Sam

Went to the Hampton BPS today to get a 7-foot medium heavy Extreme rod for pond fishing and the guy working the fishing department told me that BPS had recalled all of their Extreme rod stock. He continued to surmise that BPS is probably going to introduce a newer version in the future. Anyone out there know about this????

Flyers. But they have not been a factor for a number of years. Still like the Flyers since the days of the Broadway Bullies. Before that I was a Boston fan.

The warm weather as the bass somewhat confused here in Virginia. Watch the dogwood trees. When they bloom the bass are on their beds. I will look at my dogwood and note if it has buds. If so, then the bass are starting to move up into the shallows. Otherwise, they are seeking warmer water before the spawn begins.

Although it is personal preference and you will experiment with various baits and hooks, I use the red Owner Mosquito Hooks in the 1/0 size, #5177-113. No size is right or wrong. Just experiment and see what happens. That is the fun of bass fishing: trying different baits, tackle and techniques to fool those little green monsters. Smaller hooks are fine, depending on the size of the bass you expect to catch.

Can't wait for the gun to sound. On your marks..... Get ready........ Geaux!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some suggestions on Lake Chesdin. 1. Get a GMCO map of the lake if you can find one. They are all gone and new ones will be out this year or next year. But still try to find a paper map. 2. Stay out of the "Swamp" unless you know how to transverse the boulders and stumps to get into the area. If you don't know about the "Swamp" it is at the western end of the lake where the Appomattox River enters the lake. Stay out of it until you learn how to get in and out of the area, safely. 3. Fish the grass, docks, piers, coves, creeks, main lake, marinas, bridges. 4. Watch other fishermen and see where they are fishing and what they are throwing. This will give you an idea of what to do and what to throw. 5. Seven Springs Marina charges $10 to launch but it is a safe place. The free ramp on the Dinwiddie side is OK and it is free. But the Seven Springs marina is safer. 6. What to throw? No idea. Spinnerbaits; crankbaits; flipping and pitching plastics; lipless crankbaits; jigs and pigs. You name it, you can throw it. 7. Google "Lake Chesdin Fishing Reports" or "Lake Chesdin" and tool around the blogs that pop up. Some are good while others are old. But you will get some information on the lake. Have fun; be careful; have your seat cushion on the deck in case the VDG&IF conservation officers visit you; and wear your PFD. If you go during the week you can have the lake all to yourself. Post pics of what you catch.

Lots of information for you to digest above but it is all correct. Now, to add to the issue: 1. Bass want "hard bottoms" to prepare their beds. 2. Look for a "white area" that has been cleaned out of debris and bottom slop. 3. Look for a smaller male guarding the area. 4. The female may be in the area but she usually leaves after she lays the eggs. 5. You need polarized sun glasses to see into the water. 6. The bass like shallow water, if possible. They spawn where they can in the waters they live. So get in your boat; pull up the motor out of the water; put the trolling motor down; add sunglasses and a cap to block the sun and surface glare; and go real slow along the bank looking for white patches or other discolorations on the bottom. Have fun and let us know if you find any beds.

Hank is a great guy. I envy you the time you got to spend with him. Friendships that will last a lifetime. Congrats!

Yes. Sometimes it is right. Other times it is wrong. And sometimes I do stupid things that my gut says is wrong but I still do 'em. Like not retying after catching two or three bass. Like not moving to another location. Like not changing colors or baits or retrieves. But then there are the times when my gut feelings are totally correct and I follow them. Have had some nice rewards while fishing using my gut feelings.

Hey Big Moma.........

Way too young to leave us. T&P to his family. Sorry day in our industry. Former FLW and BASS Pro Kyle Mabrey Killed in Auto Accident Jason Sealock 12:52 PM Former FLW Tour pro and former B.A.S.S. Tour pro and founder of Yellow Hammer Lures, Kyle Mabrey was killed Feb. 19, 2016 in an automobile accident Former BASS Tour and FLW Tour pro Kyle Mabrey, was killed late Sunday night, Feb. 20, 2016 in an automobile accident in Alabama. There are not a lot of details released yet, but at some point in the evening, Mabrey's vehicle went off the road while he was en route to his parents' home near Lay Lake after a day of fishing on Logan Martin. Mabrey fished the FLW Tour from 2008-2012. He then took a few years off to get his Yellow Hammer Lures business up and running. He returned last year to the FLW Tour and fished all six events. Prior to that he fished the BASS Opens and BASS Tour from 2001 to 2005. Mabrey worked as a nurse at the Children's Hospital in Birmingham. He was always upbeat and great to work with, and we will miss talking fishing with him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Beth and his two young children as well as his many friends and acquaintances in our fishing community.

