Sam

Wow! Purvis, Mississippi. Great place. Lots of LSU fans in Purvis, Mississippi. Welcome to the Forum. Just remember when fishing fresh, brackish or salt water to yell "Geaux Tigers" when you set that hook. Great having you with us. Us SEC guys need to stick together during football season even though we poke fun at each other from time to time. Looking forward to your posts.

Gone, please remember the following about "seasonal patterns." 1. Seasonal patterns are controlled by the water temperature. 2. There are patterns inside seasonal patterns. 3. These sub-patterns change from hour to hour, day to day. 4. Sometimes the bass will do as the patterns are supposed have them behave. Other times the bass do the opposite. 5. #4 above can put you in a mental hospital. Now, as the guys say, look up seasonal patterns and read, read and read. Watch DVDs on seasonal patterns. Ask us more questions. And have fun tryng to figure them out. P.S. When you figure them out please let us know.

VA, I know there are kayak clubs out there in central Virginia. I just don't know of any specific ones. If you are interested in joining a BASS affiliated bass club that uses bass boats let me know. We are seeking boaters and nonboaters for this year's tournament trail. PM me and I will get back with you. We meet every 4th Wednesday at Debbie's Kitchen on Mountain Road just north of I-295. There are financial obligations but you will learn bodies of water, how to get to the launch site (easier said than done), the ramps, and you get to fish with a buddy for 8 hours at a very inexpensive cost. And you will learn from the best in the business. P.S. We are still waiting for Woody to come back.

Super. Glad he is using the equipment and baits he sponsors. Just keep a close eye on him!!!!!!!

Outstanding. You are a special person.

Actually Jared, I move around the cooking area very slowly as to not show myself and then I hide around where the boxes of cooked crawfish are and very quietly open the top and eat three or four. I than move back to my original hiding place and wait for my turn to strike again.

Academy Sports H2O frogs.

Tom, we are having our LSU Alumni Chapter crawfish boil on June 2nd this year. We get them shipped from Louisiana and the Cajun guys cook them. I will consume around 10 pounds all by myself. I love playing a largemouth bass at this annual event.

Everyone is beautiful. Great work!

You hit it out of the ballpark. Exactly what MegaStrike does.

Snaps so he can change baits fast and not worry about the knot coming apart.

Glad you are with us. Welcome to the Forum.

Scaleface, I remember reading an article many years ago about a guy who was pounding a metal rod into the bottom of the creek by his dock when he got a strange feeling that someone or something was watching him. He turned around to see over 20 large mouth bass hovering about 20 feet away, just watching him. His pounding on the metal rod got their attention and they swam over to see what was making the noise. So you are totally correct and I agree with you. You made a little noise and the guy pounding on the metal rod made a lot of noise. Now to get others to post their experiences and thoughts on the subject.

On February 19 IgotWood opened a discussion on Help with Lipless Crankbaits. Paul Roberts added to the discussion and I chimed in after reading Paul's post. So here is the question: Can bass hear the rattles in our two types of crankbaits and other baits we throw? My reply to Paul's post was out of Dr. Keith Jones' book. But Dr. Jones and other biologists did their research in a control lab setting. We come to our conclusions while on the water and via experience. If you watch Kevin VanDam work a crankbait he uses the reel, reel, reel, stop for an instant method. He also moves the rod's tip up and down. I don't think I have ever seen VanDam cast and reel the hard bait back to the boat without any type of cadence. Here is my post and reply to Paul and I am asking everyone to add their two cents. What has been your experience with both lipless and billed crankbaits plus other baits that have rattles including putting glass tubes with rattles in your plastics? Let the discussion begin!!! Paul, as you probably know, Dr. Keith Jones of Pure Fishing's research department wrote a book, KNOWING BASS, THE SCIENTIFIC APPRPACH TO CATCHING MORE FISH, which is a scientific study of the bass family. In chapter 7, Hearing and Vibration Detection, Dr. Jones discusses the acoustics of water, bass' acoustic detectors, the lateral line system, the bass' ear, and what happens when a bass hears something and what do they do. Of course, the data is deep into scientific data and physics which in many instances is over my head. But Dr. Jones does explain the data as best as possible for the normal guy to understand what his research found out. On page 115, Dr. Jones writes: "A third avenue for sound discrimination would be the temporal content, otherwise known as rhythm. Rhythm perception may be the bass' forte. Given their sensory equipment, bass seem better designed to detect acoustic transients (that is, sudden changes) than perform complex frequency or intensity analysis. Natural sounds are rarely continuous. Rather, they occur in series of beats and pulses intermixed with dead spots. The regular tail beats of swimming shad and the thump a crawfish makes flicking its tail to escape have two distinct rhythms. By focusing on the rhythm rather than the actual sound frequencies, bass could potentially discern one prey from another, or prey verses non-prey." In other words, bass can hear and feel vibrations caused by our baits. And many of the older ones can differentiate between a natural prey and a non-prey sound. The bass will hear the noise (sound travels 4,920 feet per second in all directions in the water); feel the vibrations; and then go sight hunting to put their eyeballs on the item making the noise and vibration. If all goes as planned: bass hears noise and faces its direction; bass feels the vibrations; and then bass swims over to see what is making the racket to decide it wants to eat or kill what it is seeing; we will then get a strike. Dr. Jones' book is out of print. I spoke with him a few years ago and asked him to get a second run printed but he was not excited about doing that for some reason. You can find the book on Amazon or eBay for a lot of money. I doubt your local library has the book but if it does, I suggest you read it and garner a lot of great scientific information. Enjoyed your reply above. I did not take the time to delve into the frequencies bass can hear but it is in the book on page 108, with a chart called Provisional Hearing Curve for Largemouth Bass. What I found to be very interesting is Dr. Jones came to the conclusion that when a bass rushes up to your bait and then turns away, we always thought it was because of color or how it looks. Dr. Jones thinks it may be due to the vibrations your bait is sending having a greater input on why the fish does not hit the bait and swims away. Go figure.

