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Ladies and Gentlemen, Members, and Friends, Today we celebrate an extraordinary individual who has been the heartbeat of our community for nearly two decades. Today, we honor and bid farewell to Kent (A.K.A. RoadWarrior, or RW for short), who is retiring after 18 years of dedicated service as a global moderator. When I think about the journey these forums have taken, it’s impossible to separate its success, growth, and culture from the incredible contributions of RW. He has not only been a moderator but also a mentor, a friend, and, most importantly, a cornerstone of the community we cherish so deeply. RW joined us at a time when these forums were just starting to grow, and through his hard work, passion, and unwavering commitment, he helped shape them into the thriving, vibrant community it is today. His influence can be felt in every corner of this place—from the way we welcome new members to the traditions we hold dear, RW's fingerprints are everywhere. For 20 years, RW has embodied the values we hold high: integrity, excellence, and a deep sense of community. He has been a guiding light, ensuring that our members always felt more than just part of the forums—they felt part of a family. His ability to connect with people, to understand their needs, and to make everyone feel valued has been nothing short of remarkable. RW, your retirement marks the end of an era, but your legacy will continue to inspire us. The warmth and camaraderie you've fostered here will resonate for many years to come. While it’s hard to imagine this place without you, I know that the values and culture you’ve instilled in us will continue to thrive, thanks to the solid foundation you've laid. On behalf of everyone here, I want to express our deepest gratitude. Thank you for your years of service, for your dedication, and for being the heart and soul of this community. You will be greatly missed, but your influence will remain with us always. As you step into this new chapter of your life, we wish you all the joy, relaxation, and adventure that retirement brings. You’ve more than earned it. Remember, this will always be your home, and you will always have a place here with us. Let’s all raise a glass to RW—a true legend of Bassresource. Here’s to you, RW. Thank you for everything. Cheers! Glenn

A chilly north wind today, water temps dropped from mid 70’s to 69 in just a week! Wes and I tried a lake he’s never been to and I haven’t fished yet this year. A very laid back outing, just enjoying the cool weather and I was hoping for that one good bite on a glide bait. A buddy who grew up nearby said the lake used to be a very good for bass then pike took it over 15-20 years ago, but apparently the bass are making a comeback. I fished the glide bait for about an hour with no bites. Wes caught a couple small pike and lost a couple inexpensive baits to others before I “suggested” he should put a leader on. We got into more shallow/weedy water so I started throwing a buzzbait - one of my favourite lures to fish. I caught one small largemouth as did Wes, then I called the shot on a little point of pencil reeds in about 2-3ft. of water. Wes caught a small pike then I caught a nice bass off it. I didn’t weight the bass, was probably about 3#. Not long after Wes had another oopsie and accidentally hit the cast button when he tried to flick weeds off his bait. Another spool of FC Sniper cut off prematurely. ☹️

Finally got some free time today and hit the Grand River. Best of 10 went 18" and is easily my best Smallmouth this year: Couple of 16"s also showed up:: Got a lot of bites and blow-ups that didn't hook up, but every one that did hook up went absolutely ballistic. Each of the 3 fish above jumped 3 or 4 times. The net was essential today.

Fun Labor Day, got 2 bass a catfish and a gar.

Finally back out on the water today. We had a bit of a heat wave here since I’ve been back from Ontario so I haven’t been too keen on going out. Went to the Licking River just below the Dillon dam. Last time I was there my son and I witnessed quite a few good sized smallies jumping, but unfortunately we were skunked. This time I made way out onto a gravel bar and fished around it and the various currant breaks and eddies. The first hour of so I couldn’t get bit but of course my luck changed the last 30 minutes. No smallies but managed two largemouth and one hybrid striper, my first ever of that species.

I caught a handful of cookie cutter Spots today along with 2 decent Bass. A 17 inch Spot, and an 18 inch Largemouth(both pictured). Back to work tomorrow.

If you saw the pic of rod and reel I pulled from 20 feet deep, here is what it started out as and how it ended after 3-4 hours of cleaning, soaking and oiling/greasing. So it works surprisingly well. It was a lot of work but in the end, I didn't replace any parts. The bearings are so so, the drag washers are some sort of plastic and the AR bearing after soaking in a ultrasonic cleaner with Simple Orange, works fine. This reel isn't a super smooth high dollar reel to start with but with some TLC it performs much better than I thought it would. It casts OK, it's pretty smooth and it brings in fish. I can see why people speak so highly of it.

Yea, he shot past 6ft. tall over the summer - he’s not even 15yo yet. Here’s my little boy picking me up at the dock yesterday. 🤪😊

Open water Super Spook. Quite the explosion 😀

It’s about priorities. I fish whenever I can. I eat if I have any money left over.

