A-Jay

I'll wear gloves for a long cold morning or late afternoon run up/down Lake Menderchuck. However I HATE wearing anything besides 'sun gloves' (which I will wear just to take the chill off.) But any & all types of 'winter' gloves I've tried (and I've tried them all) are just to bulky and seriously detract from my ability to fish effectively. At this point (and after a couple of decades on the north Atlantic in the winter) I can tolerate the cold OK. Times when I can't, my guides & reel are usually freezing up. At that point I call it a day. 🥶 A-Jay

Well, I detailed, polished & waxed the rig before I put into hibernation. Reels are already cleaned, lubed & respooled. Organization is a never ending and on going process. But I am still prepping a bunch of reels for re-sale after the new year. A-Jay

Completed Workout Day 3. Felt like I had a little extra in the tank for this one so I tried to take advantage of it. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Just a total guess but I'm picking windshield seal. Good Luck A-Jay

Warm and rain up here to. Snow not gone yet but I expect it to be before the cold comes back. Feel like late March not late December. A-Jay

I fish that bait and IMO, as far as castability is concerned, it doesn't seem any better or worse than any other A-Rigs I've fished. Again, I believe the way the rig is casted, determines how it eventually lands & runs. Additionally what weight heads are used and where they are positioned on the rig can be a factor. I usually use all 1/8 oz heads but if I am going up in weight the heavier baits are always positioned on the bottom arms of the rig to act like a rudder. I looked for some video of me casting an A-Rig and I found this from a few years back. It's actually a day where a spinnerbait produced, but I started the day with the A-Rig. This was a SK short arm bait I no longer fish because the brown bass were tearing the arms off it during the fight. Here a a couple of casts . . . I am and still use a 7'6" MH Mod Fast Graphite stick and 15-17 lb FC. https://youtu.be/Z95g3H4qmp0?feature=shared&t=41 btw- in the video, if you slow down the playback speed, you'll be able to see the rod load a little better. A-Jay

X2 ~ Nailed It. I came here to make this exact comment. Letting the rod load on the cast helps deliver the A-Rig smoothly. It's like casting a chandelier regardless, but if it's tumbling wildly mid cast, there's a good chance it will foul up on the landing. Which will totally FUBAR that cast. All we can do at that point is reel it in, fix it, and try again. A-Jay

Me too @J Francho - It's what initially drew me to check them out in the first place. That and they were essentially giving them away at the time. A-Jay Yes and Yes . . My sticks are 'rated' for 1/2 to I think 1 1/2 oz. But with 15 FC I throw 3/8 Wiggle Wagons with a Zako Trailer no problem. Also I rarely fish spinnerbaits less than 1/2 oz and most are pushing 3/4 and more. A-Jay https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/profile/13860-a-jay/?status=6989&type=status

I have no experience with the rods you've listed. However, I do not recall anyone ever complaining that they were bogus stick. My choice and the blank pictured in my OP is a TW exclusive Daiwa DX Type-H Glass Reaction Casting Rod 7'3" Heavy. I think it was $88 bucks at TW. (Somehow I ended up with 7 of them) They have since discontinued this stick and instead offer these two. Both very reasonably priced. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Daiwa_DXB_Bottom_Contact_Special_Casting_Rods/descpage-DDBXBCS.html https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Daiwa_DXB_Glass_Reaction_Bait_Casting_Rods/descpage-DXGRB.html A-Jay

Thanks ~ I've got a few one them I like but this one is right up there for me too. (it's my screensaver right now too) https://youtu.be/ex3v1uogEcg?feature=shared&t=80 A-Jay

OK ~ There's something to be leaned (I've been there) and something to be remembered. The remember part is also the first rule of Italian Driving. And I'm Italian A-Jay

Just scored our tickets for the New Years Eve Bash. These were super hard to get but we expect this night will be Slammin' 🤪 A-Jay

I'm coming back with another 'fish of the year.' I was fishing Lake Menderchuck in Mid Sept, the day before the full moon. And while I'm not a huge lunar fishing follower, I do like to note when there's a full or new moon as I've had some memorable catches 3 days before & after both deals. Anyway, I had got out on the water early looking for a topwater Brown bass bite on a big flat. Wind was up a bit so I threw a spinnerbait around for a while instead and landed a nice smallie. As the morning worn on, I had fished a couple of different baits, jerkbait, A-Rig and a vibrating jig, trying to generate another big bite. The bottom here is a mix of isolated weeds and sandy bare spots. Fish often hold close to the bottom at the edges of the weeds. While targeting the inside turn on this one larger bare spot, I made the cast I wanted placing the a 1/2 oz vibrating jig right in the middle. As the bait approached the closest weed edge, it 'slowed down'. Initially I thought the lure was bogging down in the weeds. I was wrong. Instead, there was the unmistakable surge of something big. Didn't know what I had, just didn't expect it to be on long as I was feeling seriously under gunned. (15 lb Tatsu FC and no wire leader) Finally identified it as a submarine size musky and the fight was on. If I wanted to land it, and wasn't sure if I even could, I wasn't going to be able to pressure this fish much, so I didn't and it worked out. She was a beast and I could hardly hold her. Haven't had a fish in the Lund that I couldn't actually hold for a picture, I think ever. But this was one of those. Her release was mostly on her terms but she seemed to be swimming off OK. This is the kind of by-catch that always gets my attention and is a welcome distraction. Here's the fish and the video Fish Hard A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ Nice Introduction A-Jay