Paul, as you probably know, Dr. Keith Jones of Pure Fishing's research department wrote a book, KNOWING BASS, THE SCIENTIFIC APPRPACH TO CATCHING MORE FISH, which is a scientific study of the bass family. In chapter 7, Hearing and Vibration Detection, Dr. Jones discusses the acoustics of water, bass' acoustic detectors, the lateral line system, the bass' ear, and what happens when a bass hears something and what do they do. Of course, the data is deep into scientific data and physics which in many instances is over my head. But Dr. Jones does explain the data as best as possible for the normal guy to understand what his research found out. On page 115, Dr. Jones writes: "A third avenue for sound discrimination would be the temporal content, otherwise known as rhythm. Rhythm perception may be the bass' forte. Given their sensory equipment, bass seem better designed to detect acoustic transients (that is, sudden changes) than perform complex frequency or intensity analysis. Natural sounds are rarely continuous. Rather, they occur in series of beats and pulses intermixed with dead spots. The regular tail beats of swimming shad and the thump a crawfish makes flicking its tail to escape have two distinct rhythms. By focusing on the rhythm rather than the actual sound frequencies, bass could potentially discern one prey from another, or prey verses non-prey." In other words, bass can hear and feel vibrations caused by our baits. And many of the older ones can differentiate between a natural prey and a non-prey sound. The bass will hear the noise (sound travels 4,920 feet per second in all directions in the water); feel the vibrations; and then go sight hunting to put their eyeballs on the item making the noise and vibration. If all goes as planned: bass hears noise and faces its direction; bass feels the vibrations; and then bass swims over to see what is making the racket to decide it wants to eat or kill what it is seeing; we will then get a strike. Dr. Jones' book is out of print. I spoke with him a few years ago and asked him to get a second run printed but he was not excited about doing that for some reason. You can find the book on Amazon or eBay for a lot of money. I doubt your local library has the book but if it does, I suggest you read it and garner a lot of great scientific information. Enjoyed your reply above. I did not take the time to delve into the frequencies bass can hear but it is in the book on page 108, with a chart called Provisional Hearing Curve for Largemouth Bass. What I found to be very interesting is Dr. Jones came to the conclusion that when a bass rushes up to your bait and then turns away, we always thought it was because of color or how it looks. Dr. Jones thinks it may be due to the vibrations your bait is sending having a greater input on why the fish does not hit the bait and swims away. Go figure.

Tie to main line, direct. Drop Shotting is exactly what you penned. Check it out on YouTube. Have fun!!!! Your daughter rocks! Congrats to her on a fantastic catch. And it counts. Daughter 1 Spyder 0 The hook will rust away. Don't worry about it. Any bass over four pounds is something to write home about. Be sure to have your cell phone with you so you can take pics of your next catch and share it with us. At 74* the bass should be active an feeding. Keep up the good work. Being a good bass fisherman means you have to be on the water. Consider keeping a log of each trip in a three-ring binder. You can find a copy of a fishing log under the Tools link at the top of the page. Also, please note the articles in the Fishing Articles section, too. Tight Lines!

May I add you make it a "wacky Senko" and throw it everywhere.

Some suggestions regarding rattles in lipless crankbaits: Rattles - When bass are aggressive One-Knockers - In between rattles and silent Silent - When there is a lot of pressure Red Eyed Shads are an excellent choice. The Rat-L-Traps can also produce very well. As mentioned above, go out and experiment.

X2. Don't bother with Trashmore. Waste of time. Do as ces suggests. Have fun.