May you have many years of good fishing with the rod and then may your son inherit it and have more good years with the rod. Please keep us posted on using micro-guides on a spinning rod and how they perform. Thanks.

Like the eyes. Great art work.

Pros are using Gamma brand braid.

Great! Now, if you want to go after wild bass the bass club is still open to new members!!!!!

Use solar tables for the spawn. Learn how the bass respond to the full moon during the spawn. After that, too many variables effect the bass to relate to only one variable.

Rich, many years ago I read a very interesting article on a " bass milk run." What is a bass "milk run?" It is a defined area where a bass will swim each day on a given schedule. In other words, a large female bass will start the morning under a dock; swim a block to a pier; go along a bank to a submerged tree; cross over the lake or river and hit a hump or shell bed; head back up the lake or river to a road bed; go about a half mile and rest at some rocks; and then cross the lake or river back to where she started. Other bass just hang out in one area, moving about a half a mile depending on the elements and water temperature, and wait for their meals to swim by. Search "bass milk run" to note if you can find anything on this Forum or the Internet. If the water temperature, wind, hot and warm cold fronts, other fishermen, the forage they are eating, and a lot more options remain the same from one day to the next, then the bass will probably stay in the same area. Those bass that like to do a "milk run" will do so no matter what the elements present. However, if any of the variables change then the bass may go deeper, swim away from where they were holding, go down the bank a mile or two, or do what they can to follow their food chain which can totally destroy a great location a day or two later. All you can do is go back to the spot and if you don't catch anything you tell your nonboater that the place was on fire the last time you were there and you have no idea why they are not hitting your baits. Then you try to figure out where they went which is the basic challenge for us all.

Zack, you have asked the $64,000 Question. Your query highlights the challenge we all face on a new and old body of water. Things under the water are in constant flux. They change so that one day the bass will stack up in the back of a creek and the next day they are half a mile away on the main lake. This can drive a grown man to cry. So what do you do? You do your homework to try to figure out the body of water. And how do you do that? Easier said then done. First, paper maps. The ones that show contours, points, humps, channels, sunken boats, bridges, roads so you will know where the docks and piers are located, and any thing else you can find to give you an idea of what you will be facing. Second, you hit Google Earth and see the lake or river from the air. You can then see the grasses, downed trees along a bank, homes, piers, docks, bridges, etc. in real time. Third, you go to the water and use your electronics to locate spots that looked promising on the maps and Google Earth. Take your boat out and using your electronics check out the places you found on your maps and Google Earth. No fishing, just check out the places you think the fish will be holding. Fourth, while on the water note the water temperature so you will know where the bass "should" be and if they will be aggressive depending on the season. Fifth, talk to others who have fished that body of water and go to the water's blog, if there is one, and read those posts. Ask your questions but be ready to receive very little helpful information if the guys on the blog are protective of the body of water. However, it has been my experience that the guys will give you some helpful tips if you are nice when you pen your queries. Sixth, go to the section of this Forum that the waters are located and look up under the search option the names of the waters you fish. If they have been discussed you will find the data plus the names of the guys and gals fishing them. Send them a personal message or just ask your questions on a new thread regarding where you are fishing. We all do it. Sometimes we get good feedback and sometimes we get skunked. With these six items on your bucket list completed, the time has arrived to try to find the bass. And were can they be? Top, middle or bottom of the water column. Holding tight to trees. Sunny day and under docks, piers and boats. Cloudy days around rip rap and just swimming around. This is your challenge. Use your favorite baits for each of the three depths. Experiment with speed of retrieve and colors. Change baits as often as necessary. Do what your gut tells you. Fish those techniques you have confidence. You know the body of water now but the bass are doing their own thing. This is your challenge. To find out what the bass are doing and where they are holding. At least for that day or hour. Bass movements change with the wind, water temperature, sunny/cloudy days.......you know all the tricks the bass use to fool us. Top, middle or bottom. One or a combination of them. You have to experiment to find out where they are and what they want. While on the water look to see what the other guys are doing. Are they way off the bank throwing big spinnerbaits? Close to the banks flipping and pitching plastics? Fishing in the middle of nothing that could signal a submerged brush pile, sunken boat or other structure that could hold the bass? Fast retrieve. Slow retrieve? Colors they are using? Anything you can glean from them will be helpful, especially if they know the waters better than you. The "Eastern US" as your location is not helpful to us. "Eastern US" starts in Maine and goes all the way to Florida and includes states such as Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New York, and West Virginia for starters. Each state has different bodies of water; different fishing techniques; and the seasons of the year occur at difference times. Please consider adding your specific location and the bodies of water you fish to your avatar to help us help you. If you do all that is mentioned in this thread there is still no guarantee you will locate the bass on your first or second adventure. You can always throw a crankbait fast to eliminate water but if you are not sure if the bass are in the area you are not doing yourself a favor. You may be eliminating water that will come alive in the afternoon or has already been active in the morning. Only time on the water will give you this data. If you get totally frustrated, how about hiring a guide for a day? Good money spent to help you understand the waters and what the bass are doing at that time. I have used guides on a lot of waterways and every trip has been helpful in locating places where the bass will be holding. Or should be holding. You want to see where the guide fishes and what baits he suggests you throw. This is a great short-cut to learning about any body of water. And yes, you get on the Internet and look up blogs regarding the bodies of water you fish; get any state fish and game publications that list the fish in the waters so you can note the forage. After you catch a bass feel its stomach. If it is squishy they are eating shad, bream and bluegills. If it is hard they are eating crawfish. Go from there in type, size and color of your baits to try to match what they are eating at that time. No one can give you the "magic bullet" as to where the bass will be on the days you fish. You can gather a lot of info on this Forum and blogs to point you in the right direction. And you can subscribe to some wonderful magazines and Facebook publications to help you learn more about that little green monster that bring grown me to tears. Keep a diary. Yes, a diary. Check out the Free Fishing Log data in Tools at the top of this page and start a diary on the waters you fish. You will be surprised as how fast you can find out things after writing down the details of each venture to help you master your bodies of water. All of us could go on for a long time as to how to take a new lake or river apart. It is up to you to find the tools and data you need to accomplish that mission with the understanding that the bass can still make you look silly. Good luck and let us know how you do. Tight Lines!!!!

