Sam

Way to go. Congrats!

If you set up your baitcaster correctly the spool will stop when the bait hits the water. And yes, your thumb is your fail-safe option.

Good updates. Keep 'em coming.

Try this web site: https://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017-fishing-regulations.pdf Have fun, be safe and good luck.

Cart, you have limited yourself with your query about one specific area. We have a number of Virginia guys and gals on the Forum but I do not know of any who live in the Buckingham area. I do not live up that way, either, so I am of no help. Here is a suggestion: Try to find on-line the booklet: Freshwater Fishing in Virginia by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. That booklet will cover the Buckingham area with places to fish. Otherwise, you will have to wait until you hit a sporting goods store while driving to Virginia to obtain a free copy. And yes, smallmouth in the Historic James River are strong in Buckingham County area. Your boat should not be a problem once you get it launched. Just be sure to have enough power to get you back to the launch site as the current can take you downriver and it is not easy to paddle back upriver. I am going to go to the DG&IF web page and see if they booklet is on-line. If so, I will come back and add to this thread. Have fun and don't speed. The roads to Buckingham County are unforgiving as are the local deputies and state police. Try this web site: https://www.dgif.virginia.gov/waterbody/james-river-upper-middle/ Have fun, be safe and good luck.

Instinct. A bass is always looking up and when something enters the water their senses go into attack or run mode. If they are hungry or just being nasty, they will hit the bait on the fall as it looks like something good to eat or something to kill. Bass do take baits off the bottom. Remember your jigs??? Bass are inquisitive animals and that also plays a role in their behavior.

Great story. Glad you and your son did not have to have an encounter with a gator.

I don' fish the full moon because that is when Frankenstein, Wolfman, Dracula and the Boogie Man come out.

Brett, it all boils down to confidence. If you have confidence in the attractant then use it. I like MegaStrike and JJ's Magic. Does it help the bass to hold on to the bait for a few seconds longer? I have no idea. But I have confidence in both so I use them just as the guys have penned above. And to answer your garlic question, in the book, Knowing Bass, The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish by Dr. Keith A. Jones of Pure Fishing, here is his list of the flavors that the bass liked and hated in his laboratory studies as illustrated on page 57: 1. Worm Extract 2. Prey Salt Mix 3. Salt 4. Sugar 5. Garlic 6. Anise We will not go into how smell and taste control feeding. To take this discussion one step farther, Dr. Joes does illustrate in a chart on page 72 in the book that his studies of putting scent on crankbaits got 1) more strikes and 2) the bass had a longer retention to scented crankbaits. So use scent on both plastics and hard baits. And remember, it all boils down to confidence. P.S. I have used worm extract made with fresh Nightcrawlers and did not really see any appreciable difference between the extract and MegaStrike and JJ's Magic. Will try again in the future.

Join the club and keep eyes and ears open. Keep a notebook of what you heard and saw. Ask questions and learn from every tournament. Have fun and make each outing an adventure.

Arkansas, there are no rules in bass fishing that are in stone. Each fish is their own and they do what they need to do to survive. There are studies out there on lakes and rivers that have tracked bass movements. Try to locate some of these magazine articles and studies and maybe you can make heads or tails out of them. What blows my mind is how does a bass living in one part of a lake or river make it back to their original location after a weigh-in in another part of a lake or river? This is just one example of why those little green monsters can drive a person crazy.

That is great. Congrats to your son.

My club charges the following annual fees for boaters and nonboaters: $65 for both our Virginia state federation and the B.A.S.S. national club dues. $45 for the club. Optional $6 for annual big fish pot. Virginia B.A.S.S. region 3 tournaments charge $100 per boat. Two people in each boat. B.A.S.S. nonboater fees for the B.A.S.S. opens are around $600. You can go to the Bassmasters web page and check out the tournament costs. I believe boater fees for B.A.S.S. tournaments can be over $1,000. Since I don't fish them I am not totally sure so please do your research. Good luck and post pics of those monsters you will be catching this year.

