Sam

If you take care of your equipment it should last a very long time. "Planned obsolesce" is not in our tackle. However, finding replacement parts for older equipment can be a challenge. I was told that Shimano is not longer making replacement parts for the Curado 200. This is the way it is in our fishing industry.

Please don't forget to update us next week. We will be thinking of you and sending good thoughts your way until we hear back.

Awful situation. And we place ourselves in these situations all the time when we launch at dawn or trailer at dusk. Another reason to be armed while on the water. My sincere condolences and prayers to the family for a senseless and cowardly crime.

If you wish to try the lure please do so and let us know how it performs. I have not tried the lure and with winter right around the corner will not buy it this year. I would think it would attract bass so give it a try.

Go to Wal-Mart and pick up a free copy of the Freshwater Fishing in Virginia booklet from DG&IF and look up the Warrenton/Luray area. You will find a list of places to fish. Good luck.

1. Rage Tail 2. Zoom 3. Slider

Whit, the best modifications are the ones the pros do to the lures that they do not tell us they do. KVD is one of the best lure modifiers and Ike is a close second. But you will not hear them tell us what they do to their baits. Timmy Horton got into trouble when he told an reporter how he modifies his Senkos with a propeller. Pros were made with Tim as they had kept that a secret. But, having the guys throw in their two cents may help us all. Good post.

Great having you with us. I fished North River in August and had a great time. Looking forward to your questions. Welcome to the Forum.

Shouldn't you be watching ice hockey this time of year and into the winter????

Reb, what about the Swamp? I would think it would be clear by now.

Last year the weather forecasted told us that when the snow hits Siberia hard the USA will have a cold winter. Well guys and gals, here is the early Siberian snow forecast, with the understanding that it will be updated in November. The acorns are already falling in Richmond, Virginia and we are still in October. So get out your ice hockey gear and snow skis and get ready for a strong winter. Here is the article. Like it or not, here it is. Enjoy! Expert: Ramp-up in Siberian snow cover hints at cold winter for eastern U.S. By Jason Samenow October 14 The first snowfall of the season hit Moscow in early October. (Irina Samokhvalova/AP) Every October, seasonal forecasters pay close attention to the trends in snow cover in Siberia, as they have shown to have some relationship with winter weather conditions in the eastern United States. When Siberian autumn snow is expansive and increases quickly, it tends to favor a cold winter in the East; whereas, when it’s scarce, a mild winter is more likely. The meteorologist who discovered this relationship, Judah Cohen of Atmospheric and Environmental Research, says this October’s Siberian snow cover is off to a fast start, which may portend another cold winter for the East. “I think that [the Siberian snow cover] will be above normal,” Cohen said in an e-mail. “[but] it is lagging the two blockbuster Octobers of the past two years.” [AccuWeather winter forecast: Not as ‘brutal’ as last year in Mid-Atlantic and Northeast] In technical terms, above normal Siberian snow cover in the fall is strongly linked to the negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) during winter. A negative AO is associated with a weaker polar jet stream that tends to stray more into the mid-latitudes, unleashing blasts of Arctic air. “The predictors that I look at all seem to be indicating to me a negative bias for the upcoming winter AO,” Cohen said. “Of course, a negative AO increases the chance of a cold winter in the eastern U.S.” [Local persimmons, acorns and hickory nuts are forecasting a harsh winter in D.C.] Last October, snow cover over Siberia increased at a furious clip and spanned the second greatest area since records began in 1972. “The signal from the snow cover was both strong and consistent,” Cohen said heading into last winter. Based on the snow cover behavior, Cohen forecast a colder than normal winter for the eastern U.S. He was not only right that the winter would be a cold one, but also accurately forecast that the second half of winter would be significantly colder than the first half. Cohen also correctly predicted above-normal snow for the large northeastern cities, including Washington. He called for 24 inches in the District, whereas Reagan National received 18.3 inches and Washington Dulles 36.9 inches. Notably, he said the heaviest snow would fall between New York City and Boston. “That turned out to be truly prescient and will likely be a career forecast,” Cohen said. While Cohen’s forecast was close to spot-on and Siberia’s fall snow boom preceded a brutal winter in the eastern United States, some critics wonder whether he got the right forecast for the wrong reason. The AO, which Cohen forecast to be strongly negative last winter, was actually positive. Cohen counters the AO is just a statistic and that his model based on Siberian snow cover correctly pegged the evolution of atmospheric features that led to the harsh winter in the East. “I feel confident in saying that the atmospheric physics or dynamics unfolded this winter consistent with the dynamics we have argued for how extensive snow cover influences the atmospheric circulation in late winter. It just didn’t project on to the negative phase of the AO,” he said. Cohen has making winter predictions for 15 years. “In the scientific literature our model remains the most accurate to date,” he told the Boston Globe last spring. The Globe said his winter outlooks have a 75 percent accuracy rate, better than the National Weather Service. While Cohen’s early comments about the 2015-2016 winter suggest he’s leaning cold in the East, he cautioned: “It is very early and I have not issued an updated winter forecast.” He stressed he’s not only considering Siberian snow cover for his outlook. “I am also watching El Niño like everyone else,” he said. “I usually don’t give much weight to El Niño in making a temperature forecast but this is a big one.” [History shows a strong El Niño may mean huge snow for D.C. this winter or almost none] Cohen will produce his detailed winter outlook in November and we will share it here at the Capital Weather Gang.

