A-Jay

Got Ya ~ Missed the "River" part on my first read . . Changes the whole deal. Congrats Again on a fine day A-Jay

Nicely Done Sir ~ And it looks like the flat calm conditions you fished in had stick bait written all over them. Got to like t-shirt & shorts fishing in October Congrats A-Jay

After having so many fish come close to the boat recently (in some very clear water) I'm starting to feel like my 360 imaging actually attracts fish ! #hydrowave A-Jay

Not sure what your particular rig is or how it may be set up. But just for reference - My 'cranking battery' is dual purpose because besides firing up the 200 ProXS - it also powers Everything except the trolling motor. Both live well pumps, both Talons, both Humminbird Helix 10's, the 360 imaging, the navigation lights, the interior lighting, and anything & everything else not mentioned run off that single 31M Optima Blue top - it's a busy unit. A-Jay

I use 15lb InvisX. Been on a killer Vibrating Jig bite all week too. Good Times ! A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Largemouth vs Smallmouth ~ I say yes to both. A-Jay

As a Novice casting reel user your first order of business will be to get some consistent distance. How much will come with time & practice. My recommendation is centered around this. A-Jay

Nicely Done ~ As your fist revolving spool reel, DC or not, a good choice in line while you 'dial it in' is 15 lb Big Game. Decent, handles OK and is reasonably $$. Have Fun A-Jay

Hello Brandon and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Got on a wide open Walleye bite today. Old Marble eyes were all over the lake and they were chewing ! A-Jay

I would Die. A-Jay

Still Raining like all get out. Don't exactly know what that means but my wife's from Michigan and she says that a lot. Anyway - The old guy's still at it. It was a Pull Day ~ Not easy by any stretch but still most beneficial. A-Jay

You know I get it Tom. After I'd bagged a few fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, Aunts, Uncles, cousins and even grandparents - I figure it out. I will readily admit that I may have not always 'listened' to those wise, experienced & generous souls who were willing to share their experiences. However that ended a while ago and I have repeatedly benefited from several men & women who have been down the road of life well ahead of me. And I am always and will forever be most grateful. So please know that we're not all turning a deaf ear my friend. A-Jay

