Sam

Memo, great having you with us. As for plastic worms, just remember that the bass is an aggressive animal and it will hit whatever you throw if it is in the mood. We have confidence in specific brands, styles and colors, but the truth is that if the bass sees our bait and gets upset he will eat it. The fun is trying to find a specific bait, as we all have done, and then using that bait when you get back on the water. Let us know what you find among all of the suggestions above.

Outstanding! I would think one of the clerks, or the department manager, just wanted to get rid of them and did not care about their actual retail value. You have made the Bait Monkey very happy. Now, how are you going to spend the rest of the $90 you saved???

Hey Everyone, just a reminder that the Richmond Fishing Expo is this weekend. Check out the link in the original post. Watch the weather as we will be betting rain on Friday. Hopefully we will have blue bird skies on Saturday and Sunday.

I was 4 for 4 this past weekend with my picks. Here are my picks for this coming weekend: New England; Arizona; Carolina; Denver

Can you all see those people who bet on Bama and gave Clemson the 6.5 points? With 12 seconds left in the game they were winners. Then BAM! Clemson scored, making everyone who put money on Alabama losers. Just remember, now that the big game is over: SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC

Tom, so what is a jig supposed to represent? A crawfish, as you know. So have your jig act like a crawfish. Study how crawfish in the waters you fish act, especially when bass stroll around and start looking at it. Then mimic what the crawfish do.

I think it was "Bo" who got banned, not Gene Jenson aka Flukemaster. Or am I incorrect?

Scratch Virginia off your list. Getting cold out there! Try Texas, Florida and Louisiana. Head to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and do some great fresh and saltwater fishing.

It gets redundant but it is funny. I don't think I could prevent myself from laughing if I was the guy with the machine. Enjoy. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/k1bG2EPGmI0?autoplay=1&vq=hd720&rel=0&showinfo=0&start=82&end=321

Football is a vicious sport. On all levels, from the beginners leagues through middle and high school and then with high levels of speed in college and faster speed in the pro ranks a player will be injured during their playing time. It comes with the game. When you have men hitting each other time and time and time again, it brings out the hostile side of someone whose livelihood depends on a child's game. Retaliations are normal and expected. Getting even is a thought process. Playing as dirty as you can without getting caught is an art. Pushing the limits of the rules is something all players in the NFL do on a regular basis. But us fans love it. We get a vicarious thrill watching teams we do not like lose games and players we despise get injured or cause their teams to lose. That's football and it will always be football on all levels. Now, after that pontification I must add that my predictions of this weekend's winners was 100% correct. Will be some interesting games next weekend when the big boys show up to play the "wannabees." Its not "What's in your wallet." Its "Who do you want to get hurt?" Answer: Anyone on any team your favorite team is playing.

Big D, just catch them on every trip to keep your reputation at a high level and to make your customers happy. Only problem is that bass are moody creatures. One day you clobber them; the next week you don't. As a guide, you have to clobber them all the time. Good luck and be safe.

Pump up those muscles, Kevin. And post pics of the new Mr. America! P.S. Remember, you are only as good as your legs so one day its upper body and the next workout it is lower body.

Super! As you travel through the bass fishing world you will meet the movers and shakers. For the most part, 99% will be great guys. Just be ready for one or two not to act as nice as the others. When you hit the shows check out the list of exhibitors and seminar speakers and bring a copy of their book, DVD or your hat so they can autograph it for you. Good pic. Maybe one day the roles will be reversed and some young guy will be thrilled to have your picture and autograph at one of the fishing shows.

Now how did I miss Glenn's birthday? Happy Belated Birthday. Hope you had a great day and you enjoy a very healthy year.

Most golf ponds I know have bass, bream, bluegill and minnows in them, plus turtles and frogs. Go out and fish it and see what happens. Some of the best fishing can be enjoyed at a golf course pond.

Awful news to bring in the New Year. Ken presented at the first Bassmaster University I attended and he was outstanding. Coupling his fishing biology with his bass fishing Ken explained how water clarity and other environmental changes affect bass. T&P to his family.