Straight from the horse's mouth.

Been a rough month and a half. I tried a new lake very close to home. Biggest lake on long Island. It's incredibly different from every other lake I fish. No lake I fish is over 10ft deep. This ones 20ft with holes even deeper, one as deep as 65ft. No real shoreline cover. A ton of thick tall grass from 5ft deep out to about 12-15ft. No breaks or holes. Just grass. I'm hitting the grass line and structure (holes, humps, drop offs, and stump "reefs") in 10-20ft of water. Went out and got a garmin 93sv and mapped out a ton of the lake. Caught a few, but not nearly the success I'd have elsewhere. A ton of other species of fish. But I specifically target bass. Nothing else gives me that fizz but bass. Been tough but I enjoy the challenge. This weekend I decided to go back to my roots. Meaning water less then 10ft. Which puts me in the grass. Weightless t-rig and a 1/4oz jig. Some sort of moving bait over the top of the grass. I caught three over the whole weekend. Better than iv been doing but still not great. Today I had that light bulb moment. Every fish iv ever caught was in the grass. Iv been trying to spot the not, if you will. The weed line. Holes (there's not many). Differences in the bottom throughout the weeds. Like I said, caught a few. But not alot. Well today I hit every piece of structure I have marked on the garmin. No bass. That's when it hit me. They are deep in the grass. They aren't on the deeper structure. They are in the thick of it. Went and got a rod and reel dedicated to flipping the thick stuff. Spooled with braid, somthing iv never used. Hopfully I'm right. When I do get them, they are nice bass. As frustrating as it's been, this Is why I love bass fishing. Just got to figure out the puzzle. I hadn't seen or heard of anyone having much luck with bass in the past month. I also hadn't seen anyone really getting into the thick stuff. I pretty much refuse to stop hitting this lake until I can figure it out and have continued success. By that time it'll be fall and I'll have to figure it out all over again. HA! Git to love it. Anyway, here's a few from when I have caught them.....

There is a saying "There are liars, d**n liars and statisticians". Well way below that are the folks predicting the wind I was really stoked to fish on the Sunday (the 1st) because the wind forecast looked good and had been looking good for several days. That is just the thing they do to lure you into the gorge and like a dumb monkey I can't resist that juicy banana and I fall right into their trap. I got to the water around first light and was surprised that there was an East wind to start the day. Everything I had seen for days was indicating next to no wind until late in the afternoon. I was not too concerned since sometimes there is an East wind first thing in the morning that quickly dies off. Well, this one had a little bit of legs to it. It was not a fierce wind but even a 10mph East wind starts to create pretty good sized waves around Stevenson. So that is how the day started. Fishing in rolling East wind driven waves. The wind would die briefly before picking up and becoming greater than 20mph by the afternoon. Some of the gusts that hit me broadside definitely had me feeling that if I did not lean into them I was going to be tipping over. Just got kind of brutal. I think it really came down to the wind gods being angry that I teased @ol'crickety about not fishing in 10mph winds. I formally apologize from the bottom of my kayak Well enough of my whining, lets get to the fishing report. It was a tough day for me. I ended up only catching 14 bass while probably pedaling close to 10 miles during the day. My best fish were a few 2+lb fish and nothing was even close to scaring 3lbs. I can't report any lengths since I did not my measuring board over the side while untangling my spinning rod from my camera battery wire. I watched it gracefully sink to oblivion while I had both hands full and was turned around backwards in my kayak. Yes, quite a day I started out throwing topwater and had a series of blowups that I missed before finally getting one to stick on the walking bait. I was almost relieved once they stopped biting that thing since I could put it down and stop missing fish. After that I headed East since I like to go in the direction of the wind. That way if things get worse the wind and waves are pushing me back to the ramp. I mostly focused on fishing rock in 10-25' of water since that had ended up being the ticket the previous week. There were fish to be caught but I had a hard time finding quality. The wobblehead with Zoom speed craw was what I threw the most during the course of the day. When there are good sized waves it is the easiest deepwater bait to keep contact with. I did switch from a 1/4oz to 1/2oz part way through the morning and that helped a lot. I like the 1/4oz when I can get away with it but man that extra weight is really necessary on the days the wind is constantly spinning me around. Eventually when I was on a spot about 1.5 miles East of the ramp the wind shifted around (pretty quickly) and started blowing out of the West. i decided at that point that I did not want to have another really long slog into the wind late in the day so I bailed on fishing East and headed back past the ramp and further West. Just to be spiteful as soon as I got past the ramp the wind just completely died. I think it was just trying to lure me back East but at least this time I was smart enough not to take the bait I spend the rest of the day working further and further West. So many of the spots that normally hold at least some fish (and often a lot of fish) seemed barren. I struggled with controlling the the kayak in the wind and current and I don't think I was being as effective as I usually am. I think that was part of it but I also think the bite was just rather tough. For most of the day I was scratching out a fish here and a fish there on the wobblehead but eventually I did manage to catch some fish on a drop shot, including 3 on back-to-back-to-back casts. That was really shocking since most of the day was so incredibly slow. I thought I was finally going to really rack up some good numbers but just as quickly as it started the bite on that spot stopped. I eventually worked myself about 2.5 miles West of the ramp. By then the wind was truly blasting. I still manged 3 or 4 bass on the wobblehead from that last area in those conditions. I was actually amazed I was able to catch anything sine most of my concentration was focused on staying upright in the wind. That area has a fair bit more current since the river narrows down there but even with the faster current the wind would blow me upstream at 2mph if I did not fight against it. So, in the end I just looked at the day as being a heck of workout. It was fun pedaling back to the ramp at the end with the wind at my back. The wind was blowing waves upstream way faster than I could pedal and they would pick me up and jet me forware. I would watch my speed go from 3.5mph to 4.5mph each time it happened. Way better than pedaling into the teeth of that stuff! Anyway here are a few pics and some video from the day. (The final annoyance was all the bouncing around disconnected my camera from the battery multiple times during the day so I ended up missing a handful of fish on video). Still, even with all the challenges I was thankful and happy that I could be out on the water! My one spinnerbait fish! Action shot, you can see the wobblehead hanging out of its mouth

