Gatorbassman

Do you have a boat or do you fish out of a bag?

That's how I feel every time I ban somebody. Sorry I couldn't resist. Very well put. Life is to short to worry about the things we can't control. We need to enjoy life.

I remember that day like it was yesterday. I was stationed at Ft Gordon, GA. My wife and I were expecting our first son and we had one of my good friends and his family visiting for a few days. He was on his last leg of a duty station transfer up to Ft Bragg, NC. At around 8am we hugged and said our goodbyes and they were off. Thirty minutes later our life changed forever. My friend left my house in peace and arrived at Ft. Bragg with Bradley Fighting Vehicles armed at the gates. That morning I drove through the front gates of Ft. Gordon with no idea what work would be like from then on. I was scared for me, my family, and all my brothers in arms.

Oh man, did this ever fly off the track. Irene doesn't live with me so lets just say "Good Night".

My office

I would do exactly what I did yesterday. I guided two guys from Great Britian. Both were 60+ years old and had never touched a fishing rod in their lives. I had the wonderful opportunity to be a small part of an experiance that each of them will never forget. They both caught their first fish. The smallest was 4lbs and the largest was 5lbs.

Dude, Is that you? That's cool but what happens when it gets wet? ;D

Welcome to BR. I'm jealous. Logan Martin is one of my favorite lakes but it's too far away for me to fish it much. I love big Spotted Bass and that lake is full of them.

Welcome to the family. We even let coonasses in here.

I grew up in a house that was heated by a Buck Stove. My parents still live in that house and they still have the same Buck. Back then the lumber companies here in Georgia didn't have any use for oak so it was easy to find trees to cut. But we never had a log splitter. That was my job. I was 6 when I swung my first maul and 10 when I cut my first tree down. I remember that old McCullough 10/10. It was a beast and didn't have a safety bar. You guys got me thinking again. I might try to talk the wife into switching to wood this winter.

On my home lake we pray for bluebird skies and 15mph wind most of the year. We grab a Super Spook and have a blast catching topwater fish. This is because Clarks Hill is a Blueback Herring lake and the herring seem to go shallow when the sun is high and bright. This turns the bass on. Now on any other lake I'm grabbing a jighead worm or a jig, dipping it in JJ's Magic, and going searching for any shaded water I can find and working it hard. I'm looking for a reaction bite on a fast falling lure.

I don't have a favorite. I've dropped everything from a 4" Frenchfry to a 11" Zoom Ol' Monster. Whatever they want they get.

What a stupid question.

This time of year I'd drag a carolina rig up and down every point in that lake till I found fish.

I can't stand a partner that whines and complains all day long that he's not catching fish. I'm very lucky to have some great fishing partners though. They are always on time and work as hard as I do at finding and catching fish.

Don't leave fish to find more fish. Find a mentor. Practice, practice, practice, practice, practice accurate casting. Fish your strengths... There is no substitute for confidence.

My home lake has all floating docks and my favorite lake has post docks and I can tell you for sure that they prefer post docks. I have found one lure that can get under any low or floating dock very well. It's called the Dockapede by Reaction Strike.

The only thing I didn't like about that spool it that it was too deep. It would take alot of briad to fill it up and that can get expensive. IMO it just needs to be a shallow spool.

Putting time of year and map study aside, the first thing I do when I get to a new lake is look at is the color of the water. This helps me determine what color lures I will use. Then focusing on the river channel I will hit points and humps that are closest to the channel. Then I will go into pocket and creek arms that are associated with the outside bend in a river channel and work primary and secondary points all the way back. The whole time I'm using some type of search bait like a spinnerbait, crankbait, fluke, buzzbait. I make as many casts as I can. A huge thing I pay attention to is what is following my lure as I bring it to the boat. If I see a bass following it I know there are some in the area. Now I will slow down and grab a jig or a T-Rigged soft plastic and work the area over. Trying to figure out what mood the fish are in and at what depth they are hold to. That's the basics in a nutshell

This is exactly right. I know a few companies who have seen an increase in sales of products that have to do with the lower end type of fishing. (Bobbers, live bait, light tackle, and stuff to keep baitfish alive)

The ones that haven't expired yet are Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama

H20 cranks are just about all I use anymore. I'm afraid to count how many I have. lol They are quality at an awesome price. There frogs are OK... I little harder to walk than the Spro Bronzeye frog.

That and he never put fresh water in the livewells, even after adding the ice you have to change the water out every 3 or 4 hours and add more ice. I give several seminars every year on how to keep fish alive in your livewell. Especially during the Summer months. First of all never fill your livewell near the boat ramp or launch site. Wait till you get to your first stop. Then fill it up, treat it, and get it cooled down to below 75 degrees. Then maintain that cool. (I have a 54qt cooler that I fill with ice before a summer tournament. It takes up alot of space but my fish are alive at the end of the day.) If you've ever been diving in the summer time you will notice that the deeper you go the cooler the water gets. If you catch a fish as shallow as 12 feet and put it in livewell water that is the temperature of the water comes through your intake you will shock the fish and cause excessive stress. I always recommend you use Sure Life Labs' Catch and Release formula along with enough ice to keep your water temp below 70 degrees and aerate the water, at most you should only have to change the water out once during the day. Catch and Release is full of beneficial additives that result in a fish that will live well after it is released. I just wish boat companies would start insulating their livewells. All treatment chemicals are not the same. If you use Rejuvenade you run the risk of over stressing your fish.... Ever notice how many fish are up-side-down in the weigh-in tank at FLW weigh-ins. They will tell you it's because those fish were caught deep but that's not the truth. Those fish are on there way to the end of their life. Rejuvenade has chemicals in it that cause the fish to be excited. People think that's a sign that the fish are alive and healthy, but the truth is that the fish isn't excited... it's stressed. You can tell this by lifting a gill plate and examining the color of the gills. A healthy fish will have bright red gills and an over stressed fish will have pale pink gills. Every fish that I've ever seen come out of Rejuvenade water has had pink gills. The fish may not die at the weigh-in but it will die in the next day or two after release. I wish all Tournament anglers, pros included, would open their minds as I have and educate themselves on the right way to treat the fish that they are taking to weigh-in.

I'll say what I've said for the past three years. If an SEC team makes it through their season without being killed by injuries received while playing other SEC teams then they will win the BCS Championship.

OK here's my little secret...... A little quality time with your wife and kids will get you more time on the water. Ever since we started a date night she has no problem with me fishing every day I can.