Quantum, Fenwick, St Croix, G Loomis & Lamiglas. A-Jay

My Mom & Dad would take me fishing most every Sunday morning all summer, weather permitting. Many of the local swimming spots, state parks & community lakes and just about any water hole they could sit next to, while I casted my little arms off, fill my memories. Could never thank them enough. Did the same with my own son, when I was home. A-Jay

"At my age and with my knees, getting in and out of a kayak is a non-starter." If you say so. A-Jay

@WRB EASILY My Favorite Quote on the Bass Resource Forum ~ Ever ! btw - in 68 I was 9. A-Jay

Good Question ~ In the US, "the industry standard" is over night or 16 hours . . but that's probably pushing it a little. Sort of like "Expected Gas Mileage" on a new ride. Also, I was going to say that the weather & air temp could play a role, but I'm a New England Patriots Fan, so no one would believe me. Seriously though . . . The most significant factors in PFD service life are their use, storage and maintenance. With a high usage, poor storage, and poor maintenance, a PFD can wear out to the point of being unserviceable within a year or less. For inflatable PFD’s, beside routine checks on the CO2 cylinder and inflation mechanisms, there is some added maintenance at least annually for checking the bladder as specified by the manufacturer. For automatic inflatables, the care of the automatic components are particularly important and may have a limit on service life of only a few years or less in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. As with most items aboard any vessel, reading instructions, becoming familiar with how to properly wear and inflate the PFD, and properly maintaining the equipment with clean storage will promote a better service life which could possibly safe a life when necessary. A couple of thousand safety boarding's has shown that unfortunately, very few anglers do any of this. Then they are upset & surprised (or dead) when the gear 'fails' or somehow does not operate as expected. We are hearing multiple stories about inflatable Life Jackets 'not Opening' when a person goes in the water. What we did not hear about is how the several year old unit had Never been inspected, never been manually inflated to determine if it was even still serviceable and was basically simply wore, thrown off and then stuffed in a box, since ownership. Anglers will clean & service their boats, motors, rods & reels seasonally, but often neglect the one piece of equipment they own, that will keep them alive should they need it. Don't be that guy. A-Jay

Tree Man is now Complete Toast ! A-Jay

At least as well as that guy who wears what looks like a rat on his head . . . A-Jay

Stolen from @Catt status update ~ A-Jay

Auto inflated life jackets usually have bright yellow or bright orange "inflation bags". (Varies by manufacturer) You can 'open them up' such as when you re-charge them, to see what color yours may be. So while worn - in the ready status - the uninflated color may not represent what you'll see after a few seconds in the water. As for recommendations - Mustang has been effectively protecting & successfully saving lives for a long time. I've put my own trust & faith in their products. https://www.mustangsurvival.com/en_US/products/flotation/inflatable-pfds/elite-inflatable-pfd-bass-competition-auto-hydrostatic-62533128729.html A-Jay

Hello Bob and Thank You for your service ~ Welcome t Bass Resource. A-Jay

At least the conditions have switched back to something closer to what the tournament directors were envisioning when they scheduled this first event. #barefeetandsungloves A-Jay

Hard to eliminate risk but there are ways to mitigate it some. Comes down to a simple choice "Your Money or Your Life". Easy for some - tougher for others. A-Jay

@Log Catcher Sorry about that - to save some time - Here's the posts . . . (Click on "A-Jay replied to a topic") Having and WEARING a life Jacket is clearly the way to go Regardless of the color. However, in an effort to offer the men & women who are charged with helping you, the best opportunity to do so, color selection plays a role. Stay Safe A-Jay

Not to hi-jack this thread - but while I can totally understand your thought process, I can tell you with quite a bit of confidence, that your 'decision' is dramatically reducing what we call 'probability of detection' (chances you will be found). And that means from the air & the water. Understanding that very little is visible above water (tops of your shoulders & your head) I hope you can see why. Perhaps get in the lake in your 'natural colored' life jacket and have your picture taken from 200 or 300 yards away; especially if you fish big water. Not a lot to see. Understanding that rescue crews rarely have little more than an 'idea' of where you may be - they are going to have to see you to save you. Almost always requires quite a bit of searching - meanwhile you might be either freezing to death, bleeding to death, if no pfd, just flat out drowning or any number of life threatening & undesirable deals. Also brings to light the importance of filing an accurate float plan - meaning telling a responsible adult where you will be and when you will return. Good Luck A-Jay

After nearly 3 decades of search & rescue, if yours is not an inflatable, I'd like to recommend you consider a 'brighter' colored life jacket. It will dramatically improve your chances of being located alive. Because other than that PDF - the top of your head is all we can see; and it's a relatively tiny target. A-Jay

Strike King KVD 300 and 300 deep Rapala Shadow Rap Jerkbaits Lucky Craft Pointer Minnow Jerkbaits 100 & 100DD Megabass Ito Vision 110 Jerkbaits and 110 + 1 Attitude - rarely matters much for me. A-Jay

My introduction to braid occurred while I was still and mostly a saltwater angler. Loved it for just about everything I did; Surf casting, inshore & offshore. When I retired and made the switch to exclusively sweet water (insert moved away from the coast) I went with what I knew - braid & a leader. Just down sized as needed. Work well. When Fluorocarbon hit the scene, I tried that - my experience was not good - no knot strength at all. Went back to braid & leader for everything. Fast forward a few more years - while I had all but written it off, several anglers who I respect, (many of them BR members) were using fluorocarbon effectively and recording very good results. I gave it another try. It had improved. I had nearly none of the previous 'problems' I'd experienced in the past. So, I added it's use where applicable, in all my fishing. That includes but is not limited to, most all moving baits (except topwater), as well as light cover bottom contact baits. Presentations where I still use braid are anything in the slop, (frogs, pitching / flipping etc), all my spinning gear, and anything where I may need a super long distance hookset. Now to answer the OP question - Do I get More Bites ? Although I've never actually fished the two side by side and tabulated the results, my personal impression is while I may or may not get more bites, per se. I do believe that I put more fish in the net. Braid is loud, I jumped off & pulled more hooks with braid, and where needed, I'm spending less (or no) time re-rigging leaders. Finally, I never fished braid south of the border, ever - guides hated it. Always used 20 lb mono. I was very leery about trying fluorocarbon there just because if I lost the fish of a life time - I'd be very hurt. Took a flier this last trip - which as insanely great - I used 20 & 25 lb Tatsu - the entire trip. Never had a problem. Not one. So there's that. A-Jay PS - late edit. Although I use 'quality products', which are advertised as 'durable' and for the most part, they are - I still end for end & change out my line right before "I think I need to". So I'm rarely fishing - stressed line - and that goes for every type line I use. Seems to help quite a bit. If you prefer to fish your line for several seasons before changing it - stick with braid.

OK ~ Don't forget that pink PFD. A-Jay

Very Nice ~ I'm looking to mimic the schools of walleye, carp & perch fry that inhabit much of the water's here. A-Jay

In preparation for open & cooler water, I added a few lake specific pattern Shad Raps. Trebles & spilt rings will be upgraded before these get wet though. A-Jay

Always seems like the same deal. 1/3 of the field has mediocre success, 1/3 hammers them pretty good, and the final third struggles to catch a handful of 'scorable bass' (I love say'in that btw). May not matter which three letter organization they are or have been associated with. A-Jay

While I rarely perform anything that isolates them, knowing what they do makes it pretty easy to determine which movement simulate & put them to work. (see attached) If you're looking to 'see them' - Then it's all about caloric deficit. Perhaps they are good to go already. But you now that already. A-Jay