Chaz Hickcox

Yeah, Virginia Beach on south is a different animal to the rest of the state so I wouldn't suppose much of that would apply to the colder regions. Not to mention, around here you are in the deepest holes around if you're over 10 feet, unless you're on the intracoastal.

You have a point but here's something to think about as well. YOU chose to buy the boat, and YOU probably would be doing all the prefishing/tournaments without a partner. With that being said, splitting gas, tourney registration, and all of that straight in half would be perfectly fine. Mainly because if you and your partner win, then he should only feel obliged to pay you the boating cost for the day. Just because we own boats and our partners may not does not mean we can be snooty. Otherwise sell you boat and become a non-boater. I see my non-boater as another rod in the water on the way to a win. Without them along it's a lot harder sometimes. Therefore, it benefits me to have them along. In addition to that, they break down the overall cost over what I would pay anyways. So splitting gas and registration is a big deal. As far as making them pay everything, if I were them I'd find a partner that wasn't a snob. PS - '04 Pantera IV's aren't cheap, and neither is gas for it at $3.50 a gallon. One of the local marinas in my area has each angler pay the entry fee and the payout places are achieved by a number of anglers not the number of boats. I think that really is the best way to go. Then everyone pays for their own stuff, and I don't have to pay the same entry fee that two guys get to split.

Yes you are. They have been up in 8ft or less since late last month. Try 5 or less feet and as far as speed, that will depend on the day and whether or not there has been a warm spell, cold front, water temp, etc... Most of my fish this year have been on squarebilled cranks in less than 3 feet of water. Hell the first bass I caught this year was on a jig in less that two, and that was back in the first week of Feb. They're there, you just have to show em what they want. Try transition points and shallow water cover with immediate access to deep water. Last week they were probably up in the backs of creeks, but with this cold front they probably pulled out to the first shelves. That's where I'm going to start. Like KVD said, start where you the fish should want to be, then move in from there. Right now, if the water temp is still in the mid to low 50's I would start at the first shelves and move in from there. If it's higher, then the cold front means nothing and go to the back. Just my two cents.

thats what I was thinking when I saw em. Maybe if they made shorter ones like 3.5" it could be even better. New invention. It is a piece of metal with a sharp side. You can get some that even cut through BONE! Sorry, all those sarcasm posts, I couldn't help myself.

I would get away from the spooks too. They are my go to in the summertime, but right now I would stick to either spinnerbaits or squarebilled crankbaits. Even deeper cranks will work too. I also ALWAYS have a creature or a jig tied on my flipping rod. If the cypress roots look too good and they don't hit the movers, then you have to try it with a jig or soft plastic. If it looks like they should be there, they probably are.

I am going to have a few days for day tripping before, so I was thinking Big-O or Stick Marsh. As far as Stick Marsh, I heard it wasn't too hot after April. Is there any truth to this? Also, I was wanting to find a good place to get some serious punching on, it has kind of become my new thing and I was hoping to find a punch bowl lake to kill em on. The other post about Tampa had a lot of bad things to say about Tarpon, but if that's in the area, I can deal with it on days I don't have for day tripping.

which dogwoods :-? cornus kousa flowers about a month after cornus florida. Uhh, the tall ones?

Heading to the Tampa area in May. I will be dragging my Bass Cat PIV down there and am looking for a place to get her wet and find a big FLA bass. Thanks in advance.

Dude, you have to do a search in the search bar for the Xcal SB's. For some reason it's not shown when you browse the shallow crankbaits. No joy on the Rapalas though.

I saw that too. I think it would, but there is the extra weight factor that needs to be addressed with it. The extra weight may impact the action of the baits.

Last I heard about Dogwoods Master Guns was telling me, "When the dogwoods bloom, go to Kerr."

I have one of those little metal stick on EGAs between the Mercury and 200 on the back of my motor. It looks good matching the Merc symbol on the boat. The problem is, it looks too natural to be there and I have even had to point it out to other Marines. Trained observers huh?

