A-Jay

The drop shot craw has been one of my most effective deep summer smb bait's for a while now. Started out with a SK baby rage craw & have since move to the regular SK rage craw.. Open water gets a nose hook and just above some grass I go with a thinner wire ewg - 3/0 I think - usually a standard Gamakatsu works. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

I was a serious FC hater for a long time. The characteristics of very poor knot strength & unexplained, random line failures when it was first introduced completely turned me away. Fast forward a few years. Improvements in the product had others singing praises of FC. I decided to give it another try. Admittedly, though I tried to go into this second ‘test’ with an open mind, because the line had burned me so bad (insert cost me several nice fish) I was very skeptical. After a bit of time & some trial & error, I began to gain confidence in it as well as having some decent success. I now use FC as part of my every day fishing. I am very careful with the line; meaning I treat it often, my knots are done with full attention, and contrary to what many do, I change it out; not as often as my mono lines. However, after I end for end it on the reel one time, and I as soon as it shows signs of wear, I can it. At least once perhaps twice a season depending on use. This has works for me as I have not had any of the 'problems' associated with my first rather brutal FC experience. Bottom line for me is that FC a tool that I use to help catch fish. If it’s doing that successfully and in a manner that I believe is a bit better than another option, I’ll use it. (except in Mexico) So to that end, I’ve been using FC this year exclusively for my jerkbait & spinnerbait fishing. And in both instances I’ve had some fairly respectable results which included personal best fish. YMMV. A-Jay

Old News. A-Jay

What do think it will go ($) with a maxed motor & electronics ? A-Jay

Hello Jim and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

The import part there was "what works for me" The Predator won't fit in my garage And you know I have a man crush on you and your Big Lund . . . . A-Jay

I wait 10 years for someone to design & actually sell the boat I have. I refused to purchase something that I knew in advance , wouldn't work for me. This one certainly does. A-Jay

Looking forward to seeing some pictures. Good Luck A-Jay

That's a Stout Bass ~ Nice write up too. Thanks for sharing Congrats A-Jay

Biovex Smallie Killers ~ A most Prized Purchase. A-Jay

Thank You Tom ~ A-Jay

@StrikePrince Where are you located ? What I look for in Northern MI may be different for you depending on your Local - A-Jay

A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ No doubt Crestliner makes a quality product with a solid reputation. I shopped hard for a similar craft recently and decided to go with the Lund Pro-V Bass Boat. A little over a year into it and I've been very pleased. Good Luck with your search. A-Jay

@Columbia Craw ~ You were right . . . A-Jay

Who mainly uses the same lures every time they fish ? Anglers that say " I'm not a well-rounded or great fisherman". You may find that you're having far more no catch days than catch days. If you're good with that then there's not much else to talk about. But you knew that. If you're looking to get more from your 'fishing' than casting & watching top water baits go across the surface, or drowning a stick bait, you'll need to step up your game a little by learning about & fishing at least a few more techniques / presentations. Don't be afraid to fail at first, expect it, it's part of bass fishing. In fact it's what makes any success that much sweeter. A-Jay

Congrats to the 2017 BASS Angler of the Year Champion ~ Brandon Palaniuk He had a heck of season. When it counted most, he was able to do what he’s been doing at most every derby he was in – keep his head down, stay focused, catch the heck out of them. It was fun to watch. A-Jay

Just a bump up to the SK 2.5 has been a good way to trigger some bigger bites. Also check out the 6th Sense Crush Flat 75X Crankbait ~ Has a different profile & is a nice 5/8 oz 'in-between' size that has been a solid producer for me both early & late in the season. A-Jay

Yup - vibrating jigs early season - spinnerbaits late. Works for me. Congrats again. A-Jay

Great Bass ! And on a spinnerbait - you know I'm a fan. Congrats. A-Jay

My wife loves to get out on the water with me and does so whenever her health will allow. Some of her favorites are To me ~ "You need to go fishing" and "See ya when I see ya" As I'm leaving ~ "Don't call me" When she does fish . . .After a misplaced cast ~ "Fish it like you meant it" When a fish jumps & throws her bait ~ "She Spit me !" A-Jay

I think it’s safe to say that each of us have our ‘Favorite Season’ when it comes to bass fishing. Whether we’re after numbers of fish or even bigger fish, there’s usually one time frame each year that we seem to do the best. There could be a few different reasons for it. Perhaps it’s the climate, or the presentations & / or baits we throw most at that time. Whatever the reason, whenever that specific time rolls around, our anticipation to most every trip we make gets ratcheted up at least a notch or two. I’m definitely stoked to get out on soft water in the spring after a long, hard winter and I’ve had some very special days on the water early season. The results of pre-spawn speak for themselves. Also, Summer nights on that water can & often do feel magic. However for me, right now, straight through the fall up and right until the lakes freeze over, is where it’s at. I just seem to do better than any other time of the year. The bass are totally eating – sometimes all day long. So there’s a morning, afternoon and sunset bite; and there’s often even a decent night bite that fewer bassheads take advantage of. Weather & the conditions become a factor eventually, but as long as I’m safe & can tolerate it – the tight lines can be abundant. Needless to say, I make a concerted effort to be on the prime waters as often as I possibly can. Last season I talked about ‘The Final Push’. How the local weather forecast, always a point of interest, goes next level this time of year. Especially as the days & weeks on the calendar are crossed off. One by one they fall to the wayside, did I get out or not ? All of this still applies and weather.com is once again my homepage. Considering all of the above, I started getting out ‘more’ (and looking shallower) earlier this season. And by early, I mean a full 5 weeks before what the calendar calls the first day of autumn; 22 September. Didn’t have the success I’d hoped for right away but two weeks into it, that all changed. The results I’d been hoping for started coming. Although I never know for sure if they’ll continue, but if history is any indicator, the best fishing may very well still be ahead. One thing is for certain, I’ll be doing most everything I can do to be wetting a line as much as possible until it’s over. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. A-Jay

Cadence can not be over stated IMO. It has been a huge part (and the real secret) to much of my recent success. A-Jay

Sage Advice my friend ~ I'll try and keep that in mind. So it may not be how fast you cover this water, but how effectively you do it . . . A-Jay