Sam

Outstanding! Lake may be turning over and that is where you will find the bass on main lake points and backs of creeks. Great report. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Reasons to go Fishing: 1. Family first. No fishing. 2. Forget weather conditions - enjoy the great outdoors. 3. Get away from the TV and radio and all of those pain in the behind talking heads and enjoy the peace and tranquility of going fishing 4. And who knows, you may catch your personal best. Just remember the only rule in bass fishing: FAMILY COMES FIRST. Now go out there and slay them. P.S. And you may find Jimmy Hoffa's body, too. ?

When Arnsparger was the LSU coach we had a bowl game in Memphis against Baylor, I believe. We lost. No one could figure out how we lost to Baylor until it was discovered that Arnsparger let any of the guys who wanted to car pool to and from Memphis do so. They were hung over from drinking their way to Memphis and then going out to bars the night before the game. Arnsparger thought he was still in the NFL and the players would be responsible.

John, yes, I have heard of Lake Chesdin Park but was told it is a private ramp for the people living in that subdivision. I have no idea who to call to find out if you can launch from their ramp but maybe you can find a phone number for Chesdin Landing and speak with someone in authority who would know and give you permission to launch. There are a lot of realtors working Chesdin Landing and if you call one I am sure they will tell you if the ramp is open to the pulblic or private. Just tell them that you saw Chesdin Landing on Google and their ramp and was wondering about it. And yes, lots of boulders and hidden stumps getting into the Swamp. So if you do venture there go slow and watch the water all around you until you get past the Cypress trees. As for launch sites, not many on the Historic James River, but I will try to give you the list: Historic James Above Boshers' Dam 1. Watkins Landing 2. Robious Landing Park 3. American Legion Post 354 private ramp behind Tarrington Subdivision 4. Traylor Park Estates private ramp 5. Way up river by the 522 Bridge or Scottsville. (You will need someone to drive your car to Watkins Landing or Robious Landing Park so you can get home. Rapids will prevent you from turning around and heading back to either the 522 Bridge or Scottsville, depending on how far down river you go.) If the American Legion Post is open, as it is on the third Thursday of the month, other than for November and December, after 5 PM, in back of Tarrington on the river and you can get permission you can launch from their ramp. Only problem is that the ramp is full of river mud and you will get your feet and shoes/socks soaked in river mud and you will not be able to launch a boat trailer due to the mud. Go to Welby Turn and note the Legion sign. You may be able to go by on Wednesdays as there is a work crew there on Wednesdays. If you are interested, let me know and I can put you in touch with the guys working at the Legion Post so you can recon the place. Traylor Estates has a private ramp off Cherokee Road but once again, you have to know someone living in Traylor Estates and get the gate key. Historic James Below Boshers' Dam 1. Huguenot Flatwater 2. Any place you can find along Riverside Drive to put and take kayak out, if possible. No parking, other than for a small lot just east of the Huguenot Bridge. Not kayak friendly bank. 3. A private ramp. Your best bets are Watkins Landing, Robious Landing Park and Huguenot Flatrock. All three are kayak friendly. As for Lake Chesdin, Whipponock Creek is a great place to launch. They have good parking; safe area; nice people; BATHROOMS!; low ramp fee (I think it is $10) and you will be in the heart of some of the best Lake Chesdin fishing on both sides of the Whipponock Creek bridge. I could ask my neighbor on Cherokee Road below Boshers Dam if the old path to the river is still open. Only problem is parking your vehicle. You will have to park by my house by the Dominion Power line and walk two blocks to the path's gate, carrying or towing your kayak. Or take a chance and park on Saratoga Road close to Cherokee Road Go on Google and look at Cherokee Road and you can see Saratoga Road and the power line. Historic James River Below I-95 Bridge (TIDAL) This is tidal water and as long as you watch the tides you will be OK. Here are some of the ramps you can put your kayak in the river: 1. Ancarrow's Ramp (not the best place but you can park there and take a chance your car will be there when you get back) 2. Osborne Landing 3. Dutch Gap Ramp off Osborne Road 4. Richmond Yacht Basin Marina (if they will allow you to launch) 5. Hopewell Marina on the Appomattox River ( Appomattox is famous for its moccasins) 6. Charles City Ramp, if it is open. Contact Charles City County to find out the times the ramp is open. 7. Route 5 after crossing the bridge and turning into Powhatan Marina and Campground. Fee is $10 but safe and you can fish Jordan Creek and around the mouth of Jordan Creek in a kayak on the Chickahominy River. I will PM my phone number to you so we can discuss what is necessary to use a private ramp on the Historic James River. In the meantime, please, please, please contact GMCO maps (https://gmcomaps.com/) or go to Green Top or Bass Pro Shops and get paper maps of both the Upper James River and Tidal James River. You can view the ramps I have been writing about and see places to fish. To check the tidal tides please go to this site: https://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/virginiasites.html And check out Powhatan Lakes. I have no idea if you can launch a kayak on the lakes but they are there. I have only fished off their pier in the lower lake. And check out the Amelia Wildlife Management Area, in Amelia County. Look it up on Google, https://dwr.virginia.gov/wma/?pid=11. Ramp is for kayaks and the fishing can be good. In addition, look at the list of the WMA's areas and you can find some hidden jewels, like the James River WMA. Maybe one day you can take the entire day and do a recon of all of the above places plus others you may hear about.

