Sam

Jarhead Koontz, you don't have to take a bus to the early morning blastoffs. You can stay all day in the large exhibit hall and have a blast. Almost every bass affiliated manufacturer will be there. I met the owner of Rage Tail; got autographs from so many pros, including Ish Monroe who is a funny and nice guy. Spoke with the Tracker and Mercury guys about their products. Got a great deal on a new PDF at the large Dick's area. You can see and touch the Classic trophies that are sprinkled around the event site. Take a family photo with the trophy and share with us. And you will see various pros walking around. Like Mark Menendez, Jimmy Houston, KVD, G-Man, Ike and too many others to name. You can speak with the guys from the Berkely (Pure Fishing) research team. Great guys and maybe Dr. Keith Jones will be there this time. Parking will be slow so be ready to stay in line into the parking area. Just remember where you parked. And bring a large bag for the freebies. Have you, each child and your wife have their own bag so you can double up on the goodies. Stop at the Dick's display and each of you can get a large Dick's bag. I think I have two around my house and they are great. Please let us know about your trip and what you saw, who you saw, and what goodies you brought home. And watch the traffic. From the Interstate into the parking lot there will be a line of vehicles. So be patient and let your family know so they wont' get frustrated. Thank you for your service. Happy New Year!

Don't know but we are going to find out!!!!

4-degrees forecasted for Richmond, VA for the morning of the 31st.

Just noticed your post and for a moment thought you may have gotten engaged!!!!! Beautiful catch. And as stated above, just tell everyone you caught a monster and here is the photo to prove it. Happy New Year!

Lose at least 20 pounds and keep it off.

Me, too. I love my Extremes but will have to go to the Carbonlite line to expand my rod collection. No idea if the Carbonlite is lighter or heavier than the Extremes. Let us know what you find out. And please remind your wife that you can never have enough rods. It is a bass fishing rule that must be followed. The Bait Monkey loves you!!! P.S. For the Vol Fan: Geaux Tigers!!! Hope you can make a game in Baton Rouge. It is crazier than Knoxville if you can believe that.

Yes, I have a recommendation for consideration. Forget the sound of your spinning reel's drag system. You aren't fishing for catfish. In fact, you don't want to hear the drag system make a sound. You want a tight drag so you can set the hook hard and not lose any power from the spinning reel. You want to keep your index finger (the first one next to your thumb) on the line at all times to feel for a hit and to feel what is on the bottom. You want to watch your line so when the bass picks up your bait and starts to swim with it you can see your line move. So forget the sound your spinning reels make because you don't need to hear anything. You need to feel and see what is going on with you presentation and technique. Now go out and practice flipping and pitching in your yard plus add your location to your avatar so we can give you precise advice regarding bass fishing in your geographical area. Happy New Year!!!!

Great having you with us. The more SEC guys the better. Ask your questions and we will do our best to provide various options for you to consider.

Welcome to the Forum.

Found the Lake Chesdin final tournament standings on the Virginia Kayak Trail web page. Nate did great for his first trip to Lake Gaston. Do you think Rob is his brother???? Here are the results as posted. I believe the tournament is based on length of fish, not weight. 1st - Andrews, Andy - 70.75" 2nd - Maione, Joe - 60.50" 3rd - Wade, Jesse - 40.25" 4th - Carpenter, Rob - 11.75" 5th - Carpenter, Nathaniel 5th - Hudson, Keith 5th - Oliver, Ryan

A-Jay, I attended the last classic on Hartwell and it was fantastic. Everything you would think would be there plus more. I urge all Forum guys and gals to take the time and go to the Classic. It is worth every penny spent on travel expenses. My pick for the winner? Ike, who else!!!!

Get 3/8 inch Polyolefin Heat Shrink Tubing for Senkos and the smaller size for finesse worms at your favorite tackle store. Usually in the electrical department. As fishwizzard wrote, they work great. You can cut the tubing into 1/4 inch sections; work the tubing into position on the worm; lay the worm on the edge of a table with the area with the tubing about two inches away from the table's edge; use matches and heat the tubing by turning the plastic until it shrinks onto the worm. Run hook between the tubing and plastic's skin. Be ready to reheat the tubing as the day progresses. Make a number of them and have them ready to go while fishing. Best method to date and it is used by a number of pros.

We could get up to six-inches. However, right now the American and European models do not totally agree on the amount but they do agree on snow on New Years weekend.

