A-Jay

This one's been hashed over a few times. I like quality gear. However I believe I can get that in a rod with something sort of 'middle of the road' or perhaps just a bit more depending on manufacturer, if you smell what I'm cooking. I sold LTB & Victory rods and replaced them all with the new Avids, because I Like Them. Either way, none of my sticks regardless of $$ have ever helped me locate bass or tell me when or where to cast. It's not the arrow . . . . . A-Jay

Complications associated with this crazy Ice storm including but perhaps not limited to, no power or anything else for just under 2 weeks made posting video here impossible. Still got my workout's in but it was no doubt an extra challenge. But that's mostly resolved so here we go. Completed Giant Set Workout Day 2. Was nice to have light and some heat in the home gym. This one was a bit of a grinder but I tried to finish up strong. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Took another RECON Ride over to local Lake Menderchuck. It's looking even more open than my last visit. Probably will not make my predicted of the 11th (tomorrow) for total open water, but it shouldn't be but a few more days. Bigger problem is there is NO ACCESS. State/DNR owned roads leading to the lake are still littered with down trees and have yet to be cleared. Might need to zip on down there with the Stihl Farm Boss and give them a hand. Perhaps speed up the process a little. Be a pretty big bummer if the ice clears out and I have to just sit and look at it instead of launching the Lund. Just a wake up left ~ A-Jay

Pretty sure he just made an appearance on Dancing with the Stars ~ A-Jay

I stopped storing wet baits and oxidation challenges mostly resolved. Had to come up with a way to safely hang wet baits to dry before final storage. And that's all baits, treble hook and skirted. Some bassheads hang them from the inside/under side of hatch lids. Others use or drill small ventilation holes in storage boxes. The are a few storage solutions that come pre drilled. Super top end rigs have compartmental fan ventilation. In the end I rarely retain Actually rusted baits. A-Jay

We're OK. Thank you for asking. Ice and wind for three days. Minor property damage. We had no power for 12 days, kind of bogus. We managed though. Trees down all over the property being cleaned up this week. Look up Gaylord ,MI ICE strom. Like nothing I've ever seen nor want to ever see again. It will take years for this place to recover. A-Jay

Spectrum came through this afternoon with Cable, phone & internet all a go. Tree removal crew went a little wild today (IN THE SNOW) in a good way putting an impressive load of lumber to the ground and moving it out of here. Understandably, the trucks, trailers and bobcats are totally wiping out what used to be a several different lawns. Might be a 'let it all rest' year as far as yard work goes. Perhaps some reseeding. But there won't be many leaves/ acorns to clean. I like that. Probably going to be a week or so before were finished up here. A-Jay

LOL - I must be a glutton for punishment. Either way. Nice bass. A-Jay

Great Bass Guys~ And that 69.35 could be at or near the top for a good while. btw - Don't forget the one time Entry Fee – You must insult me at the beginning of your first post/entry. Go for it and lay it on thick, I can take it. A-Jay

Good Luck. Looks like it might be a little bumby out there next week. Stay Safe A-Jay

We finally got power back late yesterday afternoon. HUGE Thank you to ALL line lineman and folks involved. It's still on going as damaged trees and limbs continue to fall. No phone , cable or internet yet, but that won't stop me from loading the Lund. Access to Lake Menderchuck and open water may happen close to the same time later this week. Btw, my on sight meeting with the insurance adjuster should be fun. Team is about half way through the tree removal and clean up on our property. Been a heck of a week. A-Jay

Shimano Calcutta 200D ~ A-Jay I have & fish 3. Wish I had 3 more. Suits my style.

Nope. Sounds a little silly. Who would even consider doing something like that? Do the bass care or even know what a treble hook is ? Seems like total bunk to me. Btw, Doesn’t work on cranks or topwater baits either. A-Jay

Are you sure ? I thought that I already had them all . . . 🤓 A-Jay

I have no predefined speed use setting for the old school Fortrex Totally situational. A-Jay

At least you're not in denial. Is that a trick question ?

There are too many to list for me. Also I do not include any career tournament or made for TV bass anglers on list. They need to fish in a manner I have never aspired to. Despite the recent media hype, there are far more Basseads that just go fishing, their own way. They learn, know things and catch big bass. We just might not hear or read about it. Big bass don't care if there is money on the line. YMMV A-Jay

We routinely charter private aircraft which Flys from TX straight to the lodge, stopping only for fuel and to clear Mexican customs. IME, it's pretty much The Way to go, however it's more costly. 8 seat aircraft costs the group 20k. Not including the commercial flights and the cost of the trip itself. Split between everyone, charter runs $2,500 each. Plus we arrive sooner so there's usually an oppurtunity to fish the day we arrive. Few trips back we boated 3 9's, 2 8's and several 7"s the day we arrived. With 6 cancelations, the private Air cost gets a little too rich for my blood. Getting replacement anglers is crazy hard to do. Better to reschedule and have it set with committed bassheads we can depend on. Disappointing but nothing what the man and his young family are facing. Finally going totally commercial air and taking advantage of the included transpitation to and from the lodge is totally doable. I have done it a few times early on. Certainly less costly. Just takes a little longer. As an OG, I like the other option. A-Jay

One of the very few decorative plants the deer and rabbits don't eat right to the ground. A-Jay

Completed Giant Set Workout Day 1. Starting to acclimate to the 50 degrees in the home gym as well inspiring glow of the oil lamp. Hope we get power back soon. A-Jay

There's some of that in our side yard. We call it our European Meadow. A-Jay

APRIL 6, 2025 RESTORATION UPDATE TODAY'S PROGRESS: Day9 no power yet. ✅To put things in perspective: our construction teams typically replace about 800 poles each year. In the last three days alone, we’ve replaced that same number. The damage is staggering, but our teams are making meaningful progress—always with safety as the top priority. ✅The 1,100-person Storm Camp is setup at the Otsego County Fairgrounds in Gaylord, MI, and is now fully operational. This provides housing, food, and laundry facilities for crews who have traveled from across the country to help with our rebuild. ✅We restored power to nearly 12,000 members since yesterday morning, including the Munson Health Clinic on M-32 in Elmira, as well as primary lines that support our infrastructure to get power to your families. ✅It is important to note that this is not just a restoration effort, we are rebuilding significant parts of our service area with new poles, wires, transformers, and equipment. Since yesterday, 190 new poles have been set, and 27 new transformers installed. ✅We have more than 800 outage events, each impacting a different number of members. Each one of these outages must be repaired before power can be restored. ✅More than 1,200 contractors are now working alongside our 300 dedicated employees. Even if you don’t see crews on your road, know that they are out there—rebuilding our system and pushing forward until everyone is restored. ✅We continue to be thankful for the support from local, state, and federal partners rallying behind our efforts. Their support and help to get our communities restored is vital and we appreciate all they do for Michigan. A-Jay

At this point 'fish' would be an upgrade ! #gagamaggot 🤭 A-Jay

No. I could not enjoy my time on the water if my property was trashed. I prefer to pull up to my place and be proud of the way it looks. Reality is, it's not much, but it's well kept. Sometimes I have help. A-Jay

Downer. Get her next time. Nice Bass ~ Pretty sure we'll be seeing that scale again. Either way, 52's great place to start. Congrats A-Jay