How about allowing it’s use for pre fishing prior to the tournament, but on tournament days, prohibit it. That would still allow these anglers to use and promote electronics, but force them to avoid staring at screens for entire events on camera. Just a thought. The pro muskie tour did exactly this and it seems to be working for them.

Having spent this year with many pros, old and new, across MLF and B.A.S.S., I can tell you that 99% of them despise FFS. I mean, 10 seconds into every conversation with them, and they're giving you an earful about how much they hate FFS and how it's changing the sport for the worse. Note that they're all sponsored by the same companies making FFS, so they're not saying anything when a camera is rolling. Even from the younger, new guys - especially the new guys - don't like FFS. Many of them don't have a life - seriously, they don't. All they've done outside of school is fish and learn FFS. Now, that may sound like a dream to some of you, but when all you do in your "free time" is just one thing, everything else in your life suffers. Nearly all of these younger anglers have never dated anyone - ever. They don't have relationships. They don't have any friends outside of other competitors. Their social skills suffer. They live out of their trucks and are on the water every day. They don't spend quality time with anyone. And they're burning out. Many of them blame the electronic arms race and the need to master the latest screens in order to compete. Many of them resent FFS as a result. It's controlling them rather than the other way around. And every pro I've talked to has voiced concerns about the future of the tackle industry and bass fishing as a whole. When bass fishing is minimized to a spinning rod and a minnow bait, the industry suffers. Lure and tackle companies disappear. Tackle shops dry up. Sponsors run out of money. And tournament organizations go away. Heck, even Bassresource goes away. The pros are very vocal about it, as are many companies and people in the fishing industry. All of the sportswriters and media folks have grown weary of the topic. They're constantly hearing about it from every angle - and 99% is negative. I think the NPFL's decision is just the start of a massive backlash from the industry against FFS. The crack in the dam has started, and it's about to bust wide open.

Us too - Winter & Road Construction A-Jay

I was finally able to get out fishing again yesterday. Fished for 6 hours I managed 8 small bass. Most of them came on a 1/8 ounce jig worked through the coontail.

From time to time people tell me: Lighten up, it’s just a dog”. Or “that’s a lot of money for just a dog”. They don’t understand the distance traveled. The time spent or the cost involved for ‘just a dog’. Some of my proudest moments have come about with ‘just a dog’. Many hours have passed and my only company was ‘just a dog.’ But I did not once feel slighted. Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by ‘just a dog’. And in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of ‘just a dog’, gave me comfort and a reason to overcome the day. If you too think it’s ‘just a dog’ then you probably understand phrases like ‘just a friend’, ‘just a sunrise’, or ‘just a promise’. Just a dog brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust and pure unbridled joy. ‘Just a dog’ brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person. Because of just a dog, I will rise early, take long walks, and look longingly into the future. So for me and folks like me, it’s not ‘just a dog’. But an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment. ‘Just a dog’ brings out what’s good in me. And diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day. I hope the someday they can understand that it’s not ‘just a dog’, but the thing that gives me humility. And keeps me from being just a man or just a woman. So the next time you hear the phrase, ‘just a dog’, Just Smile. Because they just don’t understand. A-Jay