Daniel, how far up the Historic James River are you thinking of fishing? Good smallmouth on the upper Historic James. If you have a kayak you can have a blast on the Historic upper James. Lots of rocks in the river as you travel towards Richmond. Light rod; light line; small white 1-inch grubs. Be safe and have fun.

Great having you with us. Be sure to do two things: 1. Ask your questions. Don't be bashful as there is no such thing as a dumb question in bass fishing. 2. Wear purple and gold when you go fishing and always yell "Geaux Tigers" when setting the hook. Good luck and start asking your questions ASAP. Welcome!

Jason, you need to subscribe to both Bassmasters magazine and the Bass Times, via Bassmasters. Check out these two publications and read them from cover to cover. As you progress through your bass fishing journey you will learn a lot of information. Start a library and use three-ring binders to store magazine articles for future reference. You have asked two very important questions and they have been answered. If we all knew the answers to these questions when we hit the water we could catch one on every cast. Bass fishing is a lot of experimenting with the places to fish, baits, techniques, rods, reels, line, hooks and time on the water. Please add your physical location so we can be helpful to you in the future. Welcome to the Forum Don't disappear on us. Keep asking those questions.

Z-Dam is dangerous. You will do better by going to the Pony Pasture and wading out into the river. Small, one-inch white grubs on 4 pound test works great for smallies in the rocks. Be very careful. There are holes on the bottom and lots of rock that can get you if you fall. Wear a PFD and bring along a friend for safety. Now, where do you enter the river by the Pony Pasture? Well, first park your vehicle in the parking lot. Then walk along the road until you see an island near the bank. The island is about a quarter mile from where everyone sunbathes. Enter the river by the island and wade out. Check out Google Earth for the island. Don't forget your needle nose pliers to remove the hooks. And be careful. Very careful.

A rookie police officer pulled a biker over for speeding and had the following exchange: • Officer: May I see your driver's license? • Biker: I don't have one. ...I had it suspended when I got my 5th DUI. • Officer: May I see the owner's card for this vehicle? • Biker: It's not my bike. I stole it. • Officer: The motorcycle is stolen? • Biker: That's right. But come to think of it, I think I saw the owner's card in the tool bag when I was putting my gun in there. Officer: There's a gun in the tool bag? • Biker: Yes sir. That's where I put it after I shot and killed the dude who owns this bike and stuffed his dope in the saddle bags. • Officer: There's drugs in the saddle bags too?!?!? • Biker: Yes, sir. Hearing this, the rookie immediately called his captain. The biker was quickly surrounded by police, and the captain approached the biker to handle the tense situation: • Captain: Sir, can I see your license? • Biker: Sure. Here it is. It was valid. • Captain: Who's motorcycle is this? • Biker: It's mine, officer. Here's the registration. • Captain: Could you slowly open your tool bag so I can see if there's a gun in it? • Biker: Yes, sir, but there's no gun in it. Sure enough, there was nothing in the tool bag. • Captain: Would you mind opening your saddle bags? I was told you said there's drugs in them. • Biker: No problem. The saddle bags were opened; no drugs. • Captain: I don't understand it. The officer who stopped you said you told him you didn't have a license, stole this motorcycle, had a gun in the tool bag, and that there were drugs in the saddle bags. • Biker: Yeah, I'll bet he told you I was speeding, too.

Check with an optometrist for their input and recommendation.

X2

Great having another RVA guy with us. Just ask your questions and we will do our best to give you our input.

Fantastic photos under the ice. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2017/06/under-antarctica-behind-scenes-photo/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=SocialAds&utm_content=link_fb20170626-photog-deepsea-23&utm_campaign=content-ads-lg&kwp_0=451340&kwp_4=1653811&kwp_1=711379

Great story.

It is going to boil down to pitching. With LSU having Poche and Lang ready for the next two games and with Hess as a closer, it will be interesting to see if LSU can keep up with the Gators.

Outstanding! Congrats.