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Hi all, As some of you know my wife is a recent cancer survivor. We were so lucky to have an amazing hospital with a very good cancer center near by, and her treatment was top notch. She and I were exploring ideas on how we might give back and came across an Idea that is a good fit for us. Besides fishing, my wifes main hobby is quilting and we found out the hospital could use Lap quilts for patients during infusions, chemo to help keep them warm and possibly take home. So my wife has been busy making quilts and bags to keep them in. Here's one we hung up to photograph and one of the storage bags she is making. Thanks for looking

Hard to make ‘em look big if they aren’t, so I didn’t even try 😉 - lol. Kidding. Just 4 cookie cutters today on A-rig on another “too nice” of day. Water clear and floating around 48-50 degrees.

We had dinner with friends scheduled at 6:30, figured I would squeeze in a short trip to quarry from 5-6. Caught 5, all the exact same size. I’ve fished here for 3 or 4 years and never caught a bass of any different size haha. One of them had some black markings, pretty cool. Its eyes were bugged out too, I think I pulled it from way deep. It swam straight back down vertically when I let it go. Some parts of the quarry your lure never hits the bottom so no clue how deep. Fun way to pass an hour

"Best all around Texas Rig" consists of a bullet weight, hook, & a piece of plastic.

I've experienced 7 decades and my strength, balance, dexterity, and vision are failing accordingly. I've made several accommodations to continue my favorite pastime: 1. I tie my boat to the dock cleat from a boat cleat positioned mid-point of either side of the boat (not from bow or stern). Less stumbling around in the boat and is more stable. 2. I've rigged a wooden shovel handle to fit in a rod holder bracket to assist my balance when boarding and un-boarding when a sturdy dock post isn't available. 3. I wear a pfd ALWAYS when in the boat. 4. I wear a lanyard that carries fishing license, my personal identification AND a very loud plastic referee's whistle. 5. My phone is NOT in my pocket but near my driving seat. (It wont work after being dunked should I fall in) 6. I've given up any free standing when fishing (am always sitting or using a seat post) 7. I use a long handle net for boating most fish. 8. I anchor more often when in a stiff breeze. 9. I've begun using clips to attach crankbaits, top water lures and jerkbaits. If you've made other accommodations in your fishing I'd like to read them. oe

Since we seem to be on a roll with the dinks I'll share one too. I caught some of the fish that @roadwarrior doesn't like to see in January, but this is my first bass of 2025. It's not big, but it had nice coloration. Hopefully, it will hang around this area so I can catch it again when it grows up.

Tying knots has gotten a bit tougher, between the vision and a little dexterity loss. Getting more contrast between the line and a background helps some with the vision side, but the fingers only do what they will do.

Latest BPS order came in. $112 doesn’t go very far anymore.

77 going on 78. I fish mostly small lakes ponds thet are very deserted. I work out 4 t0 5 times per week to maintain strength and balance. I now fish from a 14 foot fiberglass boat where I can set or easily walk around inside the boat. My trailer is a tilt trailer with rollers instead of bunks. Also installed a electric winch with remote to launch and retrieve the boat. Can launch and retrieve with only trailer wheels on shore with 4wheel truck. Very few ramps where I fish. Also carry extra clothes, battery, first aid supplies and make sure loved ones know where I am.

I’ve long armed short armed and everything inbetween. If you get the whole fish in the picture , you’ve done well. Bonus points if you post in on bass resource

I'm in the middle of my 6th decade and very happy to have made it this far. My strength, balance, flexibility, dexterity, mental acuity, endurance, vision and hearing have all experienced some decline. It effects my fishing as well as most all of my everyday life. I manage my fishing trips so I don't use up so much energy I put myself (and others) at risk. Fatigue is a huge factor in many 'accidents'. I added a set of trailer steps at the bow. Significantly smoother getting on & off my rig now. At the ramp & in the garage. Finally, I am no longer able to resist the Bait Monkey. He's just too powerful. So I don't try. A-Jay

Way to get on the board @Fishlegs! Thread is a thousand times better when people post whatever fish made them happy enough to share it 🙂

I have to lean on the seat to run a foot control motor. I stand when using a hand control but have to take occasional breaks and sit down. The biggest change I have made is avoiding hot weather. No more fishing on 90plus degree days.