Discussion over Breakfast: At breakfast, the husband asked his wife, "What would you do if I won the lottery?" She replied, "I'd take half and leave you." "Great," he said. "Here's $6. I won $12 yesterday. Stay in touch."

You may have to drive down to the Bass Pro Shop south of Ashland, exit 89 off I-95 to find them in stock. Call and find out if they have the models you want to test drive. Green Top may also have them but I would call them before I drive down unless you want to have a fun day and hit both BPS and Green Top. Good Luck.

Bummer.

And how about adding your location to your avatar. We can then give you better input. Try what Senko says to do. All I can add is to throw more inline spinners and shakey heads real slow. And throw to any structure you have at least 10 times with each bait before changing baits or moving on. Walk 50-feet from the bank and make sure your shadow is not on the water. Don't forget your needle nose pliers! Good luck and please post pics of what you catch.

Jaws. Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

X2. The Bama rig wears me out. Huge swimbaits can produce some large bass but they are a bear to continually throw.

RMc, your post highlights the "buyers" input on what fishing tackle each store will stock. Stores near saltwater fishing will have more saltwater than freshwater equipment. Same is true for a store with a high population of freshwater fishermen - more freshwater gear. Both stores have a specific number of fee for each product offered. Whatever is selling best goes into those specific feet of space. This is why shopping on the Internet is so attractive to bass fishing guys. We can find what we need and have it shipped to our homes without taking our time and treasury to drive to each local retailer. For example. Castaways Tackle shop in Chester has the most Senkos of any store I have visited. The Wal-Mart on Forest Hill Avenue in Richmond caters to the freshwater guys with catfish and freshwater equipment. Tackle Express on Midlothian in Chesterfield County has a good selection of Zoom products. So to have your BPS or Wal-Mart carry what you want to buy you need to ask for the buyer and speak with that person. Just remember, if it does not sell previously the product will not be offered.

Look like you snagged a fish. Yes, I have snagged a largemouth bass on Lake Anna.\ with a crankbait. Also snagged a bluegill in a pond on a crankbait. I believe they were going after the baits, missed them, and the hooks caught them as they tried to swim away.

And Reel, your hunting to fishing analogy does not match. Fish are isolated in a pond or lake with no where to go nor being able to repopulate themselves with bass from other ponds and lakes swimming into their pond or lake. Wild animals like deer, elk, fox, etc. have no such boundaries and can move with ease and repopulate the areas after you take home your kill. The guy who hunts behind my house sees all types of deer pass by every time he hunts: big ones; small ones; large antlers; small antlers; does; and fawns. If he kills 20 this season we will have another 50 come through the area by my home in a month's time, if not more. Not so with fishing a pond or small lake. Once you take the bass that are responsible for a successful spawn out of the water there are no others to take their places for a long time. Great discussion and debate. Love it!!!!!

Reel, I don't mind if you take home saltwater species; crappie; bream; catfish; other freshwater fish; and some small bass. What gets me upset is when I see people along the road fishing ponds and they take the large ladies home. We have a pond in my neighborhood that had some beautiful ladies in it along with some nice male bass. People from outside the area fished from the road and removed the bass and catfish populations. Now you can catch some crappie every now and then in the pond. Nothing else.

Agree with the trail camera. I use one at different spots around my house to capture the wildlife and trespassers. Have camera pointing at the area behind my house where a friend has his deer stand. Hopefully we will catch a few bucks running through the area so he can set up at better times.

We have Walleye, Muskellunge and Chain Pickerel in Virginia's fresh waters. If they are hitting your baits then go and catch them. Just watch their teeth and also be ready to lose some baits to them when they pop your line. Consider bringing a net with you on your next trip to help land them.

Thanksgiving time. After Christmas time. During the fishing shows in February and March Wait for the sales after Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Start with the Bandits. Lots of colors in square bills and they don't cost an arm and a leg. Then go with the Kevin VanDam 1.5 square bills and give them a try. Odds are you will like the Bandits just as much as you like the Strike Kings. As for colors, what is the main forage in the lake? You can't go wrong with a Sexy Shad color. Let us know what you select and what you catch with them.