A-Jay

Nice but that one may have expired last year - Might be wise to check with Mr May, he may require a more current one on file. Maybe not though, now that I think of it - you've been uncharacteristically 'less abrasive' & especially more helpful than usual. Are you ok ? A-Jay

I do not have a Tracker but have recently purchased a new boat along with the custom travel cover for it. The MK Fortrex 112 I upgraded to would not allow the cover to fit correctly over the trolling motor. Solution for me was to install the MK Quick Release bracket. I do not use the travel cover every trip but when I choose to it's an easy deal to simply unplug the TM, slip it off the bracket, and place the whole unit on the deck in front of the seats. It still travels in the boat & under the protection provided by the cover. An additional benefit of the quick release bracket is this same procedure can be used if / when the TM is in need of any repair; rather than unbolting it from the deck. There are several bracket models. You can contact a MK dealer for the correct one for your particular application. A-Jay

That is all. A-Jay

LOL ~ The pic is from one of the recent trips south of the border. 00 mod & I were doing what we could to stay comfortable & safe in the sub-tropical sun. A-Jay

And take a position up wind. A-Jay

Stand by friend ~ Wait until you unknowing slip into an area where one or two beaver may be hanging out. You'll mostly likely know when you do. There will be a sudden & without warning Aquatic Explosion right next to your boat. They will smash that big tail on the waters surface. It's So Very Loud and Sudden that it always scares the Bejesus out of me. (I don't actually know what that means, but it's fun to say) No matter how many times it happens ~ I still hate it ! A-Jay

Great Picture ~ Awesome Smile. Genuine Angling Success Induced Joy. Congrats on the new Musky PB I've got a feeling you're not done just yet. A-Jay

Nice Bass Congrats A-Jay

As always, the great responses here reflect the experience & success that the BR membership anglers routinely enjoy. First, I do not fish tournaments, meaning I'm on A-Jay time, all the time. My version of "Run & Gun" is both fast & slow , I'll explain. Where at least half of my "searching" is done before I leave the dock, (lake maps & charts) clearly I have to make some casts. When fishing dictates that I need to "search" for fish, like getting out on new water, I'll select several promising areas ahead of getting to the ramp. But once the boat comes off plane and I'm fishing, rather than fan casting an "area" with a search bait, I'm fishing "Spots". Some places cover a larger area than others, but I try to break them down & fish them in 'sections" otherwise I might as well just troll. Presenting a bait that is appropriate for conditions; season, weather, water & air temps, cloud cover & winds etc. is what we all try to do and is often met with success. I LOVE to Chunk & Wind, long bomb cast are fun for me, so sometimes a moving bait is the first & only bait fished, especially if it's getting hammered. Other times a jig & craw or even a drop shot is the deal. We all have our favorites and I'll do whatever it takes to get on the right bass. I may go through a short list of bait's & / or techniques on a spot trying to get bit, but I usually start with a slower deal and work the speed up as necessary. This technique helps me to fish 'small" and assists in directing my focus & attention to specific funnel areas & ambush points. Routinely these high potential spots are very subtle and can easily be missed, especially if I'm trying to fish an area the size of 3 football fields with 5 casts. So although I'll 'Run' to several spots as an outing may dictate, once there the 'Gun' portion includes shifting gears to a more deliberate & dissecting mode for me. Many days on the water, I'll see several anglers come to an area where I'm fishing (sometimes I think they are just curious) they'll flail away for 5 minutes and them zoom off to another local. Mean while, I got a few right before they arrived and often get some after they leave. Fine with me. The presence of other anglers or the lack of any, is never an indication of a spots potential. A-Jay

I neglected to mention this in my previous post but That just may be "The Bag Of the Year" Which is pretty wild considering there was a keeper included there. The only stud with a decent chance to top that one (in conus) is probably You - Big Fish Jeff. This Fall. btw - when's the next flight ? Congrats Again. I bet you're still smiling A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

I'd agree with that Matt btw- is there a swimbait brand that you'd recommend ? (Kidding) A-Jay

It's what the Cool Kids are all doing these days A-Jay

Good Luck with that one. I've been banging my rather dense bucket head off the wall for a couple of weeks now trying to figure that one out. I've also got a request in to the Mods for assistance. A-Jay

When you say "It Casts Great" please define great. If you can make a long cast, why would you not be able to make a very short cast - which is what flipping & pitching a bait is. Did you recently change or add line to your reel ? Perhaps you've over filled the spool and the excess line is rubbing on the reel frame preventing unobstructed release of the spool. Post a picture of your reel that shows the reel's spool of line; that might help. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Happy Birthday Bass ~ Congrats A-Jay

You know it Jeff ~ But I have discovered what really helps calm me down Hot Cheese Nacho's & a Frozen Margarita . . A-Jay

LOL ~ I'd be staying late, that's for sure. There'd be At Least 50 . . "Last Casts". A-Jay

When fishing a lipless bait in, around & off hard structure or cover, the nose of the bait is routinely the area that take the brunt of the damage. The front end of the bait pictured, the nose, is for the most part, intact. This Red Eye shad had been of the receiving end of many LM & SM bass strikes, as well as more than it's share of small to medium sized Pike & Walleye action; the later do both possess a fairly formidable set of choppers. A-Jay

~ X2 ~ Agreed. I never actually realized to what extent I employed the "Go Easy" fish fighting strategy" on smallies in open, until I started watching back my own video's. Most of the "fights" with bigger smallies take several minutes.(especially drop - shot & treble hooked fish) My plan is always the same. As long as the circumstances permit, the hook set is often the most pressure I allow on the bass. After that, what's the hurry. I've got all day. Unnecessary extra pressure is a good way to pull a hook. Take it easy. Spastic speed reeling is no way to land a trophy smallmouth. Never was & never will be, at least for me. Some trips it takes several hours to get the right one on. That takes patience. Same concept applies to landing that bass as well. Finally, I also attempt to discourage jumping by reeling or applying the same pressure on a downward or opposite direction if I can. But Smallies are prone to Rocketing out of the water, right up in your face in fact. And that's at Least Half the fun ! I especially LOVE that brief pause of silence that occurs between when the bass explodes toward the heavens, hangs right up in my grill, . . . . . .and then plunges back into the lake. Sometimes I land them, Sometimes I don't. A-Jay

Interesting. Wonder what would have happen if the Colorado Team blanked and you guys pulled out the win ? Guess it worked out but having plenty of footage on the second place team and Not The Winning team doesn't sound like a formula for success. A-Jay

A-Jay