@A-Jay thanks for replying Andy. I know you’re retired and would have some input. @Bankc that’s kinda what we do with trips. Some long distance trips just aren’t worth the “ return on investment “ so to speak. Being we live right off the St. John’s river, it’s much easier, and cheaper, to go to it being one ramp Is 2 minutes from our house and fish it. With West Lake Toho being 100 miles round trip and Headwater and Stick Marsh being 230 miles round trip we save those for the better springtime.

Get some of this Mend-It Softbait Glue | Tackle Warehouse, and after you get home fix them almost endlessly. You wouldn't believe how many times I've salvaged baits over and over again.

Another example of how no one knows there are even rules. https://www.boatoutfitters.com/right-of-way-rules-you-really-should-know-learn-content?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw59q2BhBOEiwAKc0ijU_VI-pZ-AFVSgi_vWBgdlSNM_17hJ-mNY4D8h8t8qguYEdZMzH-4xoCUVsQAvD_BwE#paddlecraft A-Jay

Here's mine

Another great thing about the Paca Craw is it's hollow chamber. I like sliding a worm rattle in there.

Good for the NPFL. In every sport tech sometimes comes around that changes the sport into something lesser than what it should be. In F1 they don’t allow active suspensions or traction control. Neither does NASCAR or IndyCar. MLB doesn’t allow aluminum bats. Golf limits what kinds of balls and clubs can be used. Bass Fishing shouldn’t be anything different. Garmin and Lowrance will still sell these units until and if Fisheries managers ban them. And it’s not like this is the only thing they sell. I have heard B.A.S.S. Will be doing something about it this too.

Man, I was about 5 feet tall when I was 14. And weighed maybe 125 pounds soaking wet. Growth spurt didn't happen until I was 19.

I put a snippet of this video in another thread but here’s a longer version, total poop show

I knew it was one of those Monday holidays…….

I know nothing about craws.

We’ve got two grand dogs with great temperaments. One which makes a beeline to the pool, only to stand on the pool stairs with water up to his belly. The other is a non-stop fetching machine when not retrieving his pool toy is focused on his archenemy, “Herby” the pool sweep.

Been scouring the interwebs for a while hunting a couple of these down. We went Mission complete a couple of minutes ago. A-Jay

Didn't know exactly where to put this - mods, feel free to move it. Since I've been shore fishing a lot this year, carrying my rods has been awkward...I'd just been grabbing the four in one hand, but the tips went everywhere. So instead of dishing out $70 or more for a rod carrier that had things I didn't need, I built my own. Using some scrap aluminum left over from the Bass Trek build, I built a basic frame, putting 1/16" plastic 'Polywall' into the box-frame of the rear. Now I can neatly carry 4 rods and the 'box' in the rear carries my net and fish-basket for the keeper crappie and 'gills. Carry handles are just some oak dowels with paracord going to the washers and sheet-metal screws in the frame. Entire unit pops into the back of the truck with a cargo bar keeping it from sliding forward and possibly damaging the tip-tops.

I enjoyed watching the video. Gained a lot of respect for Brad Fuller. I hope they are successful.

Good job. Goes to show what can be done. Limiting exposure to the air once retrieved and resisting the urge to crank on it before cleaning greatly enhances the chances of success.

When I race motocross I’d install new graphics and numbers every year or twice a year. Eventually you get good at it. At first it’s a lot of cussing, heat and windex to get it right. This was on a much smaller scale than a yak would be. It was also lots of bends, rolls and bolt holes to line up. For a whole kit it was $250-300 semi custom. The one thing only you can answer is this really worth it? Remember every time you bump, scrap, slide you can ruin it then. You’ll probably end up wanting to do it every year or every other year to keep it looking good.

Glad you got on some fish. I had the day to myself today, so I threw the kayak in and headed to the ramp. I could tell immediately coming over the hill and dropping into the 'shoug that I wasn't going out. Still drove on up. Parked at the ramp and walked the bank just to check things out. There's some really nice areas just east of the ramp, but really no way to get out past that weed line without the kayak. I fished inside the weed line for about an hour and got on one. Got tired of the wind, so I drove up to Drano and threw a few casts, then back down to little ashes this time and picked up a small LMB, then threw a few casts one more time just below Bonneville. Tried to sweet talk an old Indian into telling me where to catch the bass below the dam, but all he really knew about was his nets. Not much about bass fishing.

