Jar11591

Sounds delicious. I’ve recently been obsessing over a sauce that sounds similar to yours with the dried shrimp. Nam Prik Pao. The fried rice I get at the local Thai restaurant has this in it. The flavor is indescribable. I had to order some online. My mouth is watering while I type this just thinking about it.

@AlabamaSpothunter awesome fish. Love the enthusiasm. That’s why we do it!

There is always a huge fall boom in this thread from September to November, and then a lull in the winter. Us yankees would love to be able to contribute to this thread now but it’s up to all you southern boys for a couple months!

My girlfriend takes up 75%, and our little pup who refuses to sleep anywhere else but under the covers on the bed takes up another 20%. You see where that leaves me. Luckily I sleep like a rock and can fall asleep within a minute when it’s time for bed.

I think I would have to travel a couple hours north and find a spot on the St. Lawrence River. Ranked top bass water in the nation, and I get to stay in my home state that I love. And because this is a dream, I’d have a place on the shores of Lake Baccarac as well.

Nice write up A-Jay. Interesting to see which baits have “good years” and which are producers year after year. I didn’t make my log as detailed as in the past, but this season was all about the spinnerbait. Took my 3 biggest fish and most fish over all. 1/2oz and 3/4oz Strike King Tour Grade double willows. Jigs weren’t as productive for me this year. They’re usually a big factor, especially early in the year. Just couldn’t find a solid jig rhythm this year. Texas rigs fished in similar situations were very on par though.

AXC68MXF. Light and sensitive. It’s a sweet stick. It’s a dedicated topwater rod in my starting lineup but excels throwing jerkbaits as well.

My highest quality rods are bottom contact rods, even though the presentation I make the most casts with any given outing is usually a spinnerbait. I feel as though the extra money spent on higher end rods will move the needle more when used for bottom contact baits instead of resistance baits where it’s generally easier to detect strikes. But I can certainly understand someone’s best rods being one they use the most even if it’s not for bottom contact. I throw topwaters on an very sensitive Avid-X. Do I need a super sensitive topwater rod? No because the strike is visual, but it’s a joy to fish with. If my budget was higher every technique would be like that. But because my budget isn’t unlimited I feel better with my most sensitive rods being used for techniques where sensitivity really matters.

A couple make it into my annual donation pile each year.

These are what I use. Either tear drop or cylinder depending on the bottom. Quality line clips, compact size and several different weights. And pretty inexpensive for tungsten. https://siebertoutdoors.com/products/ols/products/tungsten-skinny-dropshot-weight-5-pack and https://siebertoutdoors.com/products/ols/products/tungsten-tear-drop-dropshot-weight As far as your last question, IMO switching from lead to tungsten is always worth it whether it’s jigs, bullet weights or drop shots. Tungsten is more sensitive than lead, much more compact and non-toxic and more eco-friendly. The elevated price is the only downside to tungsten, but it seems like the price on tungsten isn’t as insane as it was 8-10 years ago.

Invizx is on my shopping list for the 2023 season. I’ll have to give some 8lb a try.

That’s when I do my re-spooling as well. If ice is gone by April 1st I consider it a win. Some of my higher elevation and latitudinal lakes late April or early May is more realistic.

I don’t use a 7’6”, but use H/F and MH/F for jigs depending on the cover. Timber and light to moderate weed cover I will use a MH/F, and for heavy weed cover up to punching mats, I’ll use the heavy.

Same here. We have a deep freeze that won’t thaw until spring. A couple days of 50° weather won’t do anything except open up some fast moving sections of river. But my reels have already been stripped of their line and sent in for servicing.

My old girl smiling with her new toy; a stuffed squeaky smallmouth bass

I personally do not go over 8lb test for spinning reels, but if you are set on 10-12lb line, Trilene XL is about the limpest and most user-friendly line out there. I don’t like how braid behaves on spinning reels, but I’m in the minority, so another option for you is using 20lb braid, which has the diameter of 6lb XL. It may behave a little better on the spinning reel than the 10-12lb nylon. As far as fluorocarbon, in my opinion spooling a spinning reel with all fluorocarbon is a disaster waiting to happen in some cases. If you think you are missing out on a benefit of fluorocarbon, you can always tie a leader on.

X-raps are the only jerkbaits I’ve used that perfectly suspend out of the package. All the others including Husky Jerks, Visions, STXs, and Rogues require some fiddlin’ to get a perfect suspend for me.

This storm is something. Somehow in upstate NY we escaped with only an inch of rain and a high of 16° today. Very manageable. I’m thankful I don’t have to go clear driveways on Christmas.

Don’t forget those Vision 110s and Trick Darters ??

Merry Christmas Eve and Christmas to my fellow BR members ??

Dobyns FR 735C and Lew’s Mach Crush Gen 1 with 50lb Power Pro braid.

Dog person without a doubt. Grew up with dogs and have 3 of my own. Dogs and outdoorsmen go together like PB&J. Cats I’m allergic to and like my furniture to remain in tact.

Yes luckily the precipitation is supposed to stop before it gets too cold. Temps will be taking a nose dive into the teens tonight but the rain should be over by then.

Luckily we’re just getting a ton of rain in upstate NY. Weather is in the 40s and 50s. Not often that we miss the brunt of winter storms here but we got lucky this time.

Not from a tackle vendor as far as I know. Only time it happened I was sitting in my home in upstate NY and was alerted that my credit card was used to purchase 2 bus tickets in New Jersey. ??‍♂️ Never found out how but getting it sorted out was a breeze.