Chaz Hickcox

Does it help the issue with the US2 Sonar?

Try some beetle spins. I have some friends who have killed the pickerel in the ponds on those. As for everything else for the ponds I would say that topwater in the mornings and finesse type worms the rest of the day. That's about all I can say about the ponds around here. Back Bay and North Landing River are a completely different story. You have to think of Back Bay more like a bowl lake with a lot more flow on the south side than the north. When the grass gets thick, which should be soon (I've heard it is but have yet to see it). Rage Tail Shads and Toads are money, if the water is low. Flipping the grass when the water is high is good too. White is the key color on Back Bay. The rivers are a different story. There is a lot of wood there and flipping/pitching is a key pattern, as well as finesse around them. Square billed crank baits are money in the fall, banging them off of laydowns and what not. Hope this helps.

Where you going? What are you using? Yeah it is, but to me there's more satisfaction with working for it rather than waiting for them to do what's natural.

Just had my brand new Veritas break in the middle of a cast, and I was no where near the max weight for the rod. They're going to replace it, but I won't be buying another.

If they are pulling water go with crankbaits on the points. I haven't been there in awhile so I'm not sure of the color, but any shad color generally is good. They will be up shallow in the morning, and I bet you will be able to pull a limit from flipping the brush up shallow all day. The better fish will be deeper on flats. Also, if you're going to use jigs black and blue is NOT working this year. Brown with GP or straight GP jigs this year. Apparently we did a little too well with black and blue last year on that lake. That's about all I've got.

Finding free contour maps is darn near impossible. However, they aren't all that expensive. Here's a link to fishing hotspots maps. On this page you should be able to find Champlain. If you back up some in it you will be able to choose whichever state you want, NH or VT and choose your body of water. Tight lines! http://www.fishinghotspots.com/e1/pc/viewcategories.asp?idCategory=42&pageStyle=L

X2

Wayne, REALLY?? I'm sorry I didn't use the proper nomenclature. I have dual HDS-7s with an LSS-1 Structure Scan Module, only linked to one unit thus far. Just gotta stop being a cheapo and get the other chord. And yes, I rarely use them in super shallow water unless I am trying to get an image of what the rest of a laydown looks like and if any fish are holding on it. Now when I go to deeper water like Gaston, Kerr, Chick or the Patomac then yes it is a valuable tool. Just not most of the time in the water I fish. Since when does proper nomenclature really mean that much when I'm just trying to lend a guy a hand? Not to mention I got it for that reason, but since I've owned it they've been holding in creeks where the average fish holding depth has been 1.5-2.5ft. Now that they are post spawn I will be using the hell out of it in 4-5ft water, as long as the milfoil mats aren't too thick. If that becomes the case, which it will in some areas, then I have some really expensive thermometers. Don't try to be all high and mighty next time because of nomenclature.

Don't know the ponds too well but I fish Back Bay and North Landing River all the time. What are you planning on doing? If you're not in a boat I would suggest going to West Neck Marina and renting one of Dewey's jon boats. Nearby in Chesapeake is Bob's Fishing Hole. They too have jon boats for rent. As far as ponds, not a whole lot out there because most of them are private. If you're on your own boat let me know. I can get you on some fish.

La 2003 Cougar FTD Mercury 250 XS Hydraluic Jack plate New 2011 Seats http://basscatowners.yuku.com/topic/17658/La-2003-Cougar-FTD-Mercury-250-XS-Hydraluic-Jack-plate-New-2 Look at a used BassCat. Tx Ready for $30-$35,000. Any boat in that size brand new is going to be $40,000+. If you go with a BassCat and transfer the lifetime hull warranty you are elegible for their Quest Owners' Incentive. That is whether it is a 1971 or 2011, first or 40th owner BassCat Boat. It's the best incentive program out there because all you have to do is own a Cat, no upgrades, Ranger 4 years old or newer, Triton I think is the same as is Nitro, or close to it. The company could care less if you buy new, from a dealer, or private party. If you own one of their boats you are in 'the Family.' They are worth it. Also look at the Puma FTDs in the 2008 to 2009 range for the price you are looking for. Premium quality boats with excellent customer service.

I would second that inshore rod idea. Look at these. http://www.basspro.com/St--Croix-Mojo-Surf-Spinning-Rods/product/10204574/-1643764