I posted in a fb group asking for color ideas. One guy said pb jelly and green pumpkin/pink. I got the idea to swirl gp/pink in this speed worm mold. Kinda looks like a rainbow trout to me One of my favs I did a while ago

The big 3 electronic companies aren't going to proverbial cut off their noses to spite their faces. It's important to remember that those companies sell other products besides FFS units. Shallow water anchor systems, traditional sonar, maps, and GPS systems, and high dollar/high tech trolling motors. The combo of those other business verticals I'm sure outweigh the sales of FFS units.

This would get my vote 100% Seems like this can even work going forward for 'new technologies' as well, potentially. Don't remove new technology from the sport completely but let the guys do their best in practice to sort a lake out with state of the art stuff and then on derby day - go bass fishing using your instincts and accumulated skill based on your knowledge of how bass react and relate to their food and their environments and how to efficiently present artificial lures to capitalize on this knowledge. I think it would be great for the new guys who are masters of it AND great for the masters of bass fishing who don't use it but can't compete when it's allowed during a tournament.

With MLF, BASS, and NPFL, the actual commodity is the angler. Get a good list of anglers and a good number of them, then sponsors can't help but go to the best groups of commodities. The ugly issues with MLF and the whining on BASS have left an opening in the "market" that we all want (good anglers, skills that we all can have, integrity and good payouts for the anglers). It's now run by a great guy who is local to me (scary smart businessman without the ick love of money). Look at the roster, there's a lot of sticks already there (including "young guys").

I prefer the LT2000 size with whatever line size is referred to as 10 lbs braid (apologies to @bulldog1935 , I'm trying, LOL), and then 6-8 lbs fluorocarbon leader on my spinning rods. But, if I were you, I think I would go hippity-hop to the tackle shop with my rod in hand and try one of each in the 2000, 2500, and 3000 size to see which one feels most balanced on that rod. To me, balance is at the top of my priority list in most cases with spinning gear. I HATE fishing a rod that feels tip heavy, and I also don't care for a combo that I have to fight in the opposite way. I will also say that for me, I would look for a non-USDM reel with a shallow spool. Line is too expensive these days to be careless with how much it takes to fill the reels they sell us here with deep, and even 'regular' depth spools, and you'll never need 1/3 of what it takes to fill a LT2500D-XH and futzing around with backing is a chore I don't need to deal with. JMHO.

It's funny you mentioned that. I just watched the latest "dog" documentary on Netflix and they mentioned something very interesting and unique to dogs. They have eye musculature which enables them to show the whites/sclera of their eyes (only a few animals including dogs and humans). They went on to say that this non-verbal form of communication is massive. "Puppy-Dog Eyes" is very expressive of their emotion, and I am sure Caufie will be telling me so (breaks my heart still) tomorrow morning when I head out fishing and leave him home. I had no idea, but makes so much sense. Yet another testament of how a dog's soul quickly makes them an immediate part of your family.

We call this "The Season of Denial". You can probably guess why . . . . . A-Jay

Dog lover to the core 👍

My best friend….

3 3s Im never taking a photo in the dark with a hat again good grief I need to get it together

You only pay US Customs import tariff when your total package value is over $800. Your courier will pay the tariff, deliver your package, and mail you an invoice. I buy quite a bit from a Japan Broker (shops that don't market to US - 99% of Japan), who stores up to 60 days gratis, packs and ships when you ask. Masamichi has emailed me to split a shipment into two to dodge tariff. Jun Sonada and son Kayo at JapanTackle are the finestkind. Jun has perfect English, Kayo's is passable. Checked my account - I've placed 25 orders with them, including one reel. Honestly, you'll often find better reel prices from Asian Portal and Digitaka. My choice for rods has been FishingShop,kiwi, who discounts rod and lure prices

I’ve never been in the ‘it’s just a dog camp’ but shamefully I was in the ‘it’s just a cat’ camp. Three weeks ago we had to put our cat Henry down due to neurological issues with his bowels. My wife rescued him a little over two years ago. I wasn’t happy because I didn’t want another animal and I sure as heck didn’t want a cat! Well, he chose me as his companion and the tough guy facade quickly went away and he became my bud. Three weeks ago I bawled like a baby when I took him to be put down. I’m no longer in any ‘it’s just a ….’ Camp because crow doesn’t taste so good.

Just showed up to my front door. I mean..not a fan of a looks, and not a solid feel like stella. I cant wait how this perform on a small topwater 😁

I painted this glide bait this week. It’s 12” long and weighs 20 ounces. Yes,it’s not for everyone but the big fish hunters I know will want one.