A-Jay

I agree with Scott F ~ ALWAYS measure the boat on the trailer yourself when comparing boat fit to Available storage. I went through this myself - need to ensure Truck & Trailer would both fit. Did my homework and it worked out well. btw - Do Not forget to include the HEIGHT of the boat on the trailer as well. The Motor is usually the highest point but if there is a shallow water anchor(s) - that's a factor as well. Good Luck A-Jay

Hello Mike and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Thanks for the Support I appreciate it ~ And I'm with you on the snow deal - Fishing in the snow is bestter than in the rain, plus it's kind of cool. The wacky part is the water temps in some lakes here are STILL in the low 50's (Just two days ago) ! That's way warm for now - So I'll totally get out when I can - A-Jay

Not an Ice Fishing Fan myself. However, not wanting to squander the opportunity, I do this quite a bit of this instead . . A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

And there it is - our first SNOW forecast for tonight & Tomorrow. The end is truly near . . . A-Jay http://www.intellicast.com/Local/Weather.aspx?location=USMI0323

I hear that and it makes sense. I'd be all over that too - Just not much (ANY) rock like that in these parts to fish. A-Jay

A-Jay

And here I am thinking I was being Subtle . . . A-Jay

Does the WIGuide give it away at all ? A-Jay

A few thoughts here - once the waters in the low 50's and below. First one is - in the fall for me the bite is ALWAYS best in the afternoon - during that warmest part of the day. It's also OVER 90 minutes before sunset. I've beaten the water to a froth early & late in the day and have had very little to show for it. So now - when it's cold, 11 am to say 4-5 pm is when I concentrate my efforts. If I choose to go earlier - it's just to look for spots but I won't wet a like until the day warms up. The lake always looks great but the bass are not interested until later . For LMB there are a couple of spots I look for this time of year and rarely fish ANYTHING ELSE ~ First one is the last deep green weeds - doesn't matter what kind - just needs to be green and of decent size. The bigger the patch / area the better. If you know the body of water you're fishing well, this is less of a challenge. If not I'll go searching for it, using eyesight & / or my electronics to locate. If it's too deep to see - I'll use a bait (a deep crank, lipless etc) and run it down into it and see what comes up. If it's brown I move on - green I mark and usually fish. I either parallel the deep edge with my bait or sit up on the shallow side of the deep weed edge, throw out past it and work the bait back into the weeds. A 3/16 oz tube (open hook) or a lighter jig (1/4 or 3/8 oz) with a slow action type trailer work well here. The second spot and this is usually easier to find is INSIDE TURNS. I'll check any & all. Backs of coves, if the water's deep enough. Same baits Tubes & Jigs. There's no need to "Cover water" because the LMB are on very specific spots. So fish the spots. Not all will produce. You may go several in a row without a touch and then you'll come to one that's loaded. The wind blowing in on both of those is good - but not always needed. Sometimes the sunny calm spots are best. ALSO - deep green weeds on an INSIDE turn is MONEY ! For SMB - sometimes the above info applies - sometimes it doesn't depending on the lake. My best SMB lakes are deep and the smallies will usually relate to the steepest drops closest to the main lake basin. Same fishing time frame applies- and when they shut off - it's over. Big thing for SMB - THE SUN - gotta have it. Doesn't seem to matter with LMB but SMB in the cold water - if there's no sun - I don't even go. Seriously. A tube works, but this is where the BLADE BAIT has been like MAJIC for me. Because I can cover a steep drop in a few minutes - no bites, I move to the next one. If they are there - and feel like eating - they'll nail it right away. Some wind on the drop is good - if it's on an inside turn it can be very good and again - gotta have at least SOME SUN. I fish spinning gear this time of very almost exclusively. The clear water, lighter baits & deeper depths fished dictate that. Also tossing a 3/16 oz tube into the wind on casting gear is not happening - at least for me. 10 - 15 lb braid and a 8 - 10 lb leader is standard in my boat here. A-Jay

Nice Bass ~ Congrats on your possible new PB too. I think they all weigh at least 10 pounds, but I my eyesight isn't what it used to be. A-Jay

Here some good info from the Bass Resource Articles Section. http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/shallow-river-smallmouth.html A-Jay

Maybe - Rex didn't help himself or his team out by Imitating (Mocking) William Stephen "Bill" Belichick after the Bills win. Which was a beat down, there's no way around that But TB12 is back - that may be a factor. A-Jay

Shimmy Getting It DONE ~ ! ! ! That's one Epic trip for the ages right there my man. All that Fat Bass Goodness and you had it all to Yourself ~ SWEET. Nice job on the self photos too - that's always a challenge. And in reference to all the pike & the bite offs: That's something I deal with here All The Time and I highly recommend the product below. By simply adding a 12-15 inch trace between the mainline & the bait you can virtually eliminate bait loss with NO REDUCTION is bites. I have a rather healthy supply myself and If you'd like to pm me your shipping address, I'll send you a spool and you can try before you buy. However, I do believe you to will become a believer as well. Congrats again my friend - that looked like one of those trips you'll remember for a while - from the not so friendly conditions to the equipment challenges and certainly All Those Stout Bass - you certainly persevered. Much Respect. A-Jay

Nice Bass ~ PB's are Always a Blast Congrats A-Jay

Some info right here. A-Jay

Nice Bass - And judging by your attire (or lack there of) and the color of the landscape behind you (still quite a bit of green) - you're probably Pre-turn over. Or at least that would be for me here - - So I'd still be using a standard 1/2 ounce offering right there and my trailer would be a little more active as well. Love that Jig bite "THUMP" A-Jay

My "Jig" fishing in the fall is definitely a slow presentation. Once the lakes here are done turning over, they get super clear (again) and the water temps are usually some where around the mid 40's give or take a few degrees. The best "search" bait for me then is a blade bait - and second place isn't really close. But once I find a few and if they are snuggled up to cover (usually wood) - a jig is the way to go. I usually go lighter (1/4 or 3/8's) as in the chilly water rate of fall plays a big role (usually does). Slower is good; along with a tantalizing glide to the bottom. A couple of seasons ago I started playing around with hair & plastics in this scenario. The Punisher Hair Jig with a 4 inch Reins Punching Predator works well. It's a combo used by Elite Pro angler Paul Meuller and it's been a solid producer for me. This video is where I first learned about the bait. A-Jay

Nice Bass Love Walking the Dog . . . Congrats A-Jay

Good. A-Jay

A-Jay

Here ya go - Very Impressive ~ A-Jay