Sam

X2. And they discuss how to avoid my baits all day long.

Totally agree with Wayne about the smallies up river in April. I do continue to suggest getting a map of the lake and studying it before you venture out. Have fun and be sure to let us know how you do.

In the greater central Virginia area it is the square bill Sexy Shad crankbait. It all depends on the lure you have the most confidence. For some guys in these parts it is the jig and pig. For others, it is the Shad Rap or spinnerbait. As for plastics, the shaky head is the leader.

Totally agree. Florida, Louisiana or Texas for great fresh and saltwater fishing. Be sure to have a guide for both. Have a fun time. Great present!!!!

All animals communicate. They have their own methods of communication, including moving their tails, swimming fast or slow, making sounds, positioning their bodies, owning a place in a structure, quietly moving away or towards each other, jumping out of the water, taking flight from a predator or a sound, keying in on your bait when another bass is around and many other ways you can think of. So yes, bass communicate in their own way which is totally foreign to us. "When" they communicate and for "what reasons" are the questions we need to consider.

You can order the shirt and pick out the logos you want on it. My club looked into getting club shirts and the costs can be under or over $100 depending on the material, style and number of logos you want. I was going to try to get a bail bond company and funny company logos (professional sex counseling, electrolysis, cosmetic surgery, "stuffed with love taxidermy", Shecky the Clown, Dr. Long Fingers Proctology, Bike jockstraps, Hermie's House of Hair) but I could not find them available. So check out fishing shirts and find the companies that have the logos you want to be put on the shirt. Good luck and be sure to post some pics of what you get. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

That is great news. Sending all my best for a fast recovery and you being back on the Forum and the water by this spring. Have a wonderful Christmas and a safe New Year. Please keep us posted on your progress. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Guys? Zippy, it looks like it only me. You do not have to go far or run all over the lake. Pick a five-mile radius and go from there. Remember, if you do not have the GMCO map of SML you will be lost. And be sure that your tracking line is on for your GPS/Sonar unit so you can get back to the launch site. One can get lost on SML if you are not familiar with the body of water. Swimbaits will work. The plastic ones can be very productive. Just remember, the water temperature will be in the 60's, if not the high 50's, depending on the snow and ice melt-off so be ready to fish cold water. Get that GMCO map and start studying it. http://www.gmcomaps.com/ Good luck and let us know how you do. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Do the math for one jig head and then multiply it out for as many jig heads that you will need or that will go into a package. Cost of raw materials. Cost of transportation of raw materials to your processing plant (garage). Storage costs while at your plant. Equipment to make the jig head. Labor and materials to process the jig. Insurance (property and liability on the plant's real and personal property; products and completed operations on the finished product plus health, dental and vision insurance costs, payroll and corporate taxes, heating/air conditioning, retirement contributions to your 401k or SEP account for the plant. Research and development costs associated with the jig production. End of the year bonuses. Advertising costs. Fed-X and USPS charges for mailing the product to consumers. Your time in contacting retailers to stock your product. Estimated return of unsold products (30% is a good average) from retailers. We are not including any legal costs to incorporate or fight the Asians who will steal your design and produce them by the millions and flood our market with them. After you boil down your costs into pennies, double or triple or quadruple the price (triple or quadruple the price so you can have a Christmas sale with 50% off) you can then estimate the cost of the jig head. Let us know what price you come up with. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

And to answer your query about the grass and weeds, they may not be starting to replenish themselves in April so if you do see any weeds or grass they may be dead or just starting to grow. But you will find all sorts of things to attack so don't be concerned about the grass and weeds in April on SML. Just be sure you have fresh line and a nice net.

Zippy, you name it and SML has it. From humps to tire fields to docks to rocks to marinas to bridges to grass to creeks to coves to a dam...you name it and SML has it. So what to throw in April? With the water temperature probably in the 50's I would suggest: 1. Jerkbait 2. Carolina Rig 3. Drop Shot 4. Lipless Crankbait 5. Spinnerbait 6. Senkos - Wacky 7. Shaky Head 8. Topwaters 9. Squarebill Crankbaits Now, what will work for the two days you are on the water is up to you to find out and set the pattern. The bass will be waking up from their winter nap and getting ready for the spawn. But it will be too early for them to start making their beds and in some areas too cold to start their spawn migration. But with a lake so big and with so many targets you have so many options to consider. And if the winter is not as bad as predicted they may be starting their spawn migration in April. If you are going with a guide he will put you on the fish. If you are going by yourself please get the GMCO map of SML and note your launch site and places that look like they would hold the bass. As for forage, the lake is loaded with all kinds of food from crawfish to bream to bluegills to shad. Red lipless crankbaits and your Carolina Rig may be very productive. Shad colored squarebills can also produce strikes. Pitching and flipping your plastics may be the key. Try Goggling Smith Mountain Lake and see if any fishing sites pop up. Good luck and be safe. And remember, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is looking for your safe boaters' certificate, your PFD for everyone on the boat and at least one throw cushion in the open on the deck or by your feet. Those throw cushions have made a lot of money for local counties in Virginia this past year.