"To leader or not to leader, that is the question." (Herman Shakespeare in his novel, Omelets. Here is what Herman wrote: To braid, or not to braid, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of losing bass, Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles, And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep No more; and by a sleep, to say we end the heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks that bass are heir to? 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep, To sleep, perchance to Dream; aye, there's the rub, for in that sleep of death, what dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause. There's the respect that makes catching bass of so long life: For who would bear the bugs and bad weather of time, the bass’ wrong, the proud man's Contumely (breaking off) the pangs of despised Love for that little green monster, the technique delay, the insolence of the bass, and the spurns that patient merit of the unworthy hook sets, when he himself might his fishing rod make with a bare strike of the rod? Who would Fardels the Big Bass bear, to grunt and sweat under a weary life, but that the dread of something after death, the undiscovered country, from whose bourn no fisherman returns, puzzles the will, and makes us rather bear those ills we have, than fly to others that we know not of, be it a Palmore or an Uni. Thus the use of a leader does make cowards of us all, and thus the native hue of Resolution to nail that fat bass. Is sicklied o'er, with the pale cast of Thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment, with this regard their bass turn awry, And lose in the name of Glenn and Road Warrior. Soft you now, The fair personal best? Big Mother, in thy dreams Be all my sins remembered how to tie the leader to the braid. It really boils down to what you have confidence.

I have one for mermaids but I ain't showing it. Family forum and all that.

Rub its tummy for good luck.

In days gone by, the pros use to say to use mono for treble hook baits; flouro for all other presentations; braid when appropriate. Today, it seems the pros are using braid, mono, flouro and copoly for all presentations. It is not unusual to hear the pros say they are using flouro on all presentations. A pro I know uses braid with flouro leader for just about everything he throws. So use whatever you have confidence.

Every retail store has a "buyer" for each department. So a Gander Mountain in Tennessee may have a fantastic selection of bass fishing stock while a Gander Mountain in Virginia may not. It is up to each buyer to stock their store based on the sales in their store. The buyers will stock their shelves with the items that sell, be it fresh or saltwater. Same is true with the employees. Some stores will have very knowledgeable staff while others do not. Just something that comes with the territory. The Gander Mountain in Richmond closed while the Gander Mountain in Fredericksburg is still open. Stores were about 40 miles apart. But BPS and Green Top were too much for the Richmond store so it closed. Filing for bankruptcy will allow the company to reorganize and close some of the unprofitable locations and legally break the leases. Hopefully the chain will come out of the bankruptcy smaller but stronger. Time will tell.

Funny clip of Ike fishing with Cliff Crochet in the Louisiana bayous. For some unknown reason I can understand Crochet. Then again, I can understand Coach Oregeon of LSU clearly, too. Go figure. Enjoy!

Yes, and safer than parking your vehicle and trailer at a public boat ramp. Safer than launching your watercraft at a public ramp. Also more convenient. When you are finished on the water you can tie up the boat and walk home. And you can always keep an eye on your boat and equipment at your house. I have no idea if it will increase the value of your property but I would think it would. You have to maintain the ramp to keep its value on the high side.