Nate, was this your tournament on Chesdin??? How did you do? Congratulations to Andy Andrews of Sutherland, Va. who won Round #4 of the VKT Winter Series with a very impressive 5 fish limit totaling 70.75”. Temps were unseasonably warm hovering around 70 degrees and winds gusted over 20 mph most of the day. The win earned Andrews a total of $330 in cold hard cash and prizes as well as a qualification for the 2018 VKT 2 Day Championship. Second place winner of $300 in cash and prizes was Joe Maione of Suffolk, Va. who produced the only ...other 5 fish limit totaling 60.50”. The top 3 were rounded out by Jesse Wade Outdoors of Virginia Beach who fought hard and hammered out 40.25” to take valuable Winter Series points and $142 in cash and prizes! Thanks to the entire field of Anglers who showed up to make this event possible. Merry Christmas Anglers!

Today is Festivus. Happy Festivus to all!!!

Mike, may you have a blessed holiday season and a wonderful 2018.

I don't think I can make it. Wife has a bad cold and I am waiting on her to help her feel better. You have a good time. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Big Bill. Be safe and have a great holiday.

Nate, it all depends on where you will be blasting off. If at Seven Springs or the Dinwiddie free public dock then you will be limited to the eastern portion of the lake, towards the dam. If you are blasting off from the Whipponock Creek you will fish the creek and then go either east or west. SEVEN SPRINGS/PUBLIC RAMP AREA 1. Fish the Seven Springs marina area 2. There are two coves to your left as you leave Seven Springs. Fish them as soon as possible. Try to be first. 3. Fish the grass bank from the Dinwiddie public ramp all the way to Miry Run, which is a big cove on your left as you paddle west. 4. Fish the area from Seven Springs all the way to the first cove where there is a boat house at the entrance of a cove. Fish that cove, too. 5. There is Rocky Run on your left on the southern bank by Leonard's Campground. Fish both sides of this area. Look for rocks if you can find them. WHIPPONOCK CREEK 1. As fast as you can, fish around the bridge and then hit the docks to your right as you go under the bridge towards the lake. Watch out for pike. This is an area where they live with the bass. And then fish the bank across from the docks and piers on the other side of the cove area. 2. Fish the area around the camp from the bridge around the bank back to bridge. 3. Go into Whipponock Creek to the left of the campground and go back into the creek. 4. If you are up to it, fish the island at the mouth of the creek in the lake. 5. Paddle across the lake and hit Stony Creek. Fish all around Stony Creek but don' be surprised if you don't catch anything other than a pike. 6. Hit all docks, piers and boat houses that you can. SHAD Try to find the shad. With the water temps cooling down they should be in the back of the creeks and coves. But who knows? BAITS Lipless crankbaits like a half-ounce Red Eyed Shad in Sexy Shad Shad Raps Spinnerbaits Normal 1.5 KVD square bill crankbaits Jerkbaits Plastics of your choice Whatever you have confidence in throwing CHESDIN MAP No one has them anymore. Until GMCO puts out a newer version there are no maps of Lake Chesdin available. Hopefully at this coming Richmond Fishing Expo GMCO will have a new map of Chesdin available. So go to Google Earth and look at the lake and see what I am talking about. Beat the banks and if necessary, pull off and fish farther out from the bank to try to find the drop-offs. Remember, there is a $10 ramp fee at Seven Springs, but your vehicle will be safer there than at the pubic ramp. Good luck. Let us know how you do.

Old timers trick. Still works.

Another reason to use the drop shot is to keep the bait off the slop on the bottom and to pull it through heavy structure. The weight accumulates the slop and if it gets snagged you can pull the hook/bait free. A drop shot rig also keeps the bait over the submerged grass and it is great to flip and pitch around pads. So use it in a variety of ways to entice bites.

Monkey, in lieu of worrying about your crankbait hooks, here is a pro secret to consider. Go to Wal-Mart, Target, etc. and buy a bottle of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Ware nail polish in bright orange. Then follow up with a bottle of clear Hard as Nails. Put an orange dot on each side of your crankbait by the eyes. Cover the orange dot, when it is totally dry, with the clear polish. And don't worry about your hooks. Have fun!!!

You have two physical damage claims: First - collision or upset for that deductible to take care of what he hit with the truck. Second - comprehensive perils to apply to the burned seat, tires, battery, etc. Each of these has its own deductible. Try to get Progressive to use only the collision deductible for repairs and forgive the comp deductible. As stated above, take truck to your favorite repair shop and the dealer to get two estimates. Submit the estimates to Progressive. Good luck. You will need it dealing with Progressive.

Sounds like a plan.

Yes,19th to the 21st. My bad. Thanks for correcting error. I want to hear G-Man and Defoe. Will probably work the Virginia Bass Federation booth if they need me.