X2, I use 17-20lb mono, it seems to float better and my sammies and spooks seem to walk better with the heavy line. I like the short rod so I can keep the tip down and work the bait without having the tip hit the water or the gunnel of the boat.

Hmm, interesting, but it makes sense. Alaska is pretty hard to get to.

I say we should import from the Republic of Texas, or maybe Alaska. I hear they are really hard working people and they don't have that pesky dictator thing getting in the way.

Try this: "Thank you for your tips on writing a resume. I have begun the search for sponsers, so I will send you a resume for your consideration. Thank you, Easternpafisherman" Everyone should have a second person read over an application/resume for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Find someone that is an avid reader, perhaps a business person, and over 35 years of age. You are absolutely correct with that comment! Not enough people actually have the self confidence to seek constructive critisizm. One thing I tell my wife to do is to type her posts/resumes on a word document and have the grammar and style checked along with the spelling, then I will read it to see what it says and how it could be said better. I would do that with my own stuff too, but I am very much in the middle of my career and have another ten years before I start looking for a new job. One thing people forget to ask themselves when looking for a job or new position is, "What benefits the sponsor/employer if they hire me instread of someone else?" Somone who actually believes in the product, or someone who is trying to accumulate sponsorships? Radical, thanks for the post. I hope you find the anglers you need to promote your goods! I see what you mean! HA!!! You got me! Yup, no one else read that before I posted! Now that is funny.

Try this: "Thank you for your tips on writing a resume. I have begun the search for sponsers, so I will send you a resume for your consideration. Thank you, Easternpafisherman" Everyone should have a second person read over an application/resume for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Find someone that is an avid reader, perhaps a business person, and over 35 years of age. You are absolutely correct with that comment! Not enough people actually have the self confidence to seek constructive critisizm. One thing I tell my wife to do is to type her posts/resumes on a word document and have the grammar and style checked along with the spelling, then I will read it to see what it says and how it could be said better. I would do that with my own stuff too, but I am very much in the middle of my career and have another ten years before I start looking for a new job. One thing people forget to ask themselves when looking for a job or new position is, "What benefits the sponsor/employer if they hire me instread of someone else?" Somone who actually believes in the product, or someone who is trying to accumulate sponsorships? Radical, thanks for the post. I hope you find the anglers you need to promote your goods!

Good thing France didn't say that in 1781.

Thanks to you! It's really good to know the last ten years have not gone without notice from all y'all. I do want to say one thing though, we do a job and you all thank us for it. There is an entire generation of guys from Vietnam who fought harder than we have and did not recieve their dues during that time. So in the spirit of making up for the lack of respect for them back when- THANK YOU VIETNAM VETS! Without your hard fought lessons learned we wouldn't be half as good as we are now. It's your lessons that we apply that have saved our lives.

basscatownersboard.yuku.com See for yourself.

Sell the boat and get a new one. That's what I did when my motor blew, and I will never second guess that choice.

I'm impressed. I've had the fiberglass fenders break apart on HMMWVs (Hummers) at retarded times. Of course that was just during regular use. When they shatter because they get shot or shrapnel tear them up it's somewhat to be expected.

Well they can't control the independently owned dealerships, but the whole 'we'll look at it' is strange. However there is the whole fiberglass warranty thing that should probably kick in. Something about a lifetime transferrable warranty that says they will likely take care of that, as long as they can determine your agent did not run into anything or hit it with anything.

Clearly you know your stuff. Those look d@$# good. Just curious, how do they hold up to the bumps and nudges during the races?

It's not new, but a 2004 model Pantera IV. For $18,000 this is an awesome ride. The only complaints I have are half of the electronics are old and the previous owner was a pain in the butt as far as getting the paperwork for the trailer taken care of, and there are some cosmetic issues (paint scratches) because of hard use by the previous owner in tournaments. Good notes: Trailer was built for the rig by BassCat (not FOR BassCat by another company). Smooth/Solid Ride. Comfortable large seating area. I am 6'1" and almost have too much room at the helm, almost.