Sam

Sure. It happens to all of us in our endeavors. Work. Sports. Hobbies. You name it, sooner or later you get tired and just need a little rest to recharge the batteries. So, when you recharge the batteries you have to work on your confidence. Just because you don't catch anything or that 10-pound lunker does not mean you are a poor fisherman. It means the darn bass were not hungry or aggravated or in the anticipated locations and therefore you did not get any strikes. Take a week off and then start to rearrange your tackle, wash your rods in the shower, respool all reels with fresh line, organize your plastics and hard baits and make plans to hit the water again. Then post how you do.

Join a local bass club and learn about the Virginia rivers and lakes. Welcome to the Forum. Glad you are with us.

I drove to the ramp for 4:30 AM to launch boat for a club tournament and when I got out to get boat ready for launch I found the 50-foot extension cord following the boat. Drive was about 30 miles. I got boat ready to travel at home and forgot to unplug the battery charger. Really felt dumb but had to laugh at myself.

Congrats and good luck. Keep us posted as the years go by as to what you are doing and any funny stories.

Geaux Tigers!

"More important though, is fishing another angler's fish. For example, on Sunday I had a pretty good bite on a worm. Missed the fish and in the two seconds it took me to readjust the worm on the hook he had cast into that spot. To me, that is bad etiquette. I found the fish. If he had been a rider in someone else's boat during a tournament that would be unacceptable, and certainly during the vote-in the matter would be brought up." We do this all the time in bass tournaments as a boater or a non-boater. It is acceptable. It is not bad etiquette. What you all will find out are the secret locations the other guys in the club run to for their fish. So get maps and mark them with each location you, your son and others you know nailed bass on a lake or river. This is fair and expected and not bad etiquette. Now, bad etiquette is when another angler hits the other guys' favorite places the day before the tournament to stick the bass so they will not bite on tournament day. Or having your father sit in his bass boat with a shotgun over his lap protecting his son's favorite places to fish and running off all who approach the area. Or running top speed by another bass fisherman throwing a large wake at him. Or doing wheelies with your bass boat as you leave one location where another guy is fishing causing a tremendous wake to be thrown at the other guy. Or getting too close to another tournament fisherman by not obeying the 50-foot rule and casting towards his location. Or seeing another guy fishing a bank and running to the other end and heading towards him or placing your boat about 50 feet ahead of him and fishing the bank before he does. All of the above have happened to me or others in my bass club. The funny one was the wheelie as the guy in the stationary boat had no idea it was coming his way. The wheelie guy was angry that the other guy came in hot into the area and threw a wake at him so he did the wheelie as he left the area to get revenge. They are still friends today. Etiquette as a non-boater includes not messing up the boat; bringing food and drink; keeping mouth closed and eyes and ears open; talking about fishing and life with the boater; being on time; not bringing 500 pounds of tackle and 10 rods; offering to pull the truck and trailer out of the water and parking it; offering to pick up the truck and trailer and bringing it to the ramp to help trailer the boat; having his own culling system for his keepers; having his own needle nose pliers to remove his bait from caught fish; having rain gear if necessary; having proper clothes to keep warm or cool; not fishing when sick with a cold or fever; telling boater if he has to be back at the dock early due to another commitment; not jumping out of the boat into the water because it is too hot; and being a gentleman all day. Your son will do great in a club and learn a lot. He will be remembered as the guy who grunted all day when he leaves the club. Good luck to both of you and have some fun.

Notre Dame! Tennessee! Do you really think these teams are going anywhere other than the toilet bowl at the end of the season? OK, maybe the Fighting Irish will do somewhat good but Tennessee? The good ole "Choke Vols" Tennessee? The Tennessee team that is playing the Honkies in Bristol Motor Speedway? The Tennessee team that may have a chance at the SEC East championship? Time will tell, but of course, it will be fun throwing barbs at each other about our favorite and not-so-favorite teams this year. "Let the fun begin tonight!!!"

Accepted. Of course, being from the University of West Virginia those on this Forum from Blacksburg understand your goof. Then again...........

