Sam

Todd, get the safest boat you can. You can use your trolling motor on Briery Creek and Sandy River. But you need a safe boat as the places you fish can turn against you in a New York minute and you and your son can be faced with white caps and high winds. Don't forget to get your Safe Boating Certificate that is now needed by everyone operating a motorized watercraft in the Commonwealth. Even your son may enjoy this safety course. Good luck and here is to many hours of fun and success on the waters with your son.

Catt, about 15 years ago I was fishing the Chickahominy River with a friend during the week before a big B.A.S.S. tournament on the Historic James River and we saw something we had never seen before: six or seven beautiful Rangers and Tritons on the water at the same time on a weekday. Not only did we see a lot of beautiful new bass boats, but the guys fishing were dressed in kaki's and clean long sleeve shirts and wearing high end sunglasses. Totally 180* opposite of us in our shorts, tees and baseball caps. They looked professional while we looked like two guys having a good time. The guys fishing never looked at us nor did they acknowledge us with a wave or a head nod. Totally ignored us, which is unusual for fishing Virginia waters. We all wave or at least acknowledge each other as we pass by. At the ramp I asked a local guide who we bumped into about what we saw and was surprised to find out that these guys were "prefishing for their pros." Yes, the pros would hire these guys to fish the river before the tournament and report their findings back to the pros. The guide told me that he had done it in the past for a pro coming down to fish the Historic James River system. I have no idea if this practice is legal or is still going on, legally or not.

If you make them yourself please remember to use stainless steel staples or tacks when stapling the carpet onto the boards. I made mine for my old Tracker and they are still going strong for my son who has the boat. I purchased two ten foot pressure treated pine boards from one of my clients who owns a saw mill and bought the carpet at Lowe's along with the special glue. I had the carpet cut to the correct length at Lowe's. After making the bunks, I towed the boat 15 miles to a marina on Lake Chesdin; payed the $8 ramp fee; launched the boat and tied it to the pier; and then changed out the bunks in the parking lot. Needless to say I had help from two wonderful friends and we did this on a weekday afternoon when there was no boat traffic. Old bunks fell apart on us. We had no idea they were in such bad shape. If you can purchase them already to go you will know they were professionally constructed and will save a lot of time and aggravation in creating them from scratch. Good luck with your project.

Largemouth, the Palomar knot, when tied properly on a drop shot rig, causes the hook to stand straight out, 90* from the line. You want the hook standing straight out from the line. Once you learn the Palomar knot it will be one of the major knots you will use. I use it on just about all techniques for plastics and hard baits. Learn the knot and it will be your friend. NOTE: Some pros say that the Palomar knot may not be the best knot to use in some situations. Do your homework and learn the pros and cons of this knot and then go out and master it.

Stephen, many pros are using braid on their spinning rigs to stop line twist problems. I use it on all of my spinning rigs when tournament fishing. I don't use a leader as it puts weak spot (knot) in the line. So far, I can't seem to see any difference between "with and without" a leader when drop shotting or using it for my shaky head presentations. Remember to spool some mono on the spinning reel first for backing and to stop the braid from slipping.

Cavitron.

The rain was pouring and there was a big puddle in front of the Bar just outside the American Legion Post. A ragged old Army ground pounder was standing near the edge with a fishing line in the puddle. A curious young Marine Fighter Pilot came over to him and asked what he was doing. "Fishing," the old Sergeant simply said. "Poor old fool," the Marine Officer thought to himself, and he invited the old Army Soldier into the Bar for a drink. As he felt he should start some conversation while they were sipping their whiskey, the haughty Fighter Pilot asked, "And how many have you caught today?" "You're number ten," the old Army Sergeant answered. “2 Air Force, 3 Navy & 5 Marines.”

Thoughts and prayers to your family. So sorry to read the sad news. She was way too young to leave us. Hang in there the best you can for the kids.

Yes.

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1. Denny Brauer - to learn all I can about flipping and pitching 2. KVD -to learn all I can about crankbaits 3. Ike - to watch him at work and learn about everything 4. Aaron Martens - have a good time with a great guy and learn a lot about everything

Wonderful having you with us and it was great speaking with you this afternoon. Keep those posts coming! Sam

Anyone out there heard about or attended this event before? First time I have heard about it. Coming to Richmond at the end of this month. Will probably go to see what they say and hopefully learn something new. Mods, should this be posted it in the Southeast Fishing section? Feel free to move it as appropriate. Thanks.

