Sam

G. Loomis or Steetz. Price them out and decide which ones you like the best.

Jimmy, what Roadwarrior said plus using some fast drying glue on any knot you tie. I use Kwik-Fix Super Glue with a brush on cap for my knots. Holds all knots together. Some pros are now using fluorocarbon line for crankbaits but the mono has the stretch you need to set the hooks and not pull the bait out of the bass' mouth. Since there are pike in the area I suggest bringing a number of your favorite color crankbaits plus a couple of reels with spools filled with fresh line. My last encounter was with a striper on the Historic James River that hit my crankbait as I was pulling it out of the water next to the boat and he kept on going. I am sure you may be facing the same problem in your neck of the woods.

Many years ago fished a club tournament out of Poplar Creek on Lake Gaston after a sleet and snow storm passed earlier that morning leaving us with some light snow showers. A number of guys turned around on I-85 and went home due to the dangerous driving conditions. I remember two distinct things about that March event: 1. The big lady I hooked on a crankbait is still swimming to Chicago with my crankbait in her mouth and; 2. A lady came onto her upper deck and took a photo of us in the boat with three inches of snow and ice on the deck. She said she could not believe anyone would be out in that weather fishing. Glad you had a fun time on the water and nailed some nice ones. Glad you are safe.

Consider a spinning rig. 7-foot medium heavy with a 2500 size spinning reel. Rule 1 of bass fishing: you NEVER have enough rods!!!!

And if you have a boat you can get a Bass Resource decal for the motor.

According to the guy who repairs rods and reels in the greater Richmond, Virginia area, the best reels out there are Lew's, Abu Garcia, and Shimano. He likes Lew's best. He told me that it can be difficult to find some repair parts for old Shimano's. And sometimes the higher priced reels perform just as well as a lower price models. In lieu of being concerned with the brand names, which are all of good quality, maybe you need to consider what baits and techniques you will be using the reel. I will give you what I copied out of a bass magazine a while back regarding gear ratios. Ratio and Main Purpose: 7:1 - flipping, pitching, punching and frogging and a fast reel for taking up slack for fishing worms and jigs. 6:4:1 - small size "palmable" reel for short wrist snaps for topwaters and jerkbaits and to keep your spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits up but not too fast. 5:4:1 - low torque cranking for crankbaits (although the pros are going to the 7:1's). 5:1 in 1000 or 2000 spool sizes - light line for shaky heads, drop shots. Now, with that penned, I like the 7:1's and 6:4's the most for almost all applications. I also love spinning reels which are mainly 6:1 type reels and they work fine. There are faster ratio reels in the marketplace if you want to go to an 8:1 ratio. And remember, a size 2000 is the same as a size 2500 but with a smaller spool. May I suggest taking your favorite rod(s) with you to the tackle shop and put any reel you are interested in purchasing on the rod to see how it feels. By doing this you will know how the weight of the reel balances with your rods. Good luck and let us know what you purchase.

I have a Creek Chub plus other old baits that I don't use. And I have no idea what they are called. I thought there is a book on antique baits but the one I saw was for saltwater fishing. Keep those old baits and add to your collection. How is school? Still on the Dean's List????????????????

1.5 KVD Crankbaits Red Eyed Shads Zoom Trick Worms Baby Brush Hogs Buzzbaits

Funny you should ask your question. I carry way too many baits, rods and reels. This past weekend I had 12 tackle boxes plus plastics on my boat. So what did I throw? The pattern called for a KVD Sexy Shad Red Eyed Shad. I caught 11 on the Red Eye Shad plus one on a 1.5 Sexy Shad crankbait. I threw a spinnerbait, too, but no takers. The pattern was a lipless crankbait about 15 to 20 feet from the bank of the Historic James River. Now to put all of the tackle boxes away this weekend.

VA, you would think there are many places to bank fish in the greater Tidewater area, but other than for Mount Trashmore I can't think of any off the top of my head. Here are my suggestions: 1. Go to the BPS in Hampton or any Dick's Sporting Goods store and try to locate a copy of the Freshwater Fishing & Boating in Virginia booklet. 2. Look on page 43 for the Public Lakes Guide. 3. Google "Ed. Allen's" on Chickahominy Lake and note where he is located. He has small skiffs with motors for rent plus a long pier you can pay to fish. He is in Lanexa off Route 60. 4. Plan to attend the Richmond Fishing Expo this January in Doswell, VA. Check it out on the Internet for details and the dates. You can speak with guides and others who may be able to give you some suggestions. I will ask Woody who lived in that area to give you some suggestions. He bank fished and he knows where to go. Good luck.