Caliyak, do you know the story of Bear Bryant and Southern Cal back in 1970? It is a story that turned southern football on its head and has lead to the rise of the Southeastern and Atlantic Coast conferences. ESPN did a great story on how this happened and its impact on football. What is interesting about the 1970 Alabama-USC clash is that it is stilled rumored that Bear Bryant told John McKay after the game at midfield, "you have no idea what you just did" after USC blasted the Tide at home 42-21. And McKay had no idea but the Bear knew what happened and the door it would open for him in Alabama. This game gave the Bear the green light to recruit the black ball players and he started the national championship history down in Tuscaloosa. LSU is the last SEC team to integrate its football team and now they are challenging for the national championship along with the Tide. Check out this article and then have some fun watching the game: http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/11/historic_1970_alabama-usc_foot.html Geaux Tigers!

No idea other than the top 10 at the beginning of the season can look a lot different at the end of the season. As usual, the press has their favorites but each year we have at least one team who has the chance to make it big time that was not on anyone's radar at the start of the season. Could be bad luck to list your teams so here are my picks and if indeed it is bad luck so be it: Alabama, Alabama, Alabama and Alabama

Cavitron buzzbaits.

Hey Nolan congrats to you and the winning team. Our Forum guy is wearing the blue shirt. He is one super bass fisherman for his age.

ITC Bolsters Ban on Garmin DownVü Products Commission confirms that the limited exclusion order covers Garmin DownVü products as well as head units and transducers to be sold together. Navico – the world’s largest manufacturer of marine electronics and parent company to the Lowrance®, Simrad®, B&G® and GoFree® brands – announced today that on August 18, 2016 the International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled yet again that Garmin DownVü™ scanning sonar products may not be imported into the United States, because they violate Navico’s patents for DownScan Imaging™ technology. This latest ruling confirms that Garmin (NASDAQ:GRMN) has been improperly circumventing the ITC’s December 2015 exclusion order. The ITC issued a modified exclusion order clarifying the scope of infringing DownVü products that are barred from importation. The order has already been distributed to the United States Customs and Border Protection agency, and its requirements are effective immediately. This ruling vindicates Navico’s assertion that Garmin’s DownVü product offerings violate Navico’s sonar patents and the ITC’s orders. Additionally, the ITC’s Cease and Desist Orders remain active, barring Garmin and its distributors from selling or aiding others in the sale of these products. The ITC’s orders will block the import, sale and promotion of current DownVü products, including the Striker, echoMAP and GPSMAP products sold with their respective transducers. Garmin’s violations of the ITC’s orders open the door to potential civil penalties. “We are pleased that the ITC once again has ruled in our favor. It’s clear from the rulings that Garmin’s DownVü products from the start have infringed our patents, and it surprises me that a company claiming to respect other companies’ intellectual property would improperly circumvent the ITC’s orders by importing and selling these products in the U.S. market,” said Leif Ottosson, CEO, Navico. “We have offered a license for DownScan Imaging™ technology to all major manufacturers in the market, but in this and every other matter of patent infringement, we will continue to vigorously defend our intellectual property and innovations.” Claims by Garmin regarding a “design around” solution are subject to ITC approval in order to confirm that the alternative design does not likewise violate Navico’s patents. In the new ruling, the ITC specifically noted that Garmin has not sought review of any alleged “design around.” As such, Garmin’s so-called “tilted” transducer used in its current DownVü products is also deemed to infringe Navico’s patents. Under the ITC’s orders, these products may not be imported or sold unless Garmin can obtain a certification of non-infringement. Furthermore, the ITC’s orders prevent Garmin from offering any incentive or other form of compensation to any distributor or re-seller relating to the distribution, sale and marketing of improperly imported DownVü products. The International Trade Commission is an independent governmental agency in Washington, DC responsible for addressing patent infringement disputes relating to goods that are manufactured abroad and imported into the United States. Garmin’s DownVü products are manufactured and imported from Taiwan.