I'm 82 and the bow pedestal seat absolutely kills my back. Yesterday I ordered a stand up seat which adjusts from 45to 90 degrees, mostly used as a fighting seat in salt water; hope it works. I will take advice from the BR member who recently said he keeps the trolling motor remote control on his person, always; this in case he falls overboard with the trolling motor set on auto.

Most pro bass anglers are at their peak between 30-45 years old and a few stretch that to 25-55 years old. Rick Clunn the exception winning in his 70’s because he could fish and stay focused 3 days in row. Ever since Lowrance put the green box on the market finding bass became easer for each generation taking advantage of sonar technology to locate bass. It is now the same as it always was location, location, location to find bass regardless how it’s done. We age and our ability to carry the torch disappears before we know it. Tom

What we need is more rock bass, redeye, goggle eye photos…… oh no I’ve said too much

Got this custom painted SS SV103 in the mail to me. Has steez parts swapped out. 😕

Whenever this topic comes up, I'm always reminded of my friend Mike who fished with me. He'll turn 74 soon. His leg got shot up in Vietnam and he's had a limp since 1970. Sometimes he's just too tired to go. But he still loves fishing, and tells me he'll fish until he just can't do it anymore. He's in pretty good shape for his age, considering everything. He's also one of the toughest guys Ive ever known. He has a non quitter attitude about everything, and this is how he keeps going.

Ask a vague question, you get a lot of answers🤷‍♂️

@LrgmouthShad is right No, asking a question looking for a singular answer to make it easier to make your decision is next to impossible on a public forum. We all come at everything from our own experiences. It’s up to each to decide what’s best for them. You’ll just have to do what most have already done. Mike

🤣 No consensus. You already know. Like most threads, everyone gave their opinion based on their own experiences according to waters and seasons they are familiar fishing. We all try to find an answer or two that we think our bass might relate to. Trouble is they can’t read… dang that’s kind of a problem….

So, was there any consensus or 81 different answers to the “best all around Texas rig”?

This is a good topic for us old folks. Lots of good advice here. Poor vision is one thing I don't know how to counter. I used to be able to knock the nuts off a knat at 30 feet but no more. One day I cast a Whopper Plopper by a stick up and little did I know there was a lunker holding that limb and when the Plopper got in the strike zone that big 'ol bass pushed that stick right into the trebles!

At 68 I can relate to all of what OkobojiEagle listed. My balance has really worsened in the past few years. Now a days when I'm fishing from a boat I make sure I have an empty coffee can for the purpose of 'mother nature's call' so I don't have to stand near the edge of the boat.

TLDR: I’m not good enough to go to a new lake on my own and break it down in a day. @FryDog62 is correct in that these teams of kayak anglers have a huge advantage. They can cover lots of water in practice and share information. In this case, we had 14 lakes to choose from in a kayak that moves just over 3 mph. These lakes are all essentially very shallow with no humps, ledges, drop offs, stumps, etc. There are a lot of lily pads and maidencane (Kissimmee grass). The area had been cold for the two weeks prior to the tournament and with that the overly sensitive Florida bass shut down. But there was a warming trend leading up to the tournament and I suspected the bite would be on by tournament day. I was right. During the week of practice I fished Toho twice, Cypress, the southern end of Kissimmee, Hatchineha, and Rosalie. But come tournament day I gambled and launched at the north end of Kissimmee. I had done a lot of research and marked three waypoints, but the closest was a 90 minute run from the ramp. When I got there I found absolutely nothing. I hit the second waypoint and struck out again. I started out to the third waypoint, a major creek that was another 90 minute run. Twenty minutes in I changed my mind and headed for two minor creeks about 15 minutes away. The entire area was full of dense Kissimmee grass, which is like thick, heavy straw that is both matted and grows upward in the water. By now it’s almost noon - 4.5 hours into the tournament and I haven’t had a bite. The leader already has five fish on the board. I shut off my electronics and I tie on a Berkley Pit Boss and start pitching into the dense weeds and land my first fish right away. I got bit the rest of the day but couldn’t hook up. I lost two between 5 and 7 pounds. I had a ton of bites where I set the hook and the bait came flying back at me. It wasn’t until Day 2 that I figured out it was male bass moving the bait off a bed. For Day 2 I headed back to the same spot. I knew there were big fish there. This time, @FryDog62 joined my adventure. Within the first 30 minutes I got a big strike in the heavy Kissimmee grass and I saw her turn. She was 9-10 pounds and she was pulling my 400 pounds of loaded kayak through that heavy grass for a good ten seconds-and then I lost the hookup. I then moved to a different area and punched dense hydrilla and managed one keeper. I went back and fished the Kissimmee grass, had the males toy with my bait, and caught a few too small to submit. I saw the bass move further off shore in the outer bands of Kissimmee grass and they were active along the edges but I couldn’t get bit. One good thing came out of the tournament - I got comfortable with standing and fishing in my kayak. Actually, two good things - I met @Frydog62 and he’s a great guy. He’s also right - you need a team to be competitive. It will also slash expenses. So, maybe sometime we can get 4-5 members here to join up and do some damage in a future event.