What Glenn penned is 100% correct, not only in the fishing industry but in all industries. There is a vast difference in any occupation between doing it for fun or the love of the activity and basing your financial security on it for a living. Working for the NFL, NHL, NBA, a college athletic department or a local soccer organization is vastly different than playing the sport you love. A lot of guys think tournament fishing is fun. Believe me, tournament fishing is not fun. It is a lot of hard work studying maps; time on the water before the tournament; hours of prep time before leaving the house; planning for weather changes; selecting the tackle and baits you believe will do the best for you; thinking about breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks; putting fuel in the boat and truck the day before the tournament; scouting safe places to stay; making sure the trailer and its tires are in good shape; and getting to the blast off ramp at least an hour, if not earlier, before blast off just to get your boat in the water in the dark. The gratification you get when you do well against your peers cannot be matched. The sadness when you don't do as well as your peers is equal in a negative way to any positive gratification you would have enjoyed had you done better. So if you want a career in the fishing industry you have to prepare and be lucky. There are only "so many" openings and for you to be selected to fill one of the openings is fantastic. But you will also be turned down many more times than offered a position and this is just like tournament fishing - more losses than wins. As Glenn states, "there are thousands of folk at ICAST every year, employed by the fishing industry......" For you to get into the fishing industry you have to secure "contacts." Not at ICAST as that is a closed show and you can't get in. But, like a tournament fisherman, you have to invest the time and effort doing your research of other shows and different companies; performing a "recon" of different companies via guys and gals you meet at the various fishing shows and expos; having a good education; speaking the King's English properly; not showing all of your tattoos; wearing business casual clothes (no jeans or tees); wearing proper shoes; no beards or mustaches if the people representing the companies at the shows don't have them; and most important of all...wearing a smile and being confident. Sad to say that you are not attending these events to look at the goodies. You goal is to make as many contacts as possible and hear what the people in the industry are telling you on how to approach their companies. You need to see how these people act and dress. Ask them about their formal education. Can you travel around the country or are you engaged/married and want a career at their home office? The "little things" that count on a first impression will make or break you. And you have to put in the time and effort doing your research on the Internet about the various companies; checking with "head hunters" as to any openings they know of; sending proper letters of introduction to the top executives of those companies you are interested in joining; and being persistent. You can also go to your local tackle shops, Cabela's, Bass Pro Shops, Academy, Gander Mountain and speak with a store manager about who you can contact at the various fishing related companies. Tell them what you want to do and if they are at liberty to give you the names of the company executives who you can contact. Like in tournament fishing, you have to keep fishing tournaments and getting better at it before you score a top win. You have to do your homework before you approach any company and each time you make contact you will learn something to help you on your next contact. Sorry for the long post but I want to share with you a story and what can happen if you are in the right place at the right time. Five years ago I accepted a volunteer position to help Berkley with their fishing booth at the last Boy Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill. Had a fantastic time. But guess who I met and listened to their funny stories about Jimmy Houston and others? Bradley Roy and Hank Parker. Two great guys - one on the way up and the other enjoying retirement. But the best part of the event was that on the day when the TV crew arrived and Hank was going to award the fishing prize to the top Boy Scout Angler guess who flew down from Berkley to be at the event? One of the top Berkley vice presidents. A very nice individual who was easy to speak with and he fit in with Hank and Bradley so easily it was something to see. A vice president of Berkley,college educated, on the business side of bass fishing, sharing stories with Hank Parker and Bradley Roy and the rest of us volunteers. It was amazing. A college educated professional fitting in with bass tournament professionals on the same level. Had you been there you could have asked the vice president what you had to do to start your career at Pure Fishing. But you were not there and no one asked the vice president about working in the bass fishing industry. So once again, at the right place at the right time. Head to the library and ask for the books that list fishing industry companies' profiles. You may have to look in the stocks and bonds section for the listings of the company profiles and management people. Make your list and then start working on your letter to the individual you want to contact. The librarians, who don't fish, can be extremely helpful to you in finding the data you need to view. Go to all of the fishing shows you can make. No excuses. You have to invest time and money to get your dream job. Don't be bashful. Ask those working the shows and find the individuals putting on the shows about who they suggest you contact or if they have heard about any openings. What are their education levels? Is it mostly on-the-job training or do you need a college degree? Dress professionally; speak professionally; have a tablet, pens to make notes; if possible give them a business card with your name, address and phone number on it to hand out to be passed up the chain of command; and go for it. Just remember, you will strike out more than get a hit but it takes only one hit. Good luck and all the best in finding your dream job, which translated means working in the bass fishing industry and having lots of time to fish on the company's dime!!!!!!