Yes, you are right. I meant to say the hot side. Thanks for clarifying. So what I said about the cold side relates to being the hot side. Sorry guys.

Tie a Palomar Knot as shown above. Remember to leave enough line on the "tag" end for your leader. Learn the Palomar Knot and use it for other presentations. Good luck.

6 Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Florida and Louisiana

Cdaily, ever wonder where the car manufacturers get the names for their cars? What about housing subdivisions and their "cute" names? And how about street names? Millions are spent each year to "name" a product to make it appealing. Advertising companies have lists of names and the impact they will have on the public to entice the public to purchase the product. Red Shad? Nice catchy name. Sexy Shad? Even better. And what in the world is a Chatterbait? And what color is Catt's Tequila Sunrise? When I was in the Army I had a list of positive words and sayings to use when recommending a soldier for a medal or promotion. Fantastic list. Wish I still had it today but it has since been long gone. So when YUM or Crews or Ike or Zoom or Gary Y. want to name a product, it is time for a "brain storm session" by the experts to come up with a name of a new rod, reel, line or bait that will make it attractive and improve its sales. Sorry I can't write more but I have to go out and get a Zoom curly tail Junebug worm. Now what in the world is a Junebug?

The Cold Side of One Fish Anna is private and the homeowners are protective of the lake. They do not like big bass tournaments and all ramps are protected by locked gates other than the homeowner ramps. May I suggest asking if anyone has access to the "cold side" and if so, can you all fish together or could they let you in and out to fish by your self? I know of a tournament that fishes the "cold side" but they are picky about who fishes and they limit the number of boats and times they fish. So far the lake residents are OK with this setup. If you are interested I can inquire on your behalf to see if there are any openings if they are still fishing the tournaments. They use bass boats with high powered motors so no kayaks. I have no idea what the entry fee is per boat. PM me with your email data and I can try to get in touch with the guy who runs the tournaments.

Bass, don't' forget to add a trailer hook to your Chatterbait main hook.

A-Jay is totally correct regarding wearing your PFD and staying out of the way of fast boats. Last time out on the Historic James River my friend and I were returning to the ramp for the weigh-in at dusk and I saw "something" in the water ahead of us, but could not make it out. I slowed down to around 30 MPH (down from 45 MPH) as I got closer to the "object." The "object" was a woman on a jet ski sitting in the middle of the river by the power plant. No lights. No PFD. Wearing dark clothes. I slowed down to 20 MPH and went as far from her as I could go to make a safe pass. I know that if the "object" was a paddle board we could have had a very difficult time missing it since a paddle board has smaller profile than a jet ski. Just "a word to the wise is sufficient," as my old high school principal used to say.

Par for the course in Cabela's fishing department.

In the greater Richmond area up to Fredericksburg and the surrounding counties public schools do not open until after Labor Day due the the Kings Dominion Law. This law, passed by the Virginia General Assembly many years ago, keeps the public schools closed until the first week of September so that Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens and other tourist locations can keep the high school kids working. In the northern and western parts of the state our public schools are already open and ready to rock and roll.

Hey guys, it is quality control at the factory that is causing the problems. To up root a manufacturing center and move it can have an enormous negative impact on quality control. Remember, we now have new management and workers who may not share the history or love of the company or product. The new individuals sit at a table and put the products together, not caring if the product is good or poor. The new employees have quotas to make and they will make them, one way or the other. With all of the government regulations; taxes; ACLU; EPA; minimum wage; workers' compensation insurance; health/dental insurance; pension plans, and the list goes on and on, why in the world would PRADCO want to continue to manufacturer anything in the good ole USA when they can go out of country and produce a product close to the USA standards but without all of the baggage of the United States? This is magnified with products with a very slim profit margin. When sales of the products start to fall then PRADCO will improve its quality control. Until then, it is what it is, like it or not. And I love a special Norman crankbait for the Historic James River. Hopefully I can find some made in the USA on the Internet and scoop them up before they are all gone.

Yes.

The Whooper is a very good hamburger. The BK service is awful.