Sam

The dam area seems to have the bigger bass. You have to see the beds and then aggravate the males to bite. Use lizards or trick worms or Senkos to aggravate the bass. The males will pick up your baits and move them out of the beds. As for the females, they will be holding to cover in the sun, if possible, resting after the spawn. Just remember, the spawn can last for 60-days depending on which bass start to spawn during the spawning season early or late. Not all bass are on their nests now, but will be in the future. Take your time and look for the "white patches" on the bottom to find the beds. Good luck.

Toxic, two anglers died in Mattawoman today. Check it out. https://***/outdoors/bass-fishing/Article/Two-Anglers-Dead-after-Bass-Boat-Capsizes-117432777

Fantastic!!! This is why SEC football is so great. Thanks for sharing.

River, we at LSU don't hate the Vols. But we remember when they were great in most sports, especially football, and drummed our fannies each time we played. Wife and I had a fantastic trip to Knoxville for an LSU-Tennessee football game. It was when the women's gym burned down during the game. My wife wanted to leave but I told her we had to watch the game and we stayed in the stands with the smoke, embers and fire blazing away. It was great!!!! Also love Dollywood and the surrounding areas. Been to Bristol raceway a few times, too. It is SEC sports and we get to poke fun at our brother institutions as long as we are in the SEC. Tennessee football is on the rise and they should start getting better each year now that they have a good coach. Time to go fishing!!!! Yep. SEC and ACC football seems to be the two best football conferences. I also know that Clemson really wants a trip to the College World Series and win a National Championship. But it is difficult playing baseball in the ACC and getting a favorable regional and super regional to punch your ticket. This football season, with the coaching changes, should be another fun one to watch.

No, not much. Guys have been doing well on the Chick. Of course, if they are on their beds they may not be feeding this weekend. Are you going to the dam area?

Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose. Being a fan of your school is great and when there is a great comeback the enjoyment magnifies itself. Nothing to do with their life or basing their success on what the team does. But this is the way it is in the SEC where you have the best teams and players in all sports. Sometimes your team wins and sometimes your team loses. It is part of southern culture.

I love to see the Tennessee football fans in the stands when the Vols lose. They are almost as bad as the Bamasux fans. So LSU had a three game baseball series in Baton Rouge with Tennessee this past weekend and LSU won the first two games easily. But on Sunday the Vols jumped on the Fighting Tigers 7-3 going into the bottom of the 9th. Guess what happened? The Fighting Tigers posted 6 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning with a three run home run to end the game and LSU prevailed 9-7 to sweep the series. It was great seeing the Tennessee players walking around all confused, scratching themselves and fixing their cups as the Tigers went wild at home plate. Don't you just love when this happens to your favorite team in any sport???

Thanks to all. This is what my wife and I decided to do. Purchase a Jeep Patriot and keep her Jeep Grand Cherokee to pull the boat. She likes Jeeps and will drive the Patriot while I have the Grand Cherokee for trailering the boat. Only rule is that I don't mess up the back of the Patriot with LSU, bass, Army, Jimmy Johnson and crawfish decals. So I am looking for new LSU license plate holders. All in all, not a bad experience shopping for the vehicle. Got a good deal and traded in my Subaru with over 298,000 miles and an engine that has a bearing getting ready to blow up. Friend in the auto repair industry called and told me that he found a used motor for my Subaru for 6,800 but it needed work. Add in the cost of labor and shipping we are looking at over $9,000. And then there is the transmission, shocks, brakes, air conditioning just went out so the Subaru had to go. Thanks again to all for your suggestions.

Because they may not be hooked well enough to lift them into the boat. Some tournaments, like the Bassmaster series, do not allow nets to be used to land the bass. Club, region and federation tournaments usually allow the use of nets. You can use any type of net you wish. Not a stupid question. No such thing as a stupid question. But there are some stupid answers out there.

Who knows? Even the Shadow doesn't know. In fact, I spend way too much time with a bait or technique because I think it is the right one, even though I have not had a bite in over an hour. Other guys and gals switch out after shorter times, like 15 minutes. Or the number of casts they make. It all boils down to confidence. Confidence in your baits and techniques. If you have confidence in your baits and presentations and are not catching anything then it is more difficult for you to change. However, if you are open minded you need to try different colors, styles and types of baits and different presentations. This is totally up to you. Based on what you are catching or not catching you have to try to find the pattern for the hour or day. Easier said then done. You have to be open minded although you have already planned your day in your head. Change is difficult. But if what you are doing isn't working you have to change it. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. That's the challenge of bass fishing.

Set up spinning rig for shad darts. Cast, reel, cast, reel, cast, reel, etc.

Yes, it is a legitimate pattern.

Nope. Had too much to do around the house and we have a strong storm heading our way for this evening.