As another open water season wraps up, I enjoy looking back through my logs, reports & pics to see how it all shook out. Now I’ll admit that at this point in my angling life, I might not always use the presentation that may be best suited for the conditions I fish. Rather, I like to catch fish on what I like to catch fish on. So some of this best bait stuff could be more like – favorite baits that caught fish. Either way here is it; I’ll break it down by seasons. And please feel free to add your own selections to this thread should the mood strike you. May – June Baits Ice out was late this year first week of May in fact. But the jerkbait still play this whole time. The SK KVD 300 & 300 Deep as well as the Megabass ITO Vision 110 and the 110+1 were again very good. As well as the Megabass Ito Vision 110 FX Tour Premium; especially where & when I was looking for extra casting distance. Once I had worked an area over with the hard baits, a drop shot often would pick up a few extra bites for me. A nose hooked 4 inch SK Caffeine Shad was the best bait here for me early season. And I rarely ‘did’ anything with it. Just get it around the smallies and they’d eat it. On a few of the larger & especially deeper lakes, where a jerkbait could not reach them, the Duo Realis G-Fix Vibration Tungsten Lippless bait – fished like a Blade Bait, is a great early (and late) season ‘search bait’ for me. I can effectively cover quite a bit of water at various depths looking for active fish. Love this one. Honorable mention goes to the Z Man TRD – Ned Rig Deal as well as the OutKast Feider Fly Hair Jig. Both saved more than one early season trip for me when the bite was tough. July – August Baits Admittedly this ‘summer’ I did not have a ton of days on the water. Life happens and that’s just how it worked out. This is a time when I’m often on the water after dark as well as the traditional early morning trips. But this summer only saw a handful of both. At Night - I’m a single hook bait kind of guy. So a Jig & Craw, Spinnerbaits, & vibrating jigs do most of my nocturnal heavy lifting. Specifically, ½ SK DB Structure jig or a (can't say the name - pm me ) Flip N Swim jig with a SK Rage Lobster or Eeliminator trailer, a ½ oz SK Greg Hackney Heavy Cover Spinnerbait (changed to an Oklahoma blade) and either a SK Rage Blade or once I got a few, the Z-Man Jackhammer. Trailers for the moving baits at night are often a small swimbait or the Yamamato Zako. For day time ops, this summer saw me fishing a SK Rage Swimmer and for the first time the Keitech Impact Fat Swimbait. Both on a 3/8 Owner Ultrahead Football head Jig. These were productive for me when swam right along or dragged on the bottom – really like the Keitech (except for the price). As the August calendar page came down, the fishing REALLY picked up. So did my time on the water. Spinnerbaits, Topwater Walkers & Poppers and the Umbrella rig were killing it – and on some plus sized smallmouth bass. Kept throwing the Whopper Plopper btw- just not getting bites with it yet. Until it’s untimely theft by a big pike – the Paycheck Baits Repo Man walking bait was The Walking Bait for me; accounting for several 5+ lb smallies. Since then it’s been replaced fairly effectively by the SK Sexy Dawg and the River2Sea Rover. The Megabass Pop Max is The Only Popper I throw any more – Just super effective including taking a smallie over 6 this season. The SK Burner Spinner bait has again proven it’s worth in my box as well as both the ½ & ¾ oz Biovex Stangun Spinnerbait. And for the first time for me, the SK short arm Titanium Umberlla rig did some real damage. I used the 4 & 5 inch SK Swim N Shiners on 1/8 & ¼ VMC Boxer Jig head (has a really great hook). September – October September has traditionally been a fantastic time for both number & size on smallies. Not this year. The spinnerbaits I’ve mentioned above produced well as did the Vibrating bait. But this is where the SK RES and the SK Squarebill baits really come into their own. Never Happened and I have no explanation as to why very few fish on my waters came up (and more importantly Stayed) shallow long enough for this bite to materialize. Which is a bummer because when that’s a thing - it’s one heck of a fun day of fishing. Finally the number ONE producer for me on both numbers & size of smallies for these two months has been the SK Rage Bug on a swing head and second place here is not close (like on another planet). During this period I probably fished this at least 75 % of the time and accounted for that same percentage of fish. Might have been the way the season shook out with the fast cooling colored from the all the rain water – can’t say. Just know I went through some 4/0 ewg hooks & a ton of bugz. Loved every minute of it though. November & December Although we’re not quite there yet – it won’t be long. And if I can get out I most certainly will. Bass fishing opportunity these last two months before hard water, really starts to get super weather dependent and often dwindles quite a bit in numbers. Blustery Cold North winds and waves too big to fish in are very common. When I can get out, a blade bait and a heavy lippless rattle bait fished like a blade bait are just about all I’ll throw once the water gets to the low 40’s and below. The 5/8 & 3/4 oz Silver Buddy – in both silver and Gold, get it done. And the Duo Realis G-Fix Virbating bait (again fished like a blade bait) see’s a ton of action and just flat out catches. Many times smallies will slurp these bait up as they lay motionless on the bottom between small hops. That’s my story and I’m stick’in to it. A-Jay

Thank You ~ Right here http://www.quantumfishing.com/tour-kvd-pt-tkvd746mb-pb3.html?pdp_parent_cat_id=482&pdp_parent_product_id=59628 A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ Nice Intro A-Jay

Your water is way warmer than mine I'm low 50's kissing 40's - Snow was in Marquette - U. P. Congrats again Great Smallies A-Jay

Where did you nut jobs find SUNSHINE ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Nicely Done And I hate you. A-Jay BTW - what was the water temp ?

Yes from the graph and yes it's the surface temp. That's all I've ever used and it's just a reference. Another 'piece of the puzzle' if you will. While the water temp can help dictate what, where & how I fish, it's not The Only factor which determines that. More like One of many. YMMV A-Jay

Not happening up here ! A-Jay

Old Man Winter made a surprise visit this morning in the U.P.! Here's the scene from Marquette, MI A-Jay

I wear both - there may be pro's & con's for and against both. Layering is the key - Several somewhat lighter layers that can be easily added / removed as needed, is how I manage staying comfortable in the cooler & colder conditions; on the water & off. The act of 'fishing' especially in cooler / cold water deals, is insufficient to keep me warm. Skipping across big water when the air temps are in the 30's & 40's is like a High Karate Slap in the face. I have to depend on wind proof, breathable & warm items. Bottom line for me - Bibs are the choice in the coldest situations; especially in the wind. Hate wearing gloves but will if it's the only way to keep my fingers from falling off. Now if I could just keep my line from freezing - I'd be Golden ! A-Jay

Hello Mike and Thank You for your Service. Welcome to Bass Resource A-Jay

14 Days & a Wake Up ~ A-Jay