A-Jay

"The Pittsburgh Penguins became the first team in nearly two decades to win a second consecutive Stanley Cup championship when they defeated the Nashville Predators, 2-0, on Sunday in Game 6 of a seesaw series that pitted a high-scoring heavyweight against an upstart challenger. Penguins wing Patric Hornqvist, who played for the Predators for six seasons, scored the winner when he shot the puck off Nashville’s goaltender, Pekka Rinne, with 1 minute 35 seconds remaining in the third period. Carl Hagelin added an empty-net goal with 14 seconds left. The Penguins held off the hard-charging Predators, who were making their first appearance in the Stanley Cup finals, having entered the playoffs as the lowest seed in the Western Conference. The Predators outshot the Penguins in nearly every game, and their stout defense held the Penguins’ stars, including Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, in check for long stretches. But on Sunday, three days after they had poured in six goals and shut out the Predators in Game 5 in Pittsburgh, the Penguins outshot the Predators, 29-27, and beat them in Nashville, where the Predators had been nearly flawless during the postseason." Congrats to the Pen's and all their fans ~ Back to Back is Pretty Sweet A-Jay

First off, good on you for volunteering. Secondly, sounds like you had the right bait(s) around fish with the right attitude. And as for not setting the hook, that's a tough one. Don't know if I could have pulled that one off, and I'm a veteran ! j/k A-Jay

Hello Bill and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Bummer but it's part of swimbait fishing. Not necessarily a good part though. A-Jay

WOW ~ Nice Red ~ ! Congrats A-Jay

First Off, Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ So most all soft plastic - including swimbaits like the Huddleston, Have a definite life span. Sometimes it's shorter than other times; especially if you catch fish with it. I would not a call a bait torn on a fish catch defective. I'd call it Effective. Most swimbaits can be repaired with Mend-It glue rather easily. Check it out. A-Jay

I'm a spinnerbait fan. I like & fish them often. There are so many brands, makes & models of spinnerbaits. Over the years I've tried many; including the titanium wire jobs. Two things I've come to believe; most all of them will catch fish at one point or another and after catching some number of decent fish with one, it's going to fail. That's just the way it is. So I've simply decided that this is the cost of doing business and no longer 'look for durability'. Instead, fish catching, drives my bait choice. The tricky part is knowing when to retire a bait BEFORE it fails in the Face of a Behemoth Bass. Admittedly it's painful cutting off (and retiring) a bait that's still getting bit; but not nearly as gut wrenching as having a wire snap off in Old Big Head's face which I worked a season or two or six to catch. So, I'll did-assemble it, saving the blades, hardware & shirt (if decent) for use elsewhere. If you've fished around pike - you already know how very short of a life span spinnerbaits can have as they are just brutal on them and rip them shreds. A-Jay

Solid ~ But do not discount the 3 decades of experience it took to come to this point - As you mentioned, you've come full circle and I think it's a natural path for many of us. The lessons learned along the way might determine the shape & size of 'the circle'. Mine is sort of oblong and seems to have a way to gone to be finished. A-Jay

Nice ~ Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

I have to say - besides the top tier results, you guys really do look the part. Might be the smiles. I'm not going to say good luck because I saw your final results before this thread so I know in advance that you studs didn't need it. (Except for the slight motor casualty deal - which you most competently overcame) A-Jay

Good. Hope it's minor and not reoccurring. A-Jay

While I like & fish the Freedom bait, I have not noticed that it rides dramatically higher than other baits of this type I fish. I use a swim senko, small swimbaits & Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Blade Minnow as trailers. Don't know if that matters. A-Jay

Well Done to you both ~ That's some solid work right there. Good Luck in the next one - Enjoyed the 'full report' Thanks for sharing. Oh, and have your rig / motor looked at, find out why it wasn't starting and fix it. You know that though. Congrats again. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Nope. A-Jay

Championship caliber over run right there. Be proud of that one. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

First off - Nice Bass & Great Pic ! Secondly ~ "Congratulations" which is a common response I got when I retired. Although I appreciated the support, I didn't completely get the sentiment. That is, until I lived it for a while. After which, I can easily understand why it is most appropriate. I think you are going to love being on "Doug Time". So Congrats again my friend. You're certainly earned it. A-Jay

YUP ~ Size 2 on the front & a 4 on the back A-Jay

Congrats ~ Good Luck tomorrow & I'm looking forward to the 'full report' btw - seems you're always on some kind of bite - funny how time on the water often works that way. A-Jay