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

Elvis has left the building ~ And is Menderchuck bound Here We Go . . . . . A-Jay

Same here ~ with some variation as necessary. Looks like this . . . . A-Jay

Sorry to hear that. Nothing stays the same I suppose. A-Jay

Depending on the season sometime in August it heats up ~ ~ A-Jay

Sliding out on to Lake Menderchuck again tomorrow morning. Still might be a bit too soon to expect plus sized brown bass to have moved in shallow, but I won't know unless I go. Love to be there when they do. Plan is to lock an A-Rig in my hands and cast both arms off before I leave. A-Jay

Get something and have it sent to HIM ! BPS has clothes, footwear, jackets all types of stuff besides fishing gear. Go on line and set that card free ! Happy shopping. A-Jay

@Indiananabassaholic Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ Whatever you do, don't get one of those Lund 1875 Pro-V Bass boats. No storage, can't get out of it's own way, down right scary in anything but flat calm conditions and don't get me started on all those problem free rivets. Plus there's only 9 or so Lund dealers right there in your home state. https://www.lundboats.com/find-a-boat-dealer.US.ChIJHRv42bxQa4gRcuwyy84vEH4.html Either way, Congrats on being in the market for a new rig. A-Jay https://youtu.be/cCE7y_0QlVU?feature=shared&t=290

Cool ~ Good to see you back Steve. #strangedanger A-Jay

I am a BIG Fan of the wind. Not taking hurricane force, but fishing in an uncomfortable stiff breeze, stuff that might keep the casual basshead at home, has help account for some of my most memorable catches. A pair of 12 ft Minn Kota Talons can be quite beneficial in these deals as well. Truth be told, I will not even pretend to know why, as most of my own 'reasons' are at best, just guesses. However, both early season & later in the summer (like now) and through the fall, it's sort of hard to deny the results. https://youtu.be/W2jqCf7BVAE?feature=shared&t=15 https://youtu.be/Z95g3H4qmp0?feature=shared&t=83 https://youtu.be/NpVmd8ll1Dg?feature=shared&t=168 A-Jay

Glad we didn't disappoint. Sharing is Caring. A-Jay

Empty your kayak of all your gear and dump it over without your LIFE JACKET ON. See how it goes. Bet it's not the best deal even when you KNOW it's coming and the waters warm. Also, isn't there at least one person who'd miss you ? I will guess yes. Life is the ultimate challenge. Why stack the odds against yourself ? Stay Safe A-Jay