It also came close to putting an end of it with a lot of LSU fans. Saban is a jerk. And Miles was on Planet 9. At least Coach Eaux is authentic. And I saw where Texas lost to TCU. How could Sam Ellinger let that happen?

And guys, one other thing I wanted to share with you. Many years ago we used to fish off shell beach on the southern bank by Boshers' Dam. Then the jerk built his home there and told us not to fish off his bank or he would call the police, which he did a few times. So we quit tubing and fishing that part of the river since we do not have any kayaks or small boats, other than for my big rubber raft and paddling up to Boshers' in a raft is almost impossible due to the current. In you kayak, stay to the southern side of the river and look for the eddy to the left of the dam. Great fishing! I pulled a four-pound smallmouth out of that area. You can see this eddy while crossing south on the Willy Bridge. If you put in at Flatwater you can take your kayak up to the dam area and try your luck in this eddy. Have fun and stay away from the dam, itself, and the water flowing over it.

John and Dave, sorry to say that the Lake Chesdin maps no longer are being produced. If you can find one scoop it up as fast as you can. Stay out of the Swamp unless you know what you are doing; meaning go into the Swamp with someone who knows what they are doing to get in and out safely.

Not any more! greentrout, the Cowbells are the Mississippy State of old. Ask Arkansas. Bamasux will take it all this year in the SEC, unless Florida or Georgia can play them a strong game. And I love Leach. I wanted him for the LSU job. He is an outstanding coach that should bring MSU into the SEC championship picture in a few years.

I had come in from fishing the Rappahannock River and tied the boat to the ramp. Of course, I was slack and did not do a good job and the boat floated into the river, away from the ramp. Other than for two guys fishing by the ramp, no other boats were there, and in the parking lot there were three trailers, including mine. So what did I do? I stripped down to my pants and dove in, swam out to the boat, got the rope, and swam back to the ramp. The two guys fishing got a chuckle out of my efforts. Then, about five minutes after I got back to the ramp and tied the boat to the dock again, here comes another bass guy to the ramp. If I had waited 10 minutes he could have gotten the boat, but I had no idea he was coming back.

GreenPig, a Whopper Plopper, Jr. is a smaller version of the original Whopper Plopper. Some guys have complained that the larger Whopper Plopper sizes are causing the bass to miss the bait when they hit it and they have gone back to the proven buzzbait for loud topwater action.

