A-Jay

A large portion of my career revolved around Training & Instructing Professional, Commercial & Civilian mariners on the proper & effective use of Survival Equipment. My Perspective on Personal Floatation Devices goes like this; The device has to be reasonably comfortable. I say this first because regardless of the type, if you don’t wear it it’s useless. However, there is a tradeoff between “Comfortable” and effectiveness. Generally the lighter, less bulky types / designs are more comfortable but provide less buoyancy which is what the PFD is all about. Learning which types are required by law and how each performs allows one to make an educated decision. Going overboard unexpectedly is always a life threatening event and a shock, regardless of the circumstances. There are several factors that can & will complicate and magnify this emergency. They include but are not limited to Cold ~ both Air & Water temps (regardless of the survival equipment worn), Rough water, meaning wind & waves, operating in current, (like rivers and tidal water), being ALONE, fishing from a smaller craft, being injured on the way over the side, not being able to swim and obviously not wearing a Life Jacket. Other things to think about: going overboard fully dressed is not like swimming at the beach. A cotton hoodie & denim jeans make moving at all in the water very difficult – PFD really helps here. Getting back on board ones vessel in water logged clothes is very difficult; especially when fishing alone. On boats large enough to have one, a boarding ladder is a must. On smaller boats, (canoes, kayaks & smaller john boats) these boats often capsize as part of the event. Depending on a long list of factors, re-righting the boat may or may not be an option. But getting out of cold water ASAP is not an option and needs to happen sooner rather than later. Climbing up onto a capsized hull is even good just to get out of cold water. Your Life Jacket will assist a conscious victim to stay afloat until help arrives (hopefully). Hyperthermia Kills people. Years of searching for victims has proven that it is best to Stay With Your Boat. Whether it is capsized or if it’s up right and you just can’t board it. The craft offers two important benefits; first it makes a much better locating target. A persons head bobbing around in waves in really hard to see & find. Second, your boat provides something to hang on to. Personally, I fish from a 16 ft canoe. The vast majority of the time I’m alone and there’s NO One else on the water with me. In the warmer months, I fish at night. I carry two type III PFD’s in the boat that are laid on the deck up on the bow so that if the canoe capsizes they will float free. I wear an inflatable Mustang HIT type PFD. In my mind the two most important factors that I can control every trip I make are; that my wife knows exactly where I’m going and when I’ll be back; and I’m wearing that life jacket while I’m out there. A-Jay​ ​

Good Idea testing your equipment. Not all of the five types of Personal Floatation Device are designed to re-right an unconscious victim. In fact only the Type I will do it with any regularity and not every time in every condition. Each type has it's pro's & con's along with varying levels of inherent flotation / Buoyancy. Along with meeting legal requirements, it's up to the user to get what's best for their particular needs. A false sense of security can sometimes be attributed to not being informed and thus having unrealistic expectations. A-Jay http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg5214/pfdselection.asp#recreational http://mustangsurvival.com/blog/2011-04/five-types-pfds?country=25 ​ ​

I have & fish both sizes - Good Bait. I fish them one of two ways; Either a slow steady retrieve with no pause Or the same retrieve with a pause. Pause length varies. btw - The buzzjet has proven itself to be a decent night time bait on more than one occasion. The Nude Black's been a winning shade for me A-Jay

Funny you should mention the 5X5 regiment ~ I'm a big fan of that one. I've used that off & on for several years and it's been a very effective way to bump up my strength. Actually using it now for squats ~ here's a set with 3 bills from the other day. btw - I have the best Spotter Ever. A-Jay ​

Hello Michael and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Hello Ryan and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

KC is very hurt right now. A-Jay

You may want to consider cleaning this reel. At the very least shave the moss. A-Jay

Just go fishing and enjoy the experience. The catching is a bonus not a guarentee. Unless you're in Mexico. A-Jay

If you're getting 36 inch pike on a spot - chances are decent that the school of bass that fed there previously may have stopped using it. Competition for food is hard enough in any environment and there's no need to battle big pike for food. That body of water has plenty of room to roam and the bass are well equipped to do so. I'd be looking else where. A-Jay

The decision to sell them may get at least a little harder for you if the home team is one of the participants ~ But them again, for that kind of scratch, maybe not. A-Jay

Grubs have been catching quality bass for a long long time. Smallmouth bass In particular have a real affinity to a properly presented grub. Here's some light reading. A-Jay http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/about-grubs.html ​ http://www.bassresource.com/fish/grubs.html ​ http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/smallmouth.html http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/rigging-grubs.html ​

This guy is the best after market gas mileage improver Ever ~ ! A-Jay

Yes definitely. A-Jay

Jet ski's are Gone. Boat Docks slowly start to disappear. The Pontoon Parade that circles the perimeter of many lakes at sunset vanishes. And the sound of gunshots echo through the woods and across the lakes. Does Mustang make a Kevlar model ? A-Jay

The article reports this unfortunate young man was indeed wearing some type of life jacket - type / kind was not reported. That does make a difference. Without making any conclusions of my own on this sad story, I will say wearing an approved, properly fitted and servicable Life Jacket Greatly Increases ones chances of survival in virtually every situation. A-Jay

QUANTUM TOUR KVD SIGNATURE SERIES TKVD746MA 7'4" MEDIUM HEAVY CRANKING ROD in combination with 30 lb braided line And this one can be had for less that $80 I have two. A-Jay http://www.ebay.com/itm/231183054483?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649 ​

Glad you got a couple. I've played that "lost'em in the lay down game" myself ~ it's not all it's cracked up to be. If the water's clear enough sometimes I can present the drop shot "in the vicinity" and they'll come & get it. When that's not making it happen, I start making casts just a little closer and then a little closer and then even closer still, until they'll eat it. I have learned, same way you did, that too close is a sure way to broke off. Now I keep a jig & craw rigged up with a little heavier line, pitch that right in the mess and take my chances that way. I do not have the zebra mussels to deal with - just Pike ! A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Because few will ever understand your love for that Bass Smell or the Peace It Brings the Soul. A-Jay

Deadlifts off the floor are more of a younger man's lift. Did them for years and one reason I can still even train today is I stopped doing them. The exercise I'm performing here is more of a partial deadlift. The very bottom of the pull is eliminated and the middle and top of the lift is done. I've blown up my back more times than I can count doing full deads, Squats and heavy rows. I still do them all but have had to modify my approach to match my needs. The equipment I'm using has limits which I don't exceed and in this case I'm at it. I rarely perform single or max effort lifts anymore as these have often caused injury for me. Instead I prefer to use moderate tonnage for smooth reps, working with the weight rather than fighting it. Whatever benefits realized from all this one thing is certain, moving the two group 31 batteries from the truck to the boat sure is easier when I'm training. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

With 3 minutes left in the 4th - The Atlanta Falcons are Gassed ~ ! But The Eagles just Shanked a potential Game Winning Field Goal . . . . And Penalties Galore. A-Jay

Stick with it ~ My wife is 14 years my junior so I've got nowhere to hide either. . . . A-Jay

Nice Fatty ~ A-Jay