Gatorbassman

No not at all. What you need to do is fill out a volunteer form so they can do a background check. You can get one from whatever scoutmaster you talk to. Tell the scoutmaster that you want to teach the fishing merit badge. He should give you all the requirements for the badge and you should give him all your contact information. The boys should call you and set up times where you can meet. You might be required to take a class or two on how to protect yourself. For example the biggest thing to know is never be alone with a boy. Always have another adult with you. The badge is about 3 to 6 hours of instruction and one or two fishing trips. But the instruction can be done on the fishing trip. It sounds like alot of work but it's not and the rewards are great.

I teach the fishing merit badge for several Scout Troops in my town. That would be one place to start. I limit my clast to a max of two or three boys at a time.

Gerald came to my body of water just a few months ago for a tx. (Clarks Hill) I talked to him as he was packing up his stuff to go. He said, and I quote. "I got beat like rented mule." I think I could have taken him on that day. That morning I put three over 5lbs in my boat just fishing for fun though. But on one of his many good days I would be toast.

Yes, once again. This web site has it all. Go to the Tacklebox at the top of your screen. Click on the Fish Weight Calculator and there it is. I also do a lot of back country hike in fishing and I use a little lightweight scale I got at BPS for 10 bucks. It looks like this.

30 each day I fish. You have got to be kidding. Last year alone I fished 228 days that doesn't include the ones I forgot to log in. That's 6240$ if my math's correct. I would be a hobo after that. Because my wife would kick me out of the house and divorce me and take everything I had and that would be it for fishing. That's just bad economics. Grubber if you can go to Wally World and pick up something that works for you for under 5 bucks I say great for you. You are better than me.

What kind of docks, wooden post or floating. Black plastic floats or white Styrofoam floats.

That just smells "fishy". Pun intended.

I wish I could go lure shopping and just spend 5 bucks.

Jig fast or slow

When your tan stops just above your elbow.

Winter--swimming jig head with Super Fluke Jr. Spring-- Large Spot Remover with Yum Craw for bed fishing, Zoom Super Fluke and Hubs Chub for post spawn Top-Water. Summer-- C-Rig, Spot Remover with Finesse Worm, Deep Crankbait Fall-- All of the above

Take it in and get it looked at.

It might be because Ranger hasn't given them one yet. I have fished out of both. My tournament partner just traded his VX in for a Z a few months ago and I love the new Z. I just wish he would have gotten a double console. The Z is very fast (225hp Z20 goes about 73mph). It gets up out of the water quicker than the VX. But cost about 42,000+. Cha-Ching. And because it is a brand new design it has had a few bugs that have had to be worked out. But Ranger fixes them fast.

When did you tie the knot? A few times this year I have set the hook on my first fish of the day only to have it break off on the set. It is then that I relize that I tied the knot the day before. How old is your line? Has it been sitting in the sun for a couple of hours? Did you wet the line before you tighten the knot? These are just some of the questions you sould be asking yourself.

On occasion I fish a very clear lake in North Georgia. It is much like the one you described. My Father-in-Law is a diehard finesse fisherman. He introduced me to a great clear lake finesse style of fishing. It was developed by Charlie Brewer years ago. It is called the Slider Method. It uses very light line and small straight worms on weed less jigs. It is fished very slowly and is very adaptable to many types for structure and bottom conditions. There is a book that Charlie wrote describing everything about it. Do a Google for Charlie Brewer Slider and go to his web site. This method has helped me a lot when the fishing gets very tough and I have given up on all my go to panic baits.

I had the same conditions two years ago and the pattern I found was just like D. These are staging areas but when a cold front moves in they become holding areas.

When your wife calls from the Wal-Mart parking lot mad as h*ll because she leaned into the minivan to get the kid out and got hooked on her pants by a crankbait you left there.

Man that is how I got started in bass fishing. My dad only fishes small streams or creeks. So that is what I did when I was growing up. I didn't get into bass fishing until I was able to drive myself to the lake. Then I fished from the bank for the next 10 years. It sounds like you are doing all the rite things. Those Woo Daves videos are good. This site is great and anything you can suck into your head about fishing will only help. I spend allot of my time teaching guys how to fish so I am full of suggestions. Here are a few. 1. Practice. Like anything that you want to get better at, you must practice. Go fishing as much as you can. Take what you read and learn out to the lake with you and put it to use. 2. Be the bait. Try to imagine what that lure is doing in the water. Your rod and line is the only thing connecting you with the lure. Learn the difference between everything you bump into. You can do this by casting into some clear shallow water. Work you lure a few times over things like logs, tree limbs, rocks, grass, and so on. Then close your eyes and do the same thing. Memorize what it feels like. Anything that feels different is probably a fish. Woo says it in one of his videos. Learn what a fish bite doesn't feel like. Anything different from that is a fish. Also note what it takes to make the lure hop a few inches and what it takes to make it hop several feet. It doesn't take much movement in the tip of your rod to make it hop three or four feet. Now take what you have learned about you lure and fish with it. I even go as far as repeating over and over in my head Be the Bait. This keeps me thinking about what the lure is doing and if I am making it look natural. 3. Hook up. Get together with someone in your area that is experienced and ask him or her to take you fishing. Be prepared to help with gas money and don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions. I found my tournament partner by walking up to him at a gas station and asking if he needed some help paying for the gas he was putting in his boat. I paid for half and he took me fishing. We have been fishing together ever since.

You should also take a hand held GPS out with you and get out on the bank and mark the structure. I spend hours and hours every winter walking miles of shore line with my GPS in one hand, my map in the other and a box in my backpack to put all the lures I find in.

Yea but I love when the scratches are on the palm of your hand after you grab that 7+lb fish. That's where you want them.

I agree with heresdustin. Give it a little twitch and continue with the retreive but only for 4 or 5 more turns of the handle. If she doesn't come back don't waste another second. Bring it in quick and toss a plastic back at her. Last night I was fishing a team tourny and my partner had a fish miss a buzz bait. I tossed in behind him with a finesse worm on a jig head and brought the fish to the boat. It's very important to have a follow up bait ready at all times. I put mine down at my feet and fish barefoot to keep from stepping on it.

jonsptz, Where in SC are you from? If you live anywhere near Strom Thourmond I am game to take you. I live in Augusta Ga.

I fish a lake where the biologist was begging us to keep every fish under 14 inches. He said the same thing everyone else has. Keeping the smaller ones helps the bigger ones get bigger and healthier.

< 1ft visibility Muddy < 2ft " Murky < 3ft " Stained < 5ft " Slight Stain > 5ft " Clear This is not gospel but it's what I use.

I have no Favorites anymore. I just use what works that particular day. If you have a favorite that you use every time or so, you will tend to get tunnel vision and miss the chance to cast what is working best for that particular situation.