Us LSU fans always pull for U-La-La other then when they come to Death Valley to tangle with the Fighting Tigers.

Whipponock Creek, hands down. Lots of great places to fish in the creek and you can also hit the island at the mouth of the creek. And Dave, I live in Bon Air, too. P.S. Go with the black and blue laminate Senko for muddy water.

Chris, I catch a lot of bass in a private pond with no shad using a Sexy Shad color 1.5 or 1.5 KVD Strike King crankbait. Have no idea why, but for some reason these pond bass will hit the Sexy Shad crankbaits and no other color. I have not figured it out other than Sexy Shad works in all bodies of water I fish, be it ponds, lakes, or rivers. Go figure????

Beni, still waiting for mine to show up next week. Let us know how they perform.

There are actually two Historic James rivers. The first is from the I-95 bridge in Richmond to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in Tidewater. This is tidal water. The second is from the Historic James' roots in the mountains of western Virginia to the fall line, or the I-95 bridge in Richmond. This is not a tidal river. The regular James river does not exist. Since America was settled in Virginia and President Lincoln came up the Historic James and got off at Jordan Point in Hopewell to tour Petersburg and Richmond during The War of Northern Agression, the river has its historic roots strongly burried American history. Come on over and fish and sightsee the beautiful river; the eagles; osprey; foliage, creeks, and catch some nice bass. You will have some great fishing when they grow up. Six and seven pounders will be normal.

Great! The stocking of the Florida strain bass in the Chickahominy River has been successful. We now can catch them in both the Chickahominy and Historic James rivers.

Welcome. The secret to being a successful Louisiana bass fisherman is to wear only purple and gold and yell "Geaux Tigers" when you set the hook. Great having you with us. Geaux Tigers!

I think it depends. Were the good ole days really good? If you remember them as being good then continue to go there for your happy place.

Do you think the pond is in transition? Turning over with the cooler water temperatures and eliminating the thermocline? When that happens the bass get confused and may not eat for a few days until they get acclimated with the new water temperatures and oxygen levels. Or maybe the bass have gone deeper into the middle of the pond. You can 1) aggravate them into taking your bait; or 2) wait for them to start feeding again; or 3) hit the pond a half hour before sunrise; or 4) stay a half hour after sunset. Bass will usually always eat a Zoom trick worm. What concerns me is why they are not holding onto the worm longer. That is why I suggested a scent. Maybe it is time to experiment with a scent to see if that makes a difference. Let us know what happens if you do use a scent.

Yes, but we keep them as we may need them in the future. And that keep the Bait Monkey happy.

Are you using scent? Try MegaStrike or JJ's Magic on your plastics, especially your trick worms. You may also be having the bluegills or small bass hit the bait but not eat it. Do you think you are setting the hook too soon? Try letting the fish run with it for about 3 to 5 seconds and then set the hook hard over your head. Or, as the guys suggest, go smaller. A Zoom finesse worm may be the answer. Experiment. That is the challenge of bass fishing.

As a follow up to my saga of the 975 Senko, I did some research and found the color was introduced in 2015 but was not a hot seller. You can find them on the Internet at various tackle outlets across the USA but you have to search for the outlets that have them. Will give them a try when my three packages arrive from California.

Depends on the forage in the body of water and if you have either aggressive bass feeding or bass that are just sitting there waiting for a meal to pass by. Feeding bass will hit most baits if they mimic what they are eating. Other bass that just hover around will hit a bait if it passes close enough to them. But to answer your question, yes, I throw Sexy Shad first and then go to colors, like Firetiger on rivers and a crawfish colors on lakes. Baits and colors change by the hour so get the most out of your patterns as soon as possible.

Anything under 70*. Under 60* we start looking for snow.

Yep, once the temperatures dip below 70* it is time to find your heavy coat and rabbit fur lined gloves plus a heavy head cover. And it can drop below 70*in Louisiana making it really cold.