Kevin, please note my two cents: First question. I have a spincast setup. What is the best/ smallest rod length I should be looking at. I was always told a 5.5 to 6ft rod as a general goto. Medium action. Been doing research as of late, and have been told at least a 7ft medium action should be what I need. Before you ask, I target bass, perch, panfish, and pickerel. I am a shore based right now, and travel by car a lot. So what minimum length of rod should I look at? - HOW TALL ARE YOU? IF YOU ARE ON THE SHORT SIDE,YOU GO FOR A SHORTER ROD. IF YOU ARE A TALL GUY, YOU GO WITH A LONGER ROD. USUALLY, A SIX-SIX OR 7-FOOT MEDIUM HEAVY ROD IS A STARTING POINT. IF YOU LIKE TO PITCH AND FLIP, THEN A 7-FOOT, TWO-INCH ROD CAN DO THE TRICK. IF YOU LIKE TO SKIP UNDER DOCKS AND PIERS A SHORTER ROD MAY BE TO YOUR LIKING. ONCE AGAIN, IT BOILS DOWN TO WHICH LENGTH ROD FEELS THE MOST COMFORTABLE TO YOU. WHEN SELECTING A ROD, TAKE THE REEL YOU WILL BE USING WITH YOU AND PUT IT ON THE ROD AT THE STORE. THEN SEE HOW IT FEELS AND IF IT IS TOO LONG OR SHORT TO CAST COMFORTABLY. When I was younger, one of the guys I would fish with, would pre tie fishing rigs. I always tie them as I need. Does anyone else pre tie rigs? My problem is storing them after. How do you do it? - I HAVE BAITS TIED ONTO ANOTHER ROD SO I CAN CHANGE RODS, FAST. OTHERWISE, YOU CAN TIE THE LEADER PART OF A CAROLINA RIG OR HOOKS AND BAITS TO SOME TUBING TO CHANGE THEM OUT FASTER. I KNOW YOU KNOW OF THE TUBING YOU PUT AROUND YOUR WATER PIPES AT YOUR HOUSE TO KEEP THEM FROM FREEZING. GO TO LOWE'S OR HOME DEPOT AND GET SOME OF THIS TUBING. CUT IT IN A SIZE THAT WILL FIT YOUR SEAT'S PEDESTAL. STICK YOUR BAITS AND HOOKS IN THE TUBING. YOU WILL NEED TO WRAP THE LINE AROUND THE TUBING IF YOU HAVE LINE ON THE PRE-RIGGED BAIT. AND WHERE DO YOU WANT TO KEEP THE TUBING? AROUND THE FRONT DECK'S SEAT PEDESTAL. OLD PRO'S TRICK. AS FOR PRE TIEING RIGS, I DON'T DO IT FOR I USE EITHER A PALAMOR KNOT OR A SAN DIEGO JAM KNOT TO TIE TO MY BAITS. I USUALLY DON'T USE A LEADER. YOU CAN STAND THE TUBING IN YOUR GARAGE IN A SAFE PLACE FOR EASY STORAGE OR LEAVE THEM ON THE PEDESTAL AFTER REMOVING THE BAITS AND HOOKS. BE SURE TO CHECK ALL KNOTS AFTER TWO OR THREE FISH AND RUN THE LINE BETWEEN YOUR THUMBNAIL AND YOUR FOREFINGER LOOKING FOR ANY CUTS, KNICKS, SCRATCHES, ETC. IF YOU FIND THEM, CUT THEM OUT OF THE LINE AND RETIE YOUR BAIT. GIVE IT A TRY. GOOD LUCK. P.S. If you are ice fishing you will need a six-foot heavy rod to knock the hockey pucks away.

One of the situations in the fishing industry is when a pro has his or her own line of rods, reels, baits, boats, clothes, shoes, etc. I know for a fact that Ike will promote his rod line, probably at the Classic, while using other rods during the tournament. All he has to do is fish with it for a few minutes and then speak about catching fish and how good his rod is. But pay attention. He will not say he actually caught a fish using the rod. Others do the same thing. It is to promote their sponsors' products. That is why this Forum is a breath of fresh air. We give each other our individual and unbiased input (other than for us Senko and Shimano guys) that can help others make an informed decision on various products. Good post and you should receive many replies.

Don't forget that the Bait Monkey loves you, too.

Welcome, Kevin. Great having you with us. I bet you have to chase those ice hockey guys off the ice when you go ice fishing!!! We are here to help you become a better bass fisherman. We need to help you get your personal best higher!!!!

Nothing is guaranteed. Sorry to read about your losses. Seems the family baton is getting passed towards you at a fast pace. Hang in there. Enjoy the day. And get closer to your loved ones.

Sugar. They need more sugar. Consider giving them Milky Ways before bedtime. P.S. Although you post some funny stuff this posts says you are a great guy and a wonderful father. But don't tell anyone as it will destroy your image.