A-Jay

While every service has Great Opportunities - I am obviously bias. Join the U.S. Coast Guard The MARITIME ENFORCEMENT SPECIALIST rating has your name written all over it. It really does. Check it out. https://www.gocoastguard.com/active-duty-careers/enlisted-opportunities/view-job-descriptions/me And I will tell you in advance - you will need to score highly on your ASVAB. Good Luck with your decision. A-Jay

While I also prefer the Keitech baits - The SK Rage Swimmers are also pretty decent and a little easier on the bait funds. Either way - if you're not already using it - get some Mend-it soft bait glue. Many bait's if still mostly intact can be glued back to very usable condition at least one and sometimes more. And this does include most any non-Elasztech bait, including but not limited to - swimbaits, worms craws, creatures . . .You get the idea. A-Jay

Sweet ! These are pretty cool as well. Each one is a little different as you'd expect and mine is 3 years old I think now and it's holding up well. A-Jay

Nope But check out Check out Tidal Vision ~ It's got your name written all over it. I have one and quite like it. I've given them as gifts and all have been very happy https://www.tidalleather.com/collections/all A-Jay

Thank you Sir - If there's something to see & share you will no doubt see it. Hope you can get there as well and sooner rather than later. The pictures & my best stories just do not do the place justice. Let me know if you have any questions. A-Jay

Although it’s been a couple of months since I’ve posted up one of these – my diet & exercise regimen continues to flow right along. Today’s chest, shoulder, & triceps workout felt pretty good (relative term) and as always I finish with some core work. This is a clip of what it looked like. After more than 59 successful trips around the sun, the best way for me to be in shape tomorrow - is to do something about it today. A-Jay

I use a Fenwick Elite Tech Bass Spinning Rod 7'4" Medium Extra Fast - You may be able to cast further with spinning. If you go that way for weightless flukes - I highly recommend you use a braid main line and incorporate a small but strong swivel . Really helps with line twist. I like 30lb Seaguar Smackdown Braid for this with a #4 ball bearing swivel and 15 lb Seaguar AbrazX Fluorocarbon leader. btw - smallies here really like these A-Jay

These are decent J - Check Amazon - $$ is often a little better. Knots and getting light line into a small drop shot hook or hair jig kicks my butt. For night ops I go with 'reader' safety glasses. My wife always snickers when they go on - I'm sure I must look stunning. A-Jay

My old guy eyes and pin head means I need "readers" and a smaller frame size. Onos Polarized Sunglasses are available in many sizes, frame & lens configurations plus are offered with or without bifocal readers. I have a few pairs and they've worked & held up nicely. A-Jay https://onos.com/products/grand-lagoon?variant=34968808261

That'd be more then just ugly ! Especially since there's not a stock hook left in the bunch . . . A-Jay

Not if I'm careful and pay attention to what I'm doing. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ Would not call that rig a drop shot replacement. The hardware & the heavy hook make it something else. So they were biting in your fish tank then ? A-Jay

Set when you feel the strike. Sometimes bass strike quick & drop the bait - not much we can do. But many times bass hold on - a long time. The right gear & hook will get them. Really small bass & especially panfish will tap tap tap - quickly - hooksets come up empty. Finally, when a bass really wants your bait, you'll have a hard time getting it away from them. A-Jay

Try this - It really works ! A-Jay

Stalker ~ The 300's are very good for me ~ A-Jay

Last season I started using small rubber bands to gather & maintain the trebles on ALL my treble hook baits - requires an extra few seconds to break out a new bait & then again to secure it back in the box. But it will prevent the tangles mess & most all the hook rash. A-Jay

Did someone say Jerkbaits ? A-Jay

@TKFactory ~ OK I went back and read through your posts & topics (it's raining buckets here so I have some time). You seem very interesting in tackle, lures, & techniques; which is not a bad thing for beginners & experienced bassheads alike. However you may be skipping over a very important aspect of most any fishing . . Location. Having at least some idea of where bass may be located seasonally can be very helpful for every fisherman; fishing from a boat or from the bank. The Bass Resources articles section has a ton of very informative articles on this subject as well as just about anything you can think of or might need to know. I highly encourage you to perhaps start there. https://www.bassresource.com/how-to-fish/ Additionally it has been my experience that although there are some baits that are better than others is specific situations - there is NO Magic Lure that's going to get you bass everywhere. What will really improve your chances of getting fish - is to be fishing where there are fish. Finally - if you can SEE BASS - THEY CAN MOST LIKELY SEE YOU. Very rarely do they bite in this situation. Leave and come back later but make a longer cast from a distance where you can't see them and more importantly, they do not know you are there. Because once they do - you're probably not going to get bit. Good Luck A-Jay

@Catt - If we are talking about 'the fall bite' as a time when bass move shallow, stay shallow (for the most part) and are in a positive mood more than a neutral or negative; meaning they'll be willing to strike most of the time, then I will say that I am fairly convinced that although there will always be "a water temperature" what ever it may be Is Not what moves fish shallow. Also there is routinely mention regarding 'length of day' - again there always one - but I can not say with any consistency how many hours & minutes of daylight trigger bass movement. And as for the 'angle of the sun' - there's no protractor in my boat and until my Humminbird units can measure that and come up with some predictable bass locations - I'm not buying it. Each season both early & late season climates have varied wildly. The local water temps have varied wildly as well; despite being the same calendar day one year apart. With that, the basses locations and mood have been all over the place. Nothing has been consistent or any where near 'predictable' to where this basshead really had to have a very open mind as to where & when I could expect a 'fall bite'. Case in point - this August - water temps in the mid to low 70's - bait & big smallies were super shallow. This is routinely a mid-60's deal and At Least the End of August / early September deal - at the earliest. If one was not out on the water looking for bait right there - it would be missed. I did not miss it btw ~ I believe that it's better ( as @Catt already mentioned here) to have an idea when the predominate bait moves and becomes vulnerable to the bass. Knowing when & where that happens may be a better predictor of a good bite than the water temps alone will ever be - at least for me. When it happens the Bass Will not be far behind. Camp out on the bait. Finally, this may be the long way around for me to openly admit - after all these years, I can not predict this as every season is different. So rather than attempting to study how to predict, I chose instead to learn how to locate. Because in the end, regardless of the season, the water temps, or their mood, we still have to find the bass first. And I'm still learning - hopefully I always will. A-Jay

Old Mellon Head ~ A-Jay

LOL ~ Plus the bait monkey will blow up your house ! A-Jay

Rig Balance as you're finding out is a specifically personal deal. For me, in applications where I'm usually fishing tip up - and light strike detection / sensitivity is key - I prefer a rig that is not tip heavy - presentations like drop shot & soft plastics & my jig rods come to mind. When throwing moving baits 'rig balance' becomes a bit less of a priority to the blanks action, castablitiy and the way it fights fish. Additionally I often actually fish these rigs tip down so 'balance' means something else right there. Either way, I don't care to be 'fighting' the the stick while trying to fish it so I'm always looking to match how my rigs balance according to how I plan on fishing them. Get what feels right to you for what you plan on doing with it - disregard the $$$. My favorite topwater rod is a fairly inexpensive stick that's no longer made (insert way old). Can't put a price on that. Hope that helps. A-Jay

Solid point. Be interested myself. The strategy of 'saving fish' in a derby where 'every scorable bass' counts may take on a different shape. A-Jay

Guess time will tell - Think the Big Fish in a little pond deal applies ? A-Jay

That actually makes sense - Still think he's making a mistake passing on the dog grooming opportunity. "Mike Clipper Hands" A-Jay