This sounds like it should be in a classic novel. That is a seriously great way with words.

I caught this 7 1/4lb fish twice in three weeks, her weight only changed a few ounces and she only moved about 50 yards. Blind in her left eye and missing a chunk from the top of her tail. First time on a shakyhead and mag finesse worm, first week of January '21 Second time the 3rd week of January '21 on a crankbait.

Yea, been there, doing that. The most impactful change I've made, as far as fishing goes, it the amount of time I spend on the water fishing. About four hours of continual chucking and winding, or pitching, or worming, is all this 75yr old can muster. I may be in the boat longer depending on how far from the launch I travel, or how scenic the surroundings are, but the days of 8hrs. of continual fishing are gone.

And we've missed you, pal....good to see some 'old' faces again. As usual, @Glenn posts a video relating to what we're talking about - I truly believe he's got a vid on ANY subject relating to fishing hiding on his hard drive. Me: Get Bass Trek in the water this year, last year the hull never got wet.

To actually fish .. past 3 years have been .. challenging to say the least,, haven’t even been in the forum much in those 3 years .

I have started taking little blue, oh I'm sorry, wrong forum. All jokes aside, my mind has is not as sharp as it once was. In order to compensate for my ever increasing senior moments, I have started not only writing down the number and size of the bass I catch, but I also make a written note of the lie I plan on telling when asked about the number and size of bass I catch. This way I don't let the truth get in the way of a good story, and I don't make the unforgivable mistake of not letting the bass properly grow and mature as the story is told. One notebook for facts, another one for alternate facts, and a third book to remind me which facts are required in which situations.

Picked up this Daiwa Exceler LT for $62.89

Major tournament circuits have undergone a major transition in the last couple of years. Controversies have followed. This is not new to the sport. Outboard motor horsepower went from 150 to 250 and boats got bigger and more controversy followed. Rod lengths changed and more controversy followed. Electronics have seen the greatest technological advancements followed by more controversy. Frankly, I don’t care. The only thing that I do care about is the change in the culture. One positive about that is I’m willing to let technology pass me by. I prefer to stay in the era where I cut my basing fishing teeth. It’s like wanting to own a 72 Chevelle SS. That’s my era. I never want to know if our kids were boy or girl. That’s my era. I didn’t pass any torch. Others just learned to light their own.

This is the year I decided to set up an entirely separate tackle system for my kayak so I don’t have to rifle through my boat tackle to get what I want for each kayaking trip. In the last three weeks I’ve spent about $375 including the Bass Pro order I just placed but haven’t yet received. So this is only part of what I’ve bought. But about half of those spinnerbaits you see there are for the boat, and then I took a bunch from the boat to add to the kayak, as well as some more crankbaits, and a whole lotta plastics. I don’t fish jigs much so I only have a couple just to represent that area. Usually I bottom fish with a T-rig.

I found this hook a bit snaggy. Great hook but there is very little forgiveness when I’m fishing structure

Not stylish, but wait until you use one.

