Sam

Four years ago my wife could not stand the baits and tackle strewn about in the garage and my man cave so we went to Loew's and purchased two 6-foot high Gladiator Garageworks Extra Large Gearbox metal cabinets each having three metal shelves and a bottom floor. We then drove to Joann's Fabrics where I purchased thirty-six (36) 16 by 11 inch plastic storage containers for my plastics and line. I have also added plastic storage bins for the storage of line and miscellaneous items such as paint, scents, etc. since we got the cabinets. I can store 8 of the plastic storage boxes on each of the four shelves for a total of 32 boxes in one of the cabinets for all plastics. The second cabinet is for my hard baits where I store all of my hard baits and terminal tackle in tackle boxes. All line is stored in one of the six Joann's Fabrics plastic containers and other plastic storage boxes I have added and placed on the pine cabinet's shelves along the back of the garage. I also have a beautiful wood cabinet with 24 small drawers that I have filled with various plastics, too. I think it is a cabinet makers cabinet and I have had it for so many years I have no idea where it came from. I store the plastics by type and then by color. I store the hard baits by color. When I get ready to go fishing I select among the plastics and hard baits and put them into their own tackle boxes. Maybe one day I need to take a picture of my setup and send it along.

None that I know of but the Alabama rig comes close. I don't use it as it wears me out and so far only a few guys I know have used it without any great success in Virginia waters.

Wonderful having you with us. And hopefully an SEC guy. Ask you questions and we will do our best to give you our input. Geaux Tigers!

You can do these things when contemplating purchasing direct damage and third-party legal liability for any watercraft. 1. You can absorb the physical damage pure loss exposure and defend yourself and pay any court awards for third party liability claims out of your treasury. 2. You can avoid the exposure by not buying the boat. 3. You can reduce the probability of loss by taking the boat from the safety of its storage facility and using it only between the hours of 1 and 2 AM on the mornings of each Tuesday of the week on a private pond with no other boats or obstacles in the water. 4. You can transfer the risk of loss to a rich relative or friend. 5. You can transfer the risk of loss to a professional risk taker, such as an insurance company and purchase an unilateral contract of adhesion with a small assumption of loss on your behalf. Question: You tell me how much damage you can do to your watercraft, motor, and trailer plus the tow vehicle and who you are going to injure or kill due to your negligence on the water or to and from the ramp and I can tell you how much insurance you need to protect your assets. For me, it is easier and cheaper to drop the claim on Progressive than to hire attorneys to handle the liability case or contract with a repair shop to make repairs to my equipment. Carry the highest limits you can afford, including a Personal Umbrella Policy over your homeowners, renters, auto, and boat primary insurance limits of at least $1,000,000. X2

We found the buck bass on April 10th all over the place, but no big ladies. One guy in our club tournament caught a 4.3 pound lady around a marina and this fish proved to be the difference in us winning or coming in second. We came in second as we could not find a big fish all day. I would think the bass may pull off their beds and go deep due to the cold front coming into central Virginia Thursday night and then the expected rain on Saturday . The weather reports are constantly changing so keep an eye on the weather. Good luck and let us know how you do.

From a January 6th post I made about sunscreens: Each July I visit my dermatologist, Dr. Julie Tran, and strip down to nothing for my annual skin cancer check. She checks everything!!!! Had three small basal cell carcinoma removed from my left arm this past July and I never noticed them. They had just started to form and she spotted them. Froze them off and they are gone. Dr. Tran has frozen off a number of these basal cells from my ears, forehead, and scalp over the past five years. I had no idea they were there. I dress to fish like it is January weather all year, be it in the Ranger or pond fishing, with long sleeve shirts, long pants, a baseball cap, and sun glasses. Dr. Tran continues to be on my case to use sun screen that contains zinc oxide and I will admit that I am lax about replacing the first covering as the day goes on. Here is a link to zinc oxide sunscreens: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/anti-aging/g26541068/best-zinc-oxide-sunscreen/ Guys and gals, no one can make you cover up when you go fishing or make you wear sunscreen. It is your choice. What is upsetting is that skin cancer is a silent killer, and your family doctor may not notice any basal cells like a true dermatologist is trained to do. So please see a dermatologist, take off your clothes, and get checked. It will save your life. NOTE: I find good sunscreens at Walmart.

My bass club had an outstanding tournament on "Lake" Anna on April 10th, and a few of them got on my case about calling "Lake" Anna "One Fish Anna" as everyone had a fantastic tournament. OK, the guys win. I will no longer call Lake Anna "One Fish Anna" as all teams but one caught their five fish limit and the one that did not had four fish to weigh-in. So long "One Fish Anna" until we meet again (Next year's April 10th weekend if possible).

