Darren.

Welcome aboard, and congrats!

I use 20# regular Power Pro on my Chronarch 50e. Caught my PB on an old Accurist that I happened to have spooled with 10# Fireline and a 10# leader....

Been in bloom since Friday here on the Peninsula. Some, not all. I've got one that's a little behind the rest. Hope to get out some time during the week.

Welcome aboard, Steve!

That is just downright nasty (what the hillbillies do, that is)!! Obviously it works great, but DANG! This whole deer carcass thing reminds me of that scene in Dances With Wolves where he finds the dead deer in the water which is supposed to be his drinking/bathing/everything water.

Gosh, I feel sorry for ya, mate. That musta been nearly unbearable. And your analogy is good, though I've never had a Bell's. I'd probably opt for some Dragon's Milk or Yeti.... Although (ducks for cover) I actually enjoy Bud Light Platinum.

Welcome aboard! I'd start you with, IMHO, the simplest setup, the wacky rig. Nearly every beginner I've helped has had great success with it. Buy some Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap hooks in size 1 or 1/0 (a little thicker and larger) and then some BPS Stick-O worms (or Senkos) in 4 1/4" or 5" (I personally have more success with the shorter). I'd recommend Watermelon Magic, Junebug, Green Pumpkin black flake, and Green pumpkin/Orange laminate (suggestions). Once you have the hook tied on your line, bend the worm in half and slide it on to the hook perpendicular to the hook. Cast it out and be patient, let it fall. It will shimmy and shake and bass, if they're there, will normally hit it on the fall. If nothing, lift your rod, reel in a bit and let it fall again...rinse and repeat. Simple, effective, and a start. As others have shown, there are *MANY* ways to fish for bass. Start simple.

First, welcome to the forums, and welcome to beautiful, YELLOW (pollen) Virginia! Are you shore-bound, or fishing from a boat/kayak? I'll be honest, I love the robo worms, and bought a bunch on A-Mart's recommendation, but they just don't produce for me here. On drop shot I have TONS of success with the Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm in Watermelon Red, and Watermelon GP laminate. Killer up on the Peninsula, but not always. Sometimes they just don't bite. The other things I recommend here are wacky rigged 4-4 1/4" Senkos or knockoffs in watermelon magic, green pumpkin/orange laminate, junebug, etc. Next would be the Ned rig, which I started fishing the past year and had some great success with numbers. Good luck, and keep us posted on what you try. There are several here that are in the VA Beach area that could give some great advice for ya, too. EDIT: I'd add that you should try some frogs and other top water lures over the lily pads, if you haven't already.

Welcome aboard!

I bought a black BPS Carbonlite 6'6" ML Fast casting rod to pair with one of my Chronarch 50e reels (now down to one). Works fantastic with weightless 4" senkos, 4.75" Zoom Finesse worms, Yamamoto Shad Shape Worms, and a great many other "lighter" baits.

Agreed. Low budget site, but quality product from reviews I've read over the years.

Welcome aboard, Merlin! Great name you share with a legendary wizard. Perhaps you will become a legendary bass wizard!

I generally do one or two arm length stretches, i.e., I grab one end with left hand, stretch arms out and grab line with right hand either once or twice.

Good question. I throw Junebug far more often than b&b, not sure why, but when I was throwing a lot of b&b I did catch some nice bass, but then that color just stopped catching. When I added JB to the mix, the catch rate has been far more consistent year-around. Totally unscientific, just my experience.

Welcome aboard! I use braid + leader all the time, for many of the reasons above, and one more. Cost of braid for mainline. I prefer to keep my braid as long as possible. I retie, often, many times when out on the water, so cutting down a leader saves braid...FWIW.

Fantastic! But. I think you need a bigger ruler

There are many great options out there for either buying outright or DIY. CTug is good, here's another one that is what I based my DIY on. Trail Trekker: http://paddlelogic.com/trailtreker-kayak-carts.html They also offer a lifetime guarantee on all parts, fix or replace free. If I had the $ to buy one, I'd have bought one w/o question. The CTug did not work well with my Native Ultimate, but does with a great many yaks.

Good luck. Heavy jigs into the wind, otherwise cast with the wind at your back if you can. Use it to your advantage as best as you are able .

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard! Some beautiful pics of the river!

Geez Louise! What a hawg!! Congrats all around!

Native Ultimate 12 (2008 model) Pic below of older motorized setup. Better setup now, but don't have current pic. Pros: Massively customizable Stability, esp. secondary stability Ability to stand and fish Bare boat only 55-57#, easy to load Hybrid between kayak/canoe Easy to paddle Easy to outfit with trolling motor setup Cons: No scupper holes (minor issue to me) Umm, can't think of much else

I use the uni-to-uni with braid to fluoro with no problems at all. Usually 5 loops for each, unless I'm using a fluoro in the 6# range, then I'll use 5-7 loops. But I also use the Alberto/Mod'd Albright. Used to use it exclusively, but went back to the double uni years ago as my main line-to-leader knot for it's simplicity. Granted both are "simple", double-uni is simpler for me when on the water. Mostly.

Yup. Well, just the rod, since it was a 10' long pole with a line attached. One of my sons wasn't paying attention and it was pulled right out of his hands and across the pond. When retrieved it had a 2 pound bass attached!!