The Historic James River TWO TYPES OF RIVER Above Bosher's dam the river is not a tidal river. Slow current most of the time and great fun fishing. Below the Z Dam the river is a tidal river. Between the Z Dam and Bosher's Dam is one of the best freshwater fishing areas in the state. You can float from James River Park by the Huguenot Bridge to the Pony Pasture and have a blast. You will have to take two cars so you will have a second car at the Pony Pasture to bring you back to the bridge area. The major tide impact is below the Z Dam towards I-95 bridge and then onto Williamsburg. Bosher's Dam is the dam you see while crossing the Historic James on the Willie Bridge from Chippenham to Parham Road. You can find the Z Dam at the Pony Pasture. Above Bosher's Dam you put in at Watkins Landing off Route 711, Robious Road. Below Bosher's Dam you can put in at the Huguenot Bridge, Ancarrows, Osborne Landing, Dutch Gap. Great smallmouth fishing above the Z Dam and across Bosher's Dam up to Watkins Landing and then west towards Charlottesville. Great largemouth fishing below the I-95 bridge area towards Williamsburg. TIDAL RIVERS Learn how to fish tidal rivers. Always note the tide chart for high and low tides: http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/virginiasites.html Learn about the last two hours of an outgoing tide and the first hour of an incoming tide. Get paper maps of the Historic James River down to the Chickhominy River. Get paper maps of the upper Historic James River to locate the areas that the tide charts use to set the tides. Learn the river as best you can from the paper maps. Go to Green Top or BPS for these maps. Check out Woo Daves' web site for information: http://www.woodaves.com/articles_main.htm Try to find the CD of Woo's "River Fishing with Woo Daves" If you can find it. Get "Fishing the James" Volumes 1 and 2 from Neil Renouf, 266.1469,if Neil has any left. MAGIC PILLS There are no magic pills. You have to experiment with tackle, baits, line and rods plus techniques. Everything works on the Historic James. You have to find out what it is that day. DA WEATHER Always watch the weather if you are in a light boat or a kayak. The Historic James is usually user friendly, especially above Bosher's Dam. The Historic James can become a dangerous body of water below the I-95 bridge when the winds kick up. GAME & INLAND FISHERIES Usually no game and inland fisheries agents at Watkins Landing. Only a lot of people from Powhatan with jet skis and no teeth. Will have game and inland fisheries agents on the lower Historic James looking for alcohol in the boats and checking to see if you have your safe boating certificate. LEARNING VIRGINIA'S WATERS Join a kayak club or a bass club that is taking nonboaters to learn the various Virginia lakes and rivers. Attend the January Richmond Fishing Expo to meet guides and others who fish the Historic James. Read, read and read about tidal rivers. Visit YouTube for information on fishing tidal rivers. Good luck and tight lines.

Its official! The Richmond, Virginia dogwood trees have bloomed. And they are beautiful. So the bass are officially on their beds. About time.

Thanks to all for posting. Sincerely appreciate the input. Wife and I compromised: will keep current SUV that can pull the Ranger and we bought a Rouge so she will have a nice car to drive when I take the SUV. Gave our 198,000 mile Subaru as a trade. So she is happy which means we have a happy household. Thanks again to all.

Thanks guys. Will consider both.

Well guys, my 2009 Subaru Forester's motor is going to blow up soon at only 298,000 miles. So my wife and I will be looking for a used replacement vehicle (I can't stand buying a new car) that can tow my Ranger and can be used as a family vehicle. Any suggestions? My bass fishing friend who is an auto mechanic suggests the Ford Excursion with a towing package. What do you all suggest? Thanks in advance for the input.

All the best for you and your family. Congrats on your new granddaughter. Be strong. You are the rock of the family.

Bill, Ancarrows east of the bridge is packed with guys fishing for shad. Due to the rocks you can't go up river very far but you can fish closer to and under the bridge in a boat. Get your shad darts at Green Top and go out there with the rest of the thousands and nail some shad.

Sure. After a cold front moves through the area, the bass have already eaten and will just hover in deeper water or against a submerged object and not chase any prey or baits that come there way. Now right before and during a cold front moving through the bass are eating a lot, fast, and it is great fishing. But remember, after the front has moved through your area the bass will get "lockjaw" and not be in any mood to hunt or eat. We will see "blue bird" skies after the cold front moves through. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. My club had a bass tournament on Lake Gaston this past weekend after a nasty snow and rain storm had hit the area on Saturday, and the winners had five fish for 14.5 pounds, including a six pounder. Second place had 12 pounds. But the third place on down to last caught three or less, and nothing to get excited about. That is 9 hours on the water with 12 guys fishing. At blast off they had to sweep the snow and ice off the boats and cars to get to the ramp. So when we say "lockjaw" it means the bass are not feeding at that time.

I have not had any problems with them. Only fish them in cold water once or twice so maybe if I threw them more I could give you better input. Take it back to BPS and get a replacement.

Wxrisk.com added 2 new photos. · 56 mins · UPDATE ON MONDAY AM... As I mentioned before there WILL be a period of SNOW in the pre dawn hours of Monday over eastern KY central/southern WVA into southwest VA and the Shenandoah Valley from about 3-4am to 10am. Up to 2" of snow is possible over southern third of WVA into Lexington VA up to Stanton. This snow is part of a warm front passage that will open things up to the warming later this week

FROM WXRISK.COM ON SUNDAY, APRIL 8TH YES IT IS FINALLY OVER... no model no data has any hint of any winter precip over eastern third of the USA for next 10 days except for maybe Northern England. The development of massive trough in the Jet stream over the Plains and Midwest the breakdown of the blocking over eastern Canada and over Alaska... its done

OOps. Mistake. My bad. Look for the bait weight on the rod next to the line test parameters. Is there a "lure wt" on the rod? As Tom suggests, go back to 6 pound test and a lighter lure. If you use a "Rooster Tail" type bait you will get line twist, sooner or later.