Here is a first "Smile" for the year now that we have fallen back to earth from all of the holiday excitement. My friend in New Orleans, Beau, sent me these Cajun jokes. One thing about Cajuns, they have a wonderful sense of humor and would not be offended by this selection of funny stories. Enjoy as you take a break from organizing, reorganizing and reorganizing your tackle once again. You just gotta love them Cajuns . . . Boudreaux was driving down Canal street in a sweat because he had an important meeting and couldn't find a parking place. Looking up to heaven he said, 'Lord take pity on me. If you find me a parking place I will go to Mass every Sunday for the rest of my life and give up my White Lightnin'!' Miraculously, a parking place appeared. Boudreaux looked up again and said, 'Never mind, I found one.' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Father Murphy walks into a bar on Bourbon Street, and asks the first man he meets, 'Do you want to go to heaven?' The man said, 'I do, Father.' The priest said, 'Then stand over there against the wall.' Then the priest asked the second man, 'Do you want to go to heaven?' 'Certainly, Father,' the man replied. 'Then stand over there against the wall,' said the priest. Then Father Murphy walked up to Thibodaux and asked, 'Do you want to go to heaven?' Thibodaux said, 'No, I don't Father.' The priest said, 'I don't believe this. You mean to tell me that when you die you don't want to go to heaven?' Thibodaux said, 'Oh, when I die , yes. I thought you were getting a bunch together to go right now.' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boudreaux opened the morning newspaper and was dumbfounded to read in the obituary column that he had died. He quickly phoned his best friend, Landry. 'Did you see the paper?' asked Boudreaux. 'They say I died!!' 'Yes, I saw it!' replied Landry. 'Where ya callin' from?' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Parish priest is driving down to New Orleans from Alexandria and gets stopped for speeding . The state trooper smells alcohol on the priest's breath and then sees an empty wine bottle on the floor of the car. He says, 'Sir, have you been drinking?' 'Just water,' says the priest. The trooper says, 'Then why do I smell wine?' The priest looks at the bottle and says, 'Good Lord! He's done it again!' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walking into the bar, Boudreaux said to Charlie the bartender, 'Pour me a stiff one - just had another fight with the little wife.' 'Oh yeah?' said Charlie, 'And how did this one end?' 'When it was over,' Boudreaux replied, 'She came to me on her hands and knees.' 'Really,' said Charles, 'Now that's a switch! ? What did she say?' She said, 'Come out from under the bed, you little coward.' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Devereaux staggered home very late after another evening with his drinking buddy, Landry. He took off his shoes to avoid waking his wife, Betty Lou. He tiptoed as quietly as he could toward the stairs leading to their upstairs bedroom, but misjudged the bottom step. As he caught himself by grabbing the banister, his body swung around and he landed heavily on his rump. A whiskey bottle in each back pocket broke and made the landing especially painful. Managing not to yell, Devereaux sprung up, pulled down his pants, and looked in the hall mirror to see that his butt cheeks were cut and bleeding. He managed to quietly find a full box of Band-Aids and began putting a Band-Aid as best he could on each place he saw blood. He then hid the now almost empty Band-Aid box and shuffled and stumbled his way to bed. In the morning, Devereaux woke up with searing pain in both his head and butt and Betty Lou staring at him from across the room. She said, 'You were drunk again last night weren't you?' Devereaux said, 'Why you say such a mean thing?' 'Well,' Betty Lou said, 'it could be the open front door, it could be the broken glass at the bottom of the stairs, it could be the drops of blood trailing through the house, it could be your bloodshot eyes, but mostly ..... it's all those Band-Aids stuck on the hall mirror.

Crankbait, as you note, you have opened Pandora's Box regarding fishing line. There are just too many brands and types of fishing lines out there for anyone to give you the best ones for the way and where you fish. So here is my input: 1. Old days we used mono for its stretch for treble hook fishing. All other presentations were fluorocarbon or braid. 2. Today, believe it or not, some fluorocarbon lines have more stretch than mono lines. So the pros are now using fluorocarbon lines, or hybrids of such, for their all around fishing. 3. You need a good line for Ohio fishing. To meet this goal you have to remember that all fishing lines have their strengths and weaknesses and everyone has an opinion about what they are using now. Next week their input could change but for now, the snapshots above will give you some guidance and a lot of confusion. 4. If you can attend a fishing expo in your area or speak with a local guide who does not represent any line manufacturers they can give you some excellent advice for which lines are best in your area for the techniques/baits you use. 5. Experiment this year. Make it a goal to try different lines for different presentations and decide on your own which lines you like and don't like. Good luck and in the fall how about posting your results for all of us to read and enjoy and open Pandora's Box all over again. Happy New Year!

I use cheap penny nails as the nails you put in the worm's head will be thrown during the fight. Opposite of Ike.

Reel, may I suggest contacting the bass clubs at some of the universities and colleges and ask them how they operate their club; if they are FLW or BASS affiliated; and how they raise funds to fish the various tournaments. In addition, do you need a boat? There are bass fishing clubs in many schools of higher education and each operates their club differently. So do some research and make your matrix so you can have an excellent overview of how different school clubs operate. Good luck.

Turkey, let me add this, not to rain on your parade, but to make a profound statement: The largemouth bass is the most studied fish in the world. And we still do not fully understand their habits and lives. Education will help you, but until we can actually see through the bass' eyes and join them for a week swimming and feeding all of the books, DVDs, TV shows and seminars can only provide information, myths, right and wrong information and guess work from above the water. Kim Stricker has done a fantastic job with this Hook N Look series. May I suggest purchasing the entire set of all of his years on TV and sit back and watch them as the snow falls in Center City this winter. Kim and Danny's photography and underwater studies has added a new touch to that little green monster that humbles us on a daily basis. Happy New Year!

Dave had to change his tune about snow this coming week but now he is posting that there could be a big snow storm on the 17th to the 19th. Let's see if he is correct with his prognostication. Here it is. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts. Happy New Year! FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 201 YES THE EAST COAST WINTER STORM THREAT JAN 17-19 IS GROWING .... The 18z GFS and 12z high resolution European Model Both show a major snowstorm affecting the Middle Atlantic & southern New England SEE IMAGE #1 The KEYS to this threat are 1) the severe -AO and historic -NAO weather patterns that are developing over the Arctic region and northeast Canada into Greenland Data shows the -NAO feature is LIKELY to reach at LEAST -4 SD below the... Norm !!!! see Image #2 RECALL the severe Winter of 2009-10 that featured several major snowstorms In that Winter .... BOTH the AO and the NAO reach extreme/ near Historic Low levels. 2) the New England clipper Low JAN 13-14 gets trapped by the blocking pattern over northeast Canada / Greenland. That feature becomes a massive UPPER LOW over eastern Canada which in the weather biz is referred to as the "50/ 50 ow" .... SEE IMAGE #3 3) the SPLIT flow pattern allows the cold air to come south while at the same time the southern Jet stream brings in a short piece of upper energy over southern Calif 449 Likes78 Comments358 Shares

What AJ said.

If we had snow like that in Virginia we would never be able to leave our homes. Now that's some snow!

Yes! Will not be a snow and ice event for the east coast. Dodged a bullet this time.