Here is a start!

Wow! Bass fishing has hit the big time with a national TV network airing the FLW event. In some ways it is good; other ways it is not good. Time will tell.

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It is 4:04AM on Monday, January 9, 2017 and at my home in Richmond, Virginia we had 10-inches of snow on Saturday and right now the outside temperature is 6* Good news is that in around 40 days college baseball will start.

Pro Stow Tackle Organizer is what you may be trying to find. Google it and see what comes up. I think the one Ranger Boats has holds nine tackle boxes in the middle compartment.

It is an insult used by Hans Solo when something on his ship was broken. A Moof is a hairy animal that gives milk. Moof milkers are not supposed to be very intelligent so to call someone a moof milker is an insult. I am not sure what a nerf herder is.

Major discussion on the use of scent on plastics for many years. Everyone has their own opinion, including Dr. Keith Jones of Pure Fishing (Berkley). Scent gives us confidence. And it is supposed to allow the bass to hold onto the bait just a few seconds longer. I hate to bring up Dr. Jones' book, Knowing Bass, The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish, but Dr. Jones does discuss how bass smell and taste and which flavors are the best. Dr. Jones, based on his research inside a controlled lab, rates various flavors as follows depending on how long the bass held on to the various flavors: Worm Extract 100% Prey Salt Mix 60% Table Salt 20% Sugar 3% Garlic 2% Anise 1% Bass do not like sweets while garlic and plain table salt fare only a little better. Regarding crankbaits, Dr. Jones' research resulted in a higher number of strikes with scent along with a longer retention time. I will not go into any other details, such as the size of the scent's molecules and if they are small enough for the bass to smell or taste, but I do support the use of scent and I use MegaStrike and JJ's Magic. I believe MegaStrike helps the bass know there is food in the area and after they inhale the bait they will hold onto it for a few extra seconds. its all about confidence.

It looks homemade. Where did you see it?

Celtic, you started a fire storm with your thread. And that's great! Everyone has their favorite rods, reels, lines, tackle, etc. So to ask who has the best baitcasting reel will produce a lot of bias answers. There is a wonderful guy in Powhatan County, Virginia, Wayne Knabe, who repairs rods and reels. He does outstanding work and you should see some of his refurbished rods results. They are so beautiful you would not want to use them. I asked Wayne which reels he liked, from a repair standpoint, and he replied Shimano and Lew's. He said he liked the way they are constructed. The only drawback is that Shimano will discontinue parts for older reels which makes his job a little more difficult. But that is Wayne's position, which could change depending on the number of reels he repairs or services each year. I don't think you will have any problems with the top name reels. Get a BPS 2017 catalog and see what reels they have for sale and you can't go wrong. There is no benefit for me to tell you what I like as you may hate them. So do some work in the Internet and then try to select trhe one you like best. A Hint: When shopping for a rod or a reel, take your reel or rod to the store and set it up to find out how the new setup feels in your hands and when you practice casting it. You may be surprised at your findings. Good luck.

1. Yum Dingers 2. Bass Pro Shops Tournament Stick Baits

Basszilla, sorry to have to tell you that in today's fishing industry some of the top rods and reels are made overseas. I understand how you feel. Neither my wife or I will purchase anything made in Vietnam. Now, with that said, I like my Shimano's and Lew's reels and G. Loomis rods. Even the Bass Pro Shops rods are of good quality, especially their Cranking Sticks. As for their reels, I don't know who manufacturers them. You will have to inquire about that from BPS. But I would surmise that they are made in the USA. The overseas market also includes terminal tackle and line so if you purchase an American made rod and reel, check out where the hooks, line and sinkers are manufactured. This is the way it is in all of the American fishing industry. Hopefully the guys can give you some good input on which products are 100% American made. Good luck and Happy New Year!