To get out and fish. It’s been challenging with health issues between me and my wife. I haven’t been on this site as much as I would have liked.

I'll turn 69 this summer. My main change is I no longer fish the lakes that require multiple portages and sleeping on rock. I fish close to home and limit my fishing to less than six hours. So true! I love the king! P. S. - I also bought some waterfront property and have a deck and two canoes there. I love fishing without having to carry my canoe, but I still carry my canoe more than half my trips to fish water other than my pond.

I’ll be 65 this year. I have a small inflatable that’s very stable when I’m sitting. It’s advertised as being stable enough to stand in, but I guess I’m not stable enough lol, so I remain seated. I’d love to be able to stand, but I’d rather stay high and dry. I also leave the water when I feel I’ve been out long enough. Some days that’s 6-7 hours and some days it’s 4-5. I listen to my body more than I did when I was younger. It’s smarter than I am.

Grabbed the last on sale megabass magdraft at local DSG $9.97

IDK...some of the residents there are kinda sketch.

Greetings All, It was pretty cool to see a big thick catalog sitting on the coffee table when I returned from work the other week. Yes, it brought back many fond memories of my youth spent musing about stuff that I could dream about. Funny growing up in rural areas the retailers had very limited in store offerings so most items required ordering to obtain. These days most things are a mere click away. The nearest BP shop is over 200 miles from me. On occasions I'll venture all the way up to the metro area just to physically shop. I find merit in being able to handle, inspect, before buying certain things. I will also work in some casting during those trips up there too. It wasn't till the other day when I was curious about the catalog since it had been quite some time since I did a BP purchase. Even longer since doing one on-line. So I flipped the catalog over to look at the customer ID used to deliver it. It was addressed to my wife! 😆 Hah! Be well, Cheers!

"they all look extremely ugly and ancient?" You probably wouldn't like any of my Conquest rods either. They are simple, functional, and I think quite attractive. They're fishing rods, not fashion statements. __________ You say 1994 like that's really old. That's cute. You're funny.

I went into this with low expectations, really doing this first time for the experience and I enjoyed it. A couple key learnings for me… First of all the people that did best were the ones that had the whole week to practice, a couple days just isn’t enough. But hey, I’m a consultant and that’s just the way it goes sometimes as the workflow goes up and down… hard to anticipate time off. The other learning is that having fished in the north most of my life, the approaches are obviously different as you go further south. I fished for decades in the Midwest and Canada which when it came to fishing weeds, the focus was always to find the greenest vegetation, pads, etc. I found out in Florida that during the pre-spawn and into the spawn that is not true at all. As the fish move up to bed, they actually go in the brown, dead Kissimmee grass. And grass is a misnomer… It is not soft blades at all, they’re like miniature little bamboo trees, very stiff and spiney, and very difficult to work lures in and around. Anyway, I wasted a lot of time fishing the wrong stuff. Hats off to Koz, he arrived to practice before I did and keyed me in on the Kissimmee grass, I only wish we would’ve pre-fished together sooner. He was great to meet. We had some good conversations and even shared some water together on the final day. We both have Autopilot 120s, and went the same speed, which is slower than most everybody else… Lol. Till next time!

This is the first year where I’m doing some much needed rest and relaxation this offseason. Focusing on clean eating, moderation, consistent workouts, doing lots of reading, playing my Martin D-18, and finding I enjoy my morning coffee in silence, looking out the window at the freezing landscape. Life has been hell the past few years and I’ve finally learned the art of finding joy in the small things, appreciating what you have, and to always stay humble. But……….come March 1st this boy will be rippin’ the lifted V8 to the nearest cooling lake to get his first lines wet of the year and will be going hard March thru November 😎

Troll post

Get out on the water more, learn a different technique, enter a kayak tournament or two.

Tell me about it . . . . I'm on that road as well. Hope you can keep it up. I say it's definitely worth it. #borninfiftynine A-Jay https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/198637-working-to-stay-lean-~/page/59/#findComment-3123107

Years ago I made a resolution never to make another resolution. It's the only one I've ever kept.