Q1: Depends on your lake/river/time of year and patterns the fish are holding. I fish a lot of shallow water 4ft or less, my Side Scan is more of a toy than anything most of the time. Q2 and Q6: Yes get a contour map of the lake to find starting points. On the map you will see lines with numbers on them. If you find where the lines are spread out you have a gradual fall in the depth, or it's a flat. If the lines are all crunched up and there's a bunch of them, that's a drop off. Take early summer patterns into considerations for now. The fish are transitioning from the beds and going to their summer haunts. With that being said find a point with a hump on the end of it next to a steep drop off, if you can and they exist. Use your finder to find bait or bass on the hump and fish it with your confidence baits. Some like crankbaits, some like big jigs or plastics, find something they want and go from there. Q3 and Q4: Look for the arches. Now you can turn your fish ID on, however once you start getting the hang of your electronics you will find they perform better without the ID on. Look for the fish, a good thing about the electronics is they not only show where the fish are, but where they're not. Just keep in mind the image you're going to get is a cone directly under the transducer, whether it be in the stern on on the TM. So, if you find some structure you may want to give it some time because your sonar may have missed the fish. Q5: Baitfish. You will see the bottom clearly, then suspended somewhere between the bottom and your deucer you will see a blob of 'something'. In no real shape, just whatever ball the school is in at the time. That's your baitfish. If you mark them, but no individual fish, fish it anyways. That's when you can guess that your sonar cone has missed the individual fish. Be aware of your surroundings, sometimes a tree branch will be suspended and you only catch the end of the laydown. It will look exactly the same as the baitfish. In the attached picture (I know not your model, but it had the best screenshot for me to describe). You will see many fish with the 'arches' suspended above the cover on the bottom. In addition to that you will see a ball of bait slightly suspended off the bottom. Notice how it's not attached to anything like the structure is near it. The structure normally will look attached to the bottom. On the right of the screen about mid way up you see a random blob under a fish, that is more baitfish being harrassed by probably both fish above and below it. Notice the depth change from 54 ft to gradually shallower. That will be where the contour lines on the map seem evenly spaced, not scrunched together, but moderately close, depending on how many feet are covered by each contour line (that would be covered in the map legend on whatever map you buy). I'm no expert but I hope this helps.

My guess is that it's underpowered. At 22.5ft long with only a 200HP on it, it's probably on the low end of what it's capable of. Also, check the hours on the motor, ask for a compression check, see if there's any warranty info from Merc, and see if they have any maintenance history on the motor as well. I've got an '04 Opti and it's kicking like a mule, but the coils tend to go bad on them from time to time. I haven't had any issues, but I have heard such. Just keep that in mind.

Look into the BassCat Sabre FTD as well. Good product with a better company backing that product, no matter if you buy privately or from a dealer. It's the same size as both boats you are looking at. It would be a little more than the Nitro, less than the Ranger, but IMO higher quality than both. Or you could do like I did and find an excellent quality used Pantera class boat. Better ride than both Ranger and Nitro. Again, this is just MHO, but check it out, don't limit yourself.

It's ok, I've been using one for the last year. Definitely not the best Abu Reel out there. I got it for flipping and pitching. Any real casting and it would be absolute junk. Not to mention I use my Revo's for that. If I had it to do again I would have just bought another Revo SX off of EBAY. For $30-$40 more you can get a quality used Revo that will be more versatile. Also, it's a Black Maxx

That looks really clean and in great shape. Gas, Oil and Water will keep her running forever. Nice new to you ride!

Keeping the bucks no matter what time of year won't hurt your bass population, in fact it should help it.

Hardly, I get on some good patterns every now and then, but I get the question mark over my head A LOT. I'm new to this east coast, shallow muddy water. Grew up fishing deep gin clear reservoirs in Az.

Try it on EVERYTHING! If they keep swatting at topwater, ie spooks and poppers, put some megastrike on. If they are just nipping crankbaits and barely getting the back hook, put a glob right on the backside of the bill where it meets the bait. Flip a spinnerbait upside down and put a big glob under the skirt where the hook meets the lead. Actually, can someone tell me something megastrike DOES NOT help? Seems like that would be a shorter list.

I've done it, but I prefer baitcasters. They seem to winch them out of the cover better and more efficiently, IMO.

I used to feel the same way until I had a BPS's anti-reverse blow up on me during a hook set this past weekend. Fish took the frog, waited, and set hard. The spool popped then went backwards. Went straight over to my Revo SX (that I bought used on EBAY for less than a BPS reel) and no more problems. I'm with you on saving money. I won't buy hardly anything brand new anymore because I can get lightly used for less than half the price. All of my Revo's I got for $80 or less. The fall is the big time to get that stuff. People will buy new in the spring and want to offload for the next year's models so they ditch them in the fall. Only problem there is most companies won't transfer the warranties. Quality is my motivating factor in all of that. Keep that in mind.

Your looking for knees on the cypress trees. If you have wood next to grass you're better off. On the rivers you need to be beating the banks, for right now. Windy points with a lot of wood on it is good too. Had another high count fishing day today. Lots of short fish though. Out of about 20 fish I only had one keeper. The best spots usually have some cypress trees away from the shoreline. Even if it's only a small area toss your worm, frog or buzzbait behind the tree.

I second this. I use both the Tech Specs and the Lightning rod shocks and love the hell out of them. Most of my budget for gear is in my boat payments so I have to be tight as well. Also look at Ebay for some used stuff. I just got a Veritas for $58 bucks.

Try the Fin-Tech Title Shot Series of jigs. You get the weedlessness of a T-rig with the presentation of a compact jig. You have to add skirts yourself though.

NE rivers are on right now. From the Chowan to the Currituck, any river on the north side of the Abermarle is on fire. 30-40 fish day on Saturday (lost count).