With three days of rain behind us, and three more ahead.

There's a break in the action for just today.

No sense letting that slip by unutilized.

I'm heading to the lake, hope to catch a few but I'll be content

just to float around for a few hours is the sun. 

Here we go !

A-Jay

 

 

 

It's been a while but I nailed this one yesterday !

A-Jay

Lynn & I are celebrating our 26th today.

She walked into my life so effortlessly.

Like she was meant to be there.

I didn’t know it then, but that hello would become one of the most important of my life. 

The one that made my heart feel alive again.

I am indeed a Lucky Man.

A-Jay

 

Beautiful thoughts, Andy. Congratulations to the both of you for finding your soul-mate. May the years ahead be continually filled with love, life and happiness. She's a strong woman, fighting to stay with you, and I know you feel blessed to have her in your life.

 

Raising a glass in toast to a wonderful couple. 

@MN Fisher Thank you very my friend.  I really appreciate it.  At this point every one of these marks a special moment in time.

A-Jay

 

Congrats to the both of you! Here’s to many more years to come. 

One last hoorah for me. Boat is loaded and I’m about to start the cold trek into the mountains. Not even convinced the lake will be liquid. Air temps will be low 20s when I arrive. Hail Mary in hopes of a giant. 

Our world here is white once again.

I routinely forget how nice it looks.

Hiding the ugly decaying landscape left behind by the end of summer & fall.

I know it's still under there, but out of sight, out of mind.

Funny thing is my grass was a brilliant vibrant green before 

Old Man Winter dropped his call card.

It might even be time to burn some wood.

Stay warm folks.

A-Jay

 

“Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming!
IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?
'It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
It came without packages, boxes or bags!'
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!”

Dr Suess

I'm not saying I'm old.

But what I am saying is that my dinner time 

and my bedtime

are getting dangerously close together . . . . .

A-Jay

The older I get, the more my fishing begins to feel like time travel.

A sunrise, a cast, a certain kind of bite and suddenly I'm back years ago,

standing beside someone who shaped me in ways I didn't understand then. 

Those moments don't fade.

They settle deep, reminding me that fishing has given me more than just stories.

It gave me a pure passion I didn't know how to name.

A-Jay

 

18 hours ago, A-Jay said:

The older I get, the more my fishing begins to feel like time travel.

A sunrise, a cast, a certain kind of bite and suddenly I'm back years ago,

standing beside someone who shaped me in ways I didn't understand then. 

Those moments don't fade.

They settle deep, reminding me that fishing has given me more than just stories.

It gave me a pure passion I didn't know how to name.

A-Jay

 

Thank you for this Andy. It instantly took me back 52 years and sat me on my grandpa's dock right next to him, watching a couple red and white bobbers dance. I was four years old and the memory is still vivid. 

 That man was bigger than life to me in my youth. I lost him when I was 18. Now, at 56, I'm more like him than I ever could have imagined. I'm very happy and grateful for that. 

 You made my day with that post brother. Thanks, and God bless you.

In a gritty, defensive showdown played in freezing, snowy conditions at Empower Field,

the New England Patriots defeated the Denver Broncos 10-7 to win the 2026 AFC Championship.

After falling behind early, the Patriots' defense held strong, limiting the Broncos to a single touchdown, while quarterback Drake Maye provided the necessary offense with a 6-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter and key scrambles in the second half.

A crucial interception by cornerback Christian Gonzalez in the final minutes,

followed by a blocked field goal, sealed the win, securing the franchise’s 12th Super Bowl appearance. This victory marked the Patriots' first-ever playoff win in Denver

and continued their "road warrior" success under coach Mike Vrabel.

Ugly game, but it's the score that counts.

A-Jay

Being underestimated is a silent superpower that allows you to operate in the shadows,

free from the pressure of high expectations and the burden of scrutiny.

This mentality transforms external doubt into internal fuel,

turning skepticism into the ignition for relentless, focused effort.

It encourages a "quiet grind," where you sharpen your skills without needing validation, building resilience that makes the eventual success even more impactful.

Rather than wasting energy on critics, the underestimated mind remains secure, using the element of surprise to deliver results that surpass the initial, narrow judgment.

Ultimately, it is a strategic advantage that allows you to prove yourself right,

rather than just proving others wrong.

A-Jay

I don’t often get ‘surprised’ by much.

However, this one certainly falls directly into that category.

First, a brief backstory.

For the past, I guess, couple of years anyway, I have been on the lookout for a specific jerkbait rod.

As much as I fish the bait (and I’m not getting any younger), I thought I might as well have ‘the stick’ that was designed to do it. The picture below will instantly and quite easily give it away.

If you’re familiar with this particular JDM model, you might know that recently they have been hard to come by and are a little pricey. At least for me.

So while I have been scouring the interweb, trying to locate one,

I have also been sharing ‘the struggle’ with my wife.

It’s all good, as Lynn does possess some of the same passion for bass fishing as the rest of us.

However, as you can probably imagine, Lynn is routinely subjected to what could be described as the next level of my semi-addicted bassheadness. (Not sure that’s even a word).

Like the true kind soul that she is, she seems to listen attentively and then takes most all of it in stride.

And now for the payoff.

While not really her style and something she has never done.

This wonderful lady actually located and purchased the exact Megabass Destroyer F4-65X model

I've been drooling over and thought I’d never be able to find.

Well, it arrived from the motherland the other day.

To say I was mostly blown away would be an understatement. I like her.

In order to do this one justice, I paired it with a Shimano Metanium MGL 150 B (6.2:1).

Another first and no doubt the highest quality casting reel I’ve ever owned.

Just stupid smooth & light.

Once I decide on the 10 or 12 lb. Tatsu,

I will officially be giddy.

And just like that, the hardwater season got a little longer.

A-Jay

 

That’s one special lady right there. Bravo Lynn!

Yep - she's a keeper.....oh wait....we already knew that.

Good going, Lynn.

Not a fan.

A-Jay

Did a 16 hour shift yesterday and doing one today. Not liking it at the moment

The first day of spring in northern Michigan is rarely a guarantee of warmer weather, often serving up a "seasonal plot twist" where bright sunshine and 50-degree temperatures can be replaced by a foot of snow and icy conditions overnight. As year-round residents know, it is better to not put away winter coats, as the lake-driven weather can shift rapidly, bringing freezing rain, high winds, and hazardous travel just when it seems like winter is over. It is a chaotic transition season where the region frequently battles between lingering winter air and sudden, short-lived spring warmth. It will be spring someday here—just not today.

A-Jay

And there's been a development.

We are working on perhaps fostering these two little ladies. . . .

The general consensus/guess is probably some kind of German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois mix

Oh my.

A-Jay

Cute dogs!

Working my long weekend at the cheese plant which, means 12 hrs Fri, Sat, and Sunday. So one more 12 hrs day to go tommrow. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday ( used vacation ) off. Hoping to get 3 days of fishing in this week which, I haven’t done in Forever.

Going back to the Saginaw river on Monday to jig for walleye. Supposed to be 70 F Monday. Dad might go with us. Taking my 8.5 year old daughter as she is on spring break and the wife has to go into the office. Hopefully, get her and I some walleye.

@A-Jay Those are some cuties right there. Also those paws are looking like they’re going to be some big girls.

26 minutes ago, Eric 26 said:

@A-Jay Those are some cuties right there. Also those paws are looking like they’re going to be some big girls.

No doubt.

There's a line waiting to "foster " these pups. We might not be close enough to the top to see it through. One thing's for sure, the term "foster failure" is running rampant around this place.

More to follow.

A-Jay