Under Virginia's smoking laws, smoking will not be allowed in Virginia casinos and betting parolors.

Junger, the casino is not any where close to any water. The Historic James River is about 10 miles to the west of the proposed site. And even if the casino is on the water in the City of Richmond, the boulders and the rapids in the river would prevent any boat traffic to travel up the river to it. But I really like that idea.

Wife and I saw the Righteous Brothers in Las Vegas. Fantastic show. Maybe we can get the Classic back in Richmond as Osborne Landing on the Historic James River is about 15 clicks to the east of where the casino is going to be built and it is a free moving highway to take the boats to the weigh-in.

Yep. Western VA and North Carolina are in a freeze watch and warning for tonight.

https://majorleaguefishing.com/press-releases/major-league-fishing-prohibits-berkley-powerbait-maxscent-in-bass-pro-tour-competition/?fbclid=IwAR2ueLtUiGHlsnpbnK2fr7cd6YHzYuJtb3EulXpQywDgtuRSwuT4M1NL6z0 Power Poles next to be banned.

Post it! Have fun. Outdo me. Geaux for it!

Reel, if anyone can find the beds it is you!!!! With the dogwoods blooming you know they are starting to get on their beds. Good luck and please post some pics of the big ladies you catch.

Five casinos are presenting proposals for a casino complex in the City of Richmond, Virginia. One will be awarded the opportunity to construct and operate the casino which is supposed to attract over 2.5 million people a year and have a parking area for 3,000 vehicles. Here is the Bally's web site that is making the rounds: https://ballysrichmond.com/?utm_source=Paid Social&utm_medium=FB&utm_campaign=March&utm_term=Local Residents&utm_content=Ad 4&fbclid=IwAR3r2q8gZRE9-e0WuUd7IdtyE_WbhAl7EJEwI5gDcu6qRXb4JNrqduBc31M So guys and gals, first, are you for a casino in your home town and second, what do you think would be the best one? Looking for the Las Vegas guys and gals to give us their input, too. As long as it has a pond stocked with largemouth bass I will vote for it. Thanks in advance for your insight and comments.

After getting suspended, the Awbunn Bass Club and the university have come to an agreement. You can read about it here: https://www.***.com/news/2022-bassmaster-classic-location-announced/ And it did not cost any Awbunn alumni $80,000 either. Way to go Awbunn Plainsmen, Tigers, War Eagles or Whatevers.

X2, same here down in Richmond.

Great! Reads like your Dogwood is giving you an alarm to get ready. I'll take 53 to 57 water anytime before and during the spawn. Each year is a little different, but the Dogwoods always tell the truth.

If it is there, let them catch it early and remove it. Scary times.

Vilas, it is just one of my fishing rules.

RDB, it all boils down to confidence. If you have confidence in any one specific type or brand of scent then use it. I have confidence in both MegaStrike and JJ's Magic. And like the guys who have have penned their responses above, I have no idea if it works but they could, and that is all we need to know: a little advantage in our favor against a small foe with a brain the size of a pea that can make us cry is why we use scent.

I refuse to swim in any water where you can't see what is seeing you. I will go into a pond, which I have been known to do, but not rivers or lakes.

Angler, if you can find or download a copy of Dr. Keith Jones' book, Knowing Bass - The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish, you will find he has a lot of information on bass migration from a "scientific point of view." So what does "scientific point of view" mean? It means tests, research, and other factors under a controlled atmosphere so that the results are pure and can be compared with other data. It also means that bass don't read books on themselves and what they are supposed to do which screws up everything the science says should happen. On page 3 of his book, Dr. Jones pens the following regarding migration in his Bass Basics section: "Largemouths readily form home ranges, where they restrict most of their activity, but they will follow migratory food if necessary. While on the go, largely during daylight, most of their movements follow paths parallel to the shoreline. When sedentary, they frequently take up stations near structural breaks and cover." In his book, Bass Strategies, Kevin VanDam has an entire chapter on Seasonal Patterns. Great paperback if you can find it. John Mark Warren's book, Destroying Bass Fishing Myths, blows the cover off bass migration myths in Chapter 13, Bass Migration: Highways, Byways, or Anyways." Excellent read and I suggest you find and purchase a copy. There are many articles on bass migratory behavior in the literature so do some Google research plus search on this site, too. Good luck in your studies.

Had our first bass club tournament on March 6 on Lake Gaston. Total disaster. Water clarity was "mud" and the fishing was terrible. Hopefully the cold side of Anna will be better on April 10 for our next tournament.

Do you have a three or four propeller prop? The prop may be too strong for the boat causing the bow to rise when blasting off. Check with a local propeller repair shop for their input.