While growing up in south Louisiana we knew that if we fed anything to a gator the animal would follow us all day. If a gator started to follow us for no specific reason, we knew he had been fed by others. If a gator just made the warning sound or positioned himself away from us then we knew he was not fed and he would not approach us. Only problem was that me and my cousins knew this but we always wondered if the alligators knew it. Very powerful animals, always looking for something to eat. Personally, I was more worried about the water moccasins than the alligators.

Kicker, no, that is why I made the post to obtain the guys' input. My friend in Powhatan who repairs reels gave me his opinion and I wanted other input. So......what say you?

Great posts, guys. Thanks for the input.

Yes.

Hey Kent, I heard on the radio yesterday that oil has hit the lowest barrel price in a long time and OPEC is increasing its output. So much for the oil stocks. Filled up today for $1.74 a gallon in Richmond, Virginia.

Al, in the past as we progressed through our careers, we saw companies and employees be loyal to each other and people kept their same careers for decades. Today, the atmosphere is different. Companies are "cost cutting" and letting the people go who helped build the organization. I have two business associates who worked for one of my clients for over 30-years and made the organization the shining star it is today. Both were let go by the new CEO. What a waste of history and how the organization works. No loyalty any longer. It is the bottom line and companies are letting their brightest and best go to help improve the bottom line. Who would have thought that BPS needed to cut their management teams in half? Is business that bad? Has BPS over extended its financial load due to expansion? Are computers replacing real people more and more? Lack of company loyalty to its employees lead me to start my own firm. I can go fishing when I want and many times when my clients call they want to know if I am on the water. No problem. I can address their problems at my desk or in my boat without any problems. Try doing that if you work for a large company. Hey, times are changing. We better roll with the punches.

A few things: 1. So sorry to read about the loss of your grandfather. Tough time of the year to lose anyone. 2. Hang up your Lacrosse equipment and focus on your school work. 3. As penned above, go back to school now. Do not delay the decision. Go back to school. 4. Don't worry about when you received your degree. Just get that degree. 5. After you graduate be sure to pay a lot into F.I.C.A. when you get your pay checks!!!!!!

As many of the Forum members know, I am a big fan of Shimano reels. In fact, of all the reels I have, I have only a few brands other than Shimano. So I take a Shimano spinning reel to Wayne Knabe in Powhatan, Virginia for some service work and Wayne tells me that he now likes Lew's and Daiwa better than Shimano. My mind is blown. For years Wayne has sworn that Shimano made the best reels. And since he repairs all brands he knows which ones are made the best and which ones break the most. So now when I replace my reels I will be looking at the Lew's and Daiwa reels. Very uncomfortable feeling to go into unchartered waters with the Lew's and Daiwa products. The guys and gals on this Forum have written about how they like their Lew's and Daiwa reels so at least I have comfort in valuing what has been written before about Lew's and Daiwa reels. Changing habits and comfort levels can be so darn difficult.

Carter, keep it simple. Get a medium heavy 7-foot cranking stick of your choice for your Chatterbaits, crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Just be sure the rod is designed for cranking. Merry Christmas!

Welcome, Flash. Glad you are getting into bass fishing. I used to go to the Indy 500. with a good friend. Loved it. Friend moved to Kansas City so we don't go any more. Enjoy the Forum. Great answers to your queries.

A great book is The Physics of Baseball. If you are interested in physics try find a paperback copy of this book. It will blow you away as to the infinite space on a baseball and bat between a high pop fly and a long home run and the other aspects of the game of baseball.

Fishing, you did not want to meet him when he was the Marcella family top wise guy. But in later life he was always nice, formal, pleasant and fun to be with. The last time I saw him was at breakfast and he brought along two old friends. I asked them what they did and the first one told me he was in the transportation business and the second told me he was in the financial business before they retired. After the meeting my best friend said, "Sam, do you know what those guys meant by what they did before they retired?" He told me that the one in the transportation business stole anything the mob wanted: airplanes, boats, cars, motorcycles, etc. The second guy in the financial industry held up banks and jewelry stores. Hey, it is Louisiana. That's the way it is.

Yes. It is a way of life in Louisiana. There is no place like New Orleans and Louisiana in the world. Maybe one day you will have the honor of visiting New Orleans and Cajun country and get a flavor of the people. Then go fishing for redfish in the Biloxi and bass in the Atchafalaya. Best fishing in the world! And the food is good, too. Mardi Gras may be a bit too much for people from Michigan although the Ohio State people seem to be able to handle the French Quarter.

Been there. Done that. Twice. Join the club.