T-Billy

I hear ya, and I think we all feel that way to some extent. It's why I fish the way I do. I'm really only interested in chasing big bass at this point, and once I got good at fishing the really gnarly cover, my average size went up considerably, while still catching good numbers. It's also a pattern that holds up from mid 40's in the spring until 38-39 degrees in the late fall. In the end, it's all about having fun and catching 'em the way you wanna catch 'em. After all, we ain't on the pro tour with a big paycheck on the line. 😉

A flipping rig, aka pegged T-rig, with a snelled straight shank flipping hook will fish through that stuff clean. A beaver style bait would be my first pick. 3/8 or 1/2 oz tungsten weight should work fine.

Flipp'n and pitch'n paradise right there.

I never thought about it, but I didn't see them here either, and my neighbor and I both have maples in our back yards. It's been a crazy year weather wise for sure. Super mild winter, historic April flooding then historic summer drought.

Cake and pie are my favorite ways to eat vegetables and fruits. 😋 Honestly though, I'm not a picky eater, and like a lot of different vegetables. Like most, I don't eat enough of them though.

What struck me as odd, is it's mostly the maples along the shore that are turning. The trees on the hills are mostly green. Yesterday I saw a large corn field already cut. That's normally a November or December thing around here. That poor farmer lost his whole crop. There'll be a shortage of hay this winter too, because of lack of growth. Tough year to be a farmer in Ohio.

It happens. When it happens to me, they get released to the grease. 😋

I've been called worse, and it's better than Musky-Billy. That makes it sound like I may have personal hygiene issues. 🤣

Nice work A-Jay. I've had to replace a couple bags on smaller nets over the years do to that same situation.

Great fish @A-Jay!!! Congratulations!!!

I've never seen maples turning this early before, but we are in the midst of a drought with much of the state ranked in severe to exceptional drought status. Many of our farmers are having a rough time of it this year, particularly in the SE part of the state.

It definitely ain't August anymore. Fish are scattered everywhere, and everyone I've talked to is struggling to get bit. It took me about 15 hours of grinding over a couple days to come up with this little 32". We need some cooler weather to bring 'em shallow. Some rain would be great also. We've passed severe drought and reached exceptional status, and there ain't much hope in the extended forecast.

That 766 Sierra is the rod for the job if you do decide to throw it. I agree 100%. Better to err on the stout side when it comes to tackle IMO. I struggled with it for a while, only picking it up for short periods before getting frustrated and going back to something else. It wasn't until I committed myself to throwing it for long periods of time that I started having success. Prime time is when the water temp starts with a 4 or 5 and baitfish are forming large schools.

Absolutely!!! I only need to watch an angler for a couple minutes to decide whether I want to fish their used water or not. I have no problem fishing behind the vast majority of people. Once in a great while, I'll see someone who not only do I think it's not worth fishing behind them, but it is worth spending a bit of time watching them and taking some mental notes. Both @A-Jay and @Catt fall into that category of angler. 😉

Nice work Andy. Good job operating outside the conventional wisdom with that bait buddy. I wouldn't even have considered it in water that warm, neither would anyone else I know. Thank you for that info. I'll definitely pick the rig up earlier this year, and give your technique a try. I just received a big box of Keitech Fat's in the mail the other day. I'm pretty well stocked for this fall now. I'm gonna be on night patrol the next few to see if I can go on another tear like I did around the August full moon, but I honestly don't know what the fish are doing. I've worked the past six days, and my guide buddy has been off the water this week, busy with a side project. Hopefully they'll be hot on the blades and cranks again. 🤞

Congrats on the nice fish A-Jay. Just curious, what was the water temp?

I spent less on bass fishing this year than any year in the past decade. Dropped a few grand on muskie gear though. 🤦‍♂️😂

Deer will follow you through the woods when it's dark, and they'll get pretty close sometimes. I had a buck come within 20' of me once while walking into my stand in the dark. He was snorting, stomping and acting pretty aggressive . It finally dawned on me that I had a bottle of doe urine in my pocket. I was fixin to get violated!!! 😂 He about turned himself inside out when I said BOO!!!

Time to get busy filling that empty shelf space don't ya think?

ARK Invoker 7'4" Mag Heavy is my favorite jig rod ever. Light, sensitive, and durable, with enough tip for pitching jigs as light as 3/8, and enough backbone to pull big fish out of gnarly cover.

😂 Boy, tough crowd here today!!! Personally, I have a face that's perfect for a career in radio. Weight guesses are tough from pics @Ohnooze, but I'm gonna guess 7ish? Long skinny fish.

What made me think of that, is Phil Robertson's story about putting a sack over Terry Bradshaw's head and making him lay in the bottom of the boat on the ride to Phil's fishing hole, so that Terry couldn't find his way back to it later. I saw Terry confirm that story in an interview. 🤣

Heavy cover and heavy tackle, I try to throw 'em over the boat when I swing. It works great for moving big fish out of cover, but I lose some smaller ones as they sail over my head on a slack line. That's a trade off I'll take every time.

I learned a new language going through my teenagers phones several years ago. 🤦‍♂️ 😂

He's an amazing player, and as @slonezp alluded to, his entire band are aces. Some bluegrass traditionalists don't like it, but I love the way the guy refuses to be pigeonholed. He marches to his own beat, critics be damned.