Not certain how you might do it, but this is how I define 'advantage'. A-Jay

Workout Day 2 for my post Christmas training. Felt pretty good. Hoping to keep a healthy head of steam as the New Year approaches. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

I am not inclined to comment on the situation in the OP. The victims are they only ones who know what happened. I will say that there have been literally hundreds of these type threads on this forum over the 16 plus years I've been a member. Boating Safety has been around far longer yet the loss of life on the water continues year after year. Seeing this stuff first hand, up close and personal never got any easier for me. Just gut wrenching. The one constant over my almost 3 decades of involvement with this, is that bad stuff happens to good people all the time. On both commercial and recreational vessels. And that includes the folks charged with trying to 'help'. IMO, there are plenty of rules & regulations including sufficient public awareness that being an advocate or not for one's own survival, is a personal choice. However, as a 'Vessel Operator' there are some legal and liability matters to consider. Passengers safely on 'your' rig is your responsibility. Not knowing the regulations does not give one a pass. Rule 2 - Responsibility (a) Nothing in these Rules shall exonerate any vessel, or the owner, master, or crew thereof, from the consequences of any neglect to comply with these Rules or of the neglect of any precaution which may be required by the ordinary practice of seamen, or by the special circumstances of the case. This is where ALL the rules and Regulations come from and it's available just about everywhere books are sold. There's plenty of On line versions as well. https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/navigation-rules-amalgamated Believe it or not, they even apply out on Lake Menderchuck. Stay Safe A-Jay

YOU do Not Need to Purchase anything. Your Son does. Good Luck A-Jay

Totally joking my friend - Lynn & I have been binge watching Law & Order, (for like 20 years LOL) and we say this all the time. Especially when it totally doesn't apply. We're weird like that . . . A-Jay

Been on that road myself. No doubt it's a rough ride. In the midst of the termoil please don't forget to take care of yourself. We'll be hoping for the best for you and yours. A-Jay

I use ALL 3 of these hooks mentioned. Just about anything with a treble hook. IMO, they are superior to most any stock hardware offering, with only a few exceptions. The Magic eye goes on my lightest line bait applications. So 10 lbs line/leader and under. The Mustad goes on slightly heavier deals of 12-15 lb line. The ST-35's I use on the 'fattest' or big bodied cranks and topwaters. Helps get the hook points off the bait to allow for a better hook up percentage. Don't forget match your split rings and line tie to the rest of your hardware. I take a pretty deep dive into the treble hook rabbit hole right here . . . https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/241684-treble-hook-replacement-~-one-man’s-theory-application/ Good Luck A-Jay

"Objection, calls for speculation" (I hope) A-Jay

My bass catch of the year happened 24 April 2024. I planned my trip to this lake specifically to do exactly what I did. However, I've done that a few thousand times over the years, with varying levels of success. This Lake Menderchuck is a little over an hour away so I had plenty of time to contemplate a few different plans of attack before my arrival. Once on scene, I was faced with pretty much exactly what I hoped for. Some sun, a mostly stiff SW wind and water and air temps that bordered on perfect for the pre spawn bite I was hoping to get on. No other boats (pretty common) and clear, clean water conditions. All of this indicated I would be going with Plan A - Jerkbaits in 8-10 feet. Didn't take too long to find the brown bass and for the next couple of hours I proceeded to have a really good day. Multiple schools of 3-5 lb brown bass were up and feeding. Then I got one over 6 lbs. And now I'm really starting to think something special was happening. A couple more big 5's on the scale and then . . . . .It happened. I had really zeroed in on what part of the edge the bass were using and it seemed like any errant casts or a bad boat position in that wind would not get any bites. So as I approached this one very promising little flat on an inside turn, I took my time, Taloned down in the right spot and made my cast. About a 1/3 of the way back to the boat my 7 ft spinning rod loaded up. And after just landing a solid six, I was pretty sure this was a bigger specimen. I even said the old phrase I always say once I feel the weight of a big fish in the spring, "Hope it's a Bass". As often times the biggest mutants are not; walleye, trout, pike and even musky have been known to dupe me more than once. But not this time. Not knowing for sure what was stripping all that line off my reel, I took my time landing the fish, and I Mean I went SLOW. Seemed to take forever to get the fish on the leader as she dogged me every inch of the way and stayed deep. Admittedly there were a few "Oh MY GOD" moments once this freak came busting to the surface boat side and I got my first looks at her. #likeadream. Eventually got her in the Frabil and once the scale finally confirmed it, I had landed the second 7 lb Brown bass of my life. I was beyond excited and truly at a loss for words. No sooner was she on deck, she was swimming free back to the depths. Clearly I am happy to have landed such an awesome fish, but truth be told, I am very proud of the 6 years of 'preparation' it took to even get a shot at it. From keeping me, my rig & my tackle in prime shape to be ready when the moment came. And then to execute successfully when the pressure was on. All real confidence boosters moving forward. Picking the right place, the right time and the right presentation can't be overlooked either. Here's the fish . . . And here's the video . . . Fish Hard A-Jay

For any single mostly stout gauge hook presentation such as jig, spinnerbait, Vibrating jigs and even some of the meatier single top hook swim baits, I totally prefer a MH or even H moderate fast stick, and it's often some combination of graphite & Glass. Especially when I'm launching casts well away from my rig. Having the benefit of video replay allows me to see exactly what's going on with the gear I'm using. I want my stick to look just like this on long distance hooksets and then as long as I am able to keep reasonably tight on the fish, maintain that bend to put the fish in the Frabil. btw, I use FC 95% of the time, sensitivity has never been an issue and I get a few. A-Jay