Sam

I read about this book in a bass fishing magazine article and ordered it. You may have read about this book that relates what John Hope found out by tracking the 10 pound plus ladies (and other bass) to note their behavior in the wild, not like Dr. Keith Jones' scientific experiments in a controlled atmosphere. It is a very easy book to read and the findings are very interesting. The writer blasts some of the myths we have about bass, especially the myths about the big ones over 10 pounds. So if you have time this winter and want an easy to read and extremely informative book about that little green monster that can drive us nuts, I suggest you look for this book on the Internet and get a copy. John Hope's Trackin' Trophies by Jesse Miller. I think you will enjoy the story and its findings which are very interesting. In fact, I have a tournament on Lake Gaston this weekend and plan to fish it a different way then I have always fished Lake Gaston based on John Hope's information. Of course, I have to get my boat out of the shop (bent trolling motor shaft which I do every other year) to put his suggestions in action but hopefully I will get my boat by this Thursday to get ready for the tournament.

For some unknown reason, I have to sign into the Forum every time I visit the site. I checked the box to keep in signed in but I still have to go through the steps each time. Can any of you computer guys give me some guidance to stay on the Forum at all times? Is it because I have ****? Is it because I deleted all of my cookies last week trying to get out of the Progressive Insurance Company's hold on my computer for some unknown reason? Any insight will be appreciated. Thanks for your input in advance. P.S. If you do go to Progressive's site and look up your boating (USAA program) account you may get stuck with their tracking system on your computer and you cannot get rid of it. My IT guy got rid of it for me and I deleted the cookies just to make sure.

OK

Way to go, Richard! Let's make plans for lunch in the near future. P.S. I caught a beautiful 5.5 pound lady in Whipponock Creek in June by the bridge, to the left, as you go from the marina towards the lake.

Love your last sentence!!!!! ? We have to put ourselves into the "scientific bubble" which Dr. Jones is a member. The "scientific bubble" mandates that all experiments and tests are in a controlled environment to have merit and support the thesis so that the writer can get published and keep their career. On the other hand, we have us bass guys who actually hit the water under different conditions for each trip and we use our intuition and experience to form our opinions on how to fish for that day or even that hour. The book is filled with many, many informative discussions of bass behavior that you will learn from it and then put what you learn into active use when on the water. As Michael Corleone said "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" applies to our bass fishing and Dr. Jones' book is an excellent read on the behavior of bass and what Dr. Jones found in a controlled environment. Like what he penned about scents blew me away. And the double secret scent formula Dr. Jones sent to me which I use for my plastics is gross, but it works. And I think Dr. Jones is CATT's favorite person, other than Coach Orgeron.

I have both Berkley Big Game and Yo-Zuri but I could not find my 8-pound test in large bulk spools in my area.

Sorry, I gave up alcohol while in the Army and have been a tea teetotaler since 1968. Partied hard at LSU and in high school in New Orleans. Hit the French Quarter many times. Had many Hurricanes at Pat O'Brien's and got drunk on a number of occasions. Outgrew the stupidity of getting drunk and gave up alcohol for good in 1968. Never looked back. Don't need alcohol to have a good time and by quiting drinking alcohol it helped my sex life, too.

Hi John, did you venture out over Labor Day? I traveled across the Huguenot bridge on Labor Day over the Historic James River on the way home from Bass Pro Shops around noon and counted 7 kayakers in the river. That is all I could see on the western side of the bridge. On the way to Green Top around 10 AM on Labor Day I avoided getting on Huguenot Road and take the safer Southampton Road to Riverside Road and then go up the ramp to the bridge and I saw cars parked on Southampton Road near the park and saw a girl carrying her kayak over her head and walking with her dog on a leash. Did you hit Lake Chesdin? Let us know.

You two did better than me. I stay off the water on Labor Day weekend. Too many loonies around. As for the Chick, fishing has not been that great. Winning weights have been down this year from around 17+ to 12 to 14 pounds. Did you put in at Rockahock? Reads like you did. The other place would be Route 5 campground at the other end of the river. Glad you did well after such a long drive. Thanks for sharing your Chick River adventure and the pics.

