A-Jay

FYI Raider ~ Hide your Jerky (and your Crazy) A-Jay DNR Warning People About BearsPosted: Jul 24, 2015 8:37 AM EDTUpdated: Jul 24, 2015 11:47 AM EDT The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is warning people about bears. The DNR has responded to dozens of nuisance bear complaints so far this year. They say adult bears move during mating season and younger bears are looking to find their own territory. A DNR wildlife specialist says bears are traveling a lot and people should call the DNR if they need assistance.

The Mrs. is on day two in the hospital recovering from surgery, otherwise we'd probably be in Coast Guard city. Also my only style of guiding always includes a canoe. A-Jay

Glad to hear you're enjoying your travels through this diverse & picturesque state. But you must remember that a good majority of the humans you meet on this trip, especially at camp grounds in JULY, may not actually be from Michigan. They are doing the same thing you are - traveling. If you Really want to meet The people of Michigan and experience the Real Deal - come up for a camping trip in JANUARY - btw - bring a hat. A-Jay

Me Too ~ A-Jay

nice ~ I did, right into the washer with a scoop of Oxy-Clean . . . A-Jay

Fish the 68 as is. Top hook is totally sufficient. A-Jay

X2 ~ That thing is like a Gaff ~ Impresses me every time out. A-Jay

When I fish started frogging in pike waters I'd lose a frog or two every season. Not good. So I started using a short section of wire. Really helped, I got many of the fish and all my frogs back. Problem was the frogs were almost always totally sliced up and fished like a U-Boat afterwards. Tried the glue thing - not for me. Ended up ditching the wire and have resorted to extra cursing to help deal with the lose. A-Jay

I hear that - I like what I've seen so far. And when I'm using it in a finesse spinning application, I'll always be using a mono leader that's never close to even 15 lb test so I'd expect the leader or knot to fail well before the braid main line. A-Jay

A very good compromise at least for me has been the KVD composite crankbait rod and braided line. Offers easy to read sensitivity for a fouled bait & strike detection, solid hook ups and plenty of rod for whatever the job calls for. A-Jay

Looks about right to me too. I'm thinking that's what I'll be going with right there. Thanks A-Jay

Do you think that size is right for a spinning reel application or would the next size down be a better choice? A-Jay

Thanks ~ Locating springs is a challenging proposition. Here's how I found some ~ This particular lake is relatively shallow, with the deepest "holes" around 20 feet. The lake has a ton of vegetation, Lilly pads, Milfoil, Coontail & Cabbage weed. - When first learning the lake, once the water temps went up I started fishing the deeper areas and that worked OK. But as my prospecting continued I started getting some better pike in spots that were not necessarily the deepest and were almost void of weeds. The light went on when handling the fish boat side - they felt unusually cold - especially for July & August (which is the only time this lake is open to fishing) - I don't really know if the weeds don't grow as well in the cooler water or what, but it was a reoccuring theme. That was 8 years ago and these spots have proven themselves year after year to hold some of the biggest & healthiest pike the lake. Hope this helps A-Jay

Brett Hite has proven his Chatterbait chops on bass fishing's biggest stage many times. Here's his input on the subject. A-Jay http://www.bassmaster.com/video/chatterbait-tips-brett-hite#

Hello and Thank You for your Service. Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Poor Craw Durability is a product of the baits shape & design - claws are going to pulled off. That's just the way its. As for the bait slipping down the hook - I highly recommend you check out a product called "Parasite clips". They are design specifically to address this problem and they work perfectly. Good Luck A-Jay http://parasiteweights.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=30&osCsid=d226fadde49b6915b7c206dc8fd500f0

The Nuisance fish were all over the place today. A-Jay

Today it was a SK Rage Blade with Lake Fork Boot Tail Live Magic Shad ~ Admittedly these fish are still relatively shallow as this lake has several underground mid-lake springs - just need to know where they are. A-Jay

My Braids of choice are the 832 & PP - this is a little different in that it's thinner, more manageable & casts further. I've also used Daiwa Samurai Braided Line. Gliss is similar in diameter and smoothness but not as limp as the Samurai making the gliss more manageable. As for the knot used - I use a Uni-knot almost exclusively... for EVERYTHING. This line ties great and that knot works perfectly. It's also the recommended knot on the Line's packaging. And I said "almost exclusively" because I came up with my own braid to leader knot last year and that works well too. But that's a story for another time. Something else I thought of just now. I can not speak as to this lines ability to absorb serious & sudden short line shock - like a big hook set while flipping or even pitching. I was using a composite rod all day there was none of that. Also this "40 lb" test Gliss is really thin and I still prefer something beefier for heavy hand to hand combat. A-Jay

Thanks & You're Welcome. Sweet Avatar btw . . . A-Jay

This sounds like one of those alcohol induced dares . . . . . "OK - You shoot me with your bird shot and then I'll shoot you with this Slug, and we'll see what happens. Here, I'll hold your beer . . . . ." A-Jay

Fished Gliss today - did a brief review http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/160685-gliss-monotex-line-a-brief-review/ A-Jay

Spent 8 hours on the water today fishing the Gliss 40 lb green; first time with it. Threw a 3/8 oz SK Rage Blade with a Lake Fork Boot Tail Live Magic Shad trailer - All Day. Had to, they kept biting it. I opted for a short section of wire rather than the usual mono as we were fishing in Pikeasaurus land. Caught plenty of Bass & Pike. Without getting ahead of myself – this line exceeded my expectations. Underlined below are the advertised characteristic of the line and the reasons for my purchase. Below each are my opinions in regard to these claims. Please keep in mind this was only after one day – but it’s not bad. Thin & Slick composition provides incredible casting distance. I Completely Agree ! Super thin for 40lb and casting distance was great. Zero stretch provides ultimate sensitivity. I Completely agree again ~ Will not say The Most sensitive ever – but definitely able to feel everything I wanted to; how & if the bait was working correctly or fouled with weed and of course strike detection was killer. Remember this was a moving bait. Thinner than braid with comparable strength for superior management. Already covered the diameter deal and the Management aspects were very good – trouble free. At least for today; which was pretty windy & quite gusty. Keep in mind that blade bait / trailer combo cast fairly well anyway but even still I was impressed. Zero line twist makes Gliss more managable on spinning reel applications. Have not spooled up a spinning reel yet – but I will be soon enough – with a smaller class Gliss line. Soft form provides increased castability and distance. Already covered. Additional comments; regardless of how it’s advertised or what “class of line’ this product is placed in, to me it’s a braid. But it just may be the best casting & most manageable braid I’ve fished. Questions yet to be answered or addressed: What is the Abrasion resistance like ? Don't know - this lake is all soft vegetation, but I'd expect it to be like most braids - OK on wood but poor on rock or anything similar. How long does it last ? At least one day . . . . btw - there was NO COLOR loss at all during the spooling process - meaning my hands & reel didn't turn green. As for comparing it to nylon, I will say there is not a comparison. For today, on this lake, Gliss was Better in every way, shape, form & fashion. I will be fishing it next time in a place with no Pike (only beast SMB) so I’ll be back to using a mono leader. And we’ll see how that goes. I’m expecting the goodness to continue. Hope this helps A-Jay

I have the Green and I'm heading out right now to try it out. I spooled it up and preformed a preliminary "Dry Run", casting it out in the back forty yesterday. I'm very happy report that it did cast quite well "Dry". So at least initially that's good and I'm anxiously optimistic. More to follow. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ Heck of a first post btw. A-Jay