Glad you are getting back into fishing. It is more of a science than a sport these days, with so many variables you can actually go nuts. Ask your questions and we will chime in with our replies. Welcome to the Forum.

Hang in there as we all are behind you with our thoughts and prayers. Keep us posted, too. It is always difficult to have the baton passed to the next generation.

Yes, but rumors are he may be headed to Arkansas. Stay tuned. Will be interesting to see what happens.

Lots of coaching changes coming. Florida, Tennessee, UCLA, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Auburn (?), Texas A&M and some not so obvious. Heard one of these schools wants Dumbo Fisher; another Chip Kelly; and Les Miles keeps sending out his resume. Stay tuned, it is going to be a fun end of the season coaches merry-go-round. And to let all know, LSU played six of them (Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss and Texas A&M) helping their coaches out the door.

Way to Geaux! Congrats. And if you can do it, it ain't bragging. Happy Thanksgiving!

Ed Zachery. You need a good baby monitor with an intercom system. And what Dwight penned above, too. You need to discuss the need for a prop lock. Props are easy to steal and they bring a nice payday to the perks. Consider a Master bicycle lock when attaching the trailer to your hitch. Keep extra key in a safe place. If possible, carry your boat cover with you. Major problem is that it is bulky and takes up a lot of storage space inside of your truck or SUV when you lock it up. While at your destination, use motels that allow you to plug in your battery recharging device. These motels cater to the bass fishing industry and many have night watchmen to guard your boat. And you can keep the trailer locked to your truck when parked overnight. Have a safe trip and tell us all about it when you get home.

We changed our tournament format last night in order to have more fun fishing and saving money. Here is what we did: NEW TOURNAMENT FORMAT With boaters and nonboaters fishing against each other, the atmosphere in some bass boats was not positive. In addition, we have a lot of guys who have never fished with other club members. After a long discussion on Roger's “team concept” motion, the club is going to reform our tournament profile. So what is going to happen? By the numbers so as not to confuse you: There will be a team draw for each tournament with two club members in one boat forming a partnership. Whose boat to use will be decided between the partners. How much of a gas fee to pay the boater will be decided between the partners. You can fish by yourself only one time. If the two guys like to fish with each other they can form their own team for region tournaments. The two guys will each receive the same points for each tournament. This setup will allow us to fish with more club members to get to know each other better and avoid the back boating and hurt feelings that occur in the bass tournaments.

Richmond Virginia Bassmasters is seeking new members, boaters and nonboaters for 2018. Please PM me if you are interested. Thanks.

Fly, the difference between high school, college and the pros is speed. We can't notice the difference on TV, but you can in person. Just watch those defensive backs and you will see a lot of speed. As for running backs, they don't slow down when they get hit. It is all about speed once you hit college. Speed and strength coupled with intelligence on what to do in what situations that come upon you so fast in the pros.

Used to go see the 76ers play in Philly a long time ago. If you sit close to the court you will see how violent the game really is. And the refs let them play after they mug each other. I know it is costly, but try to get as close to the court as you can. You will be surprised at the speed, strength and soft touch the pros have, all wrapped into one bundle of excitement. Let us know about the game after you go.

Pre-Spawn in South Florida? And I am freezing my fanny off in Richmond, Virginia. Man, do you have it made or what???

How did you guys do in the tournament? Curious minds want to know. Thanks.

Not one. Some locals know what they are talking about and others do not. What worked yesterday may not work today, so what you learn from the locals is interesting but you still have to hit the water and find where they are and pattern. I agree with the tackle shop although they are in the business of selling baits, etc. so I don't pay much attention to what they say.

Put them in a safe place, like your tackle box, and when you get home open the box to air out everything. After you know they are 100% dry sprinkle baby powder over them to keep them dry.

Here is a pro's secret regarding the impact of shallow bass not being there: Turn around 180*!!!! Yes, instead of throwing to the bank, turn around and throw in other direction into deeper water. Also, if the bass are deep, how about a Carolina rig? Give it a try. The bass are still in the area around where they were comfortable in shallow water. They moved out into deeper water for what ever reason they did. Go figure. Good luck.