Cheezy, you have not been getting lucky, you have been getting better. Congrats on those catches. You did great. Keep up the good work and sooner or later you will be in the Bassmaster Classic. As for weight, as stated above, use any calculator you want and then lie about it by adding a few ounces or pounds. There is a specific formula to use the girth and length to estimate a bass' weight but I forgot it. Keep on fishing and catching those 7 pounders!!!!!!!

X2

As the great Hank Parker says, "it doesn't cost anything to set the hook." Yes, the tap tap is a bite. But it could be smaller fish like bluegills and they can drive you crazy. Also, in tidal waters crabs can grab your plastics and hang on, letting go when you start to reel them in. And if the bait gets "heavy" without any tap tap or line movement, set the hook. Watch your line when fishing Senkos, shaky heads, drop shots, etc. When the line moves the fish has your bait. When the drop shot gets heavy, set the hook. Also, when you cast and the bait does not continue to sink, set the hook. When your plastics feel heavy, set the hook. When your moving bait stops or gets heavy, set the hook. Use MegaStrike, JJ's Magic, or other scents of your choice to allow the bass to hold onto the plastic or hard bait longer giving you more time to feel them on your line to set the hook. If you are afraid of losing the baits on submerged wood and grass then consider using a weedless hook for plastics and avoid the submerged wood and grass with your treble hook baits, or go with a vibrating jig or spinnerbait. If you Texas rig and hide the hook's point under the plastic's skin, you can avoid hangups. But once the hook point gets exposed, you may get hung up. Pro's Secret: Practice how the bait feels without any fish on the other end. Cast out, reel back in open water. Play with the bait by shaking your rod's tip to see how it feels. Get to know how the bait feels when you cast it and let it sink. If the bait feels anyway different when fishing, set the hook.

Super!

I wanted a large spool of 8-pound test fluorocarbon line so I went to Green Top, the leading freshwater tackle shop in Virginia. Needless to say, I was very disappointed in the selections. No 8-pound fluorocarbon line over 300 yards at Green Top, and those brands were the top ones like Gamma and Seaugar. So I drove to BPS about three miles down the road and looked at their selection. More offerings and a lot of 8-pound 1,000 yard BPS store brand spools with a price tag of $100. I know that Seaugar makes the BPS line and the BPS brand is excellent line, but $100 for a 1,000 yard store brand? I made the purchase as I needed the line for a tournament this coming Saturday. I went home and hit the Internet to locate other options. Sure enough, I found on eBay a 1,000 yard spool of 8-pound Seaugar line at a much lower cost. Only drawback was the delivery date and I needed the line now. Yes, poor planning on my part. Will I go back to BPS and purchase their or other lines in the future? Nope. Will I go to Green Top to purchase line in the future? Nope. Will I go on the Internet a month before I need the line and make the purchase? Yes. Line prices seem to have increased and you face the situation of paying a fortune for a 1,000 yard spool or purchasing smaller amounts of line and end up with extra line that you can't use, other than for a leader. I find that wasteful and avoided purchasing a number of brands with 150 or 300 yard spools. Your thoughts? Am I off base? How much line do you buy at any one time. Comments, please.

Great idea. I totally agree.

I have to start a project so I will be working.

X2

Sorry to read of his passing. I remember "Itema" at the Audubon Park zoo in New Orleans. Here is some data on her: https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=1799

All spinning rods, except my G. Loomises, are medium heavy.

Guess the bass do not discriminate on basis of age!!!!

Unwritten rule: 50-feet from another boat in tournaments.

Esox, you can hunt and find Senkos at competitive prices on the Internet and at the big tackle stores. The problem is getting them in the colors you are seeking. Best option is to search the Internet for deals and the colors you want. I was looking for a specific Senko color and went to Green Top, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, and Walmart. No luck. Visited a very small tackle shop about an hour away and found them and grabbed four packs at $7.39 each. Expensive? Yes. Color I wanted? Yes. Color won!!!! Good luck.

Yep, I agree. But mono is also an option, especially if you are fishing docks and wood. Mono can be best for newbies as braid has no stretch and we all pull the frog out of the bass' mouth too often, even the best of us. And guys, remember Ish Monroe is the BASS frog fisherman. Check out this Ish video:

John, in return we want you to stay on the Forum and not disappear. So introduce yourself in the Introductions Section, if you haven't already, and keep those questions and experiences coming. Chime in on your thoughts about different posts. And post pics of those big ladies you are going to catch, too.

A Senko, too!!!