Sam

I was surprised to read the article on page 12 of the November/December 2019 Bassmaster Magazine about Earl Bentz and his new Caymas bass boat. Seems Earl has moved the cockpit forward to help balance the hundreds of pounds of heavy four stroke motors, jack plates, batteries, chargers, and power poles and then he over-designed the transom for perfect balance. The article goes on to say the boat has waterproof fiberglass compartments, a large comfort-padded front deck, and abundant tackle storage. With the current boat manufacturers merging and Nitro seeming to want to buy up everything, the Caymas is a breath of fresh air. Hope to see one at the upcoming Richmond Fishing Expo in January. So has anyone out there heard of or seen the Caymus bass boat? If so, please let us know. Here is their website: https://caymasboats.com/cx-21/ Your comments, please.

If all else fails with finding a guide check out the Disney guides. They use live bait and you will catch a bunch of bass up to four-pounds each.

When the Ole Miss QB outran the LSU defense four times it reminded me of an old LSU player, Sammy Martin, who was a speedster. The Fighting Tigers did prevail but they have a lot of work to do on the defensive side of the ball. Lucky for the Fighting Tigers they have Arkansas as their next opponent followed by Texas A&M and tehn Georgia. Will be an interesting three weeks in NCAA football coming up.

We found a 200+ acre far north of Charlottesville for Rudy. Taking him to the farm on Saturday, tomorrow. Hopefully the people will like him Hey guys, well, I have some great news. We took Rudy to a 200+ acre plantation north of Charlottesville this Saturday and he met Alex, the farm manager and Dixie, a three month old Aussie. Rudy took to Alex and Dixie like long lost friends. Alex is going to take both dogs to herding school as the plantation has chickens, beef cattle, and sheep and they will need both dogs to control the cattle and sheep. Only sad part is that we did not see any ponds on the plantation but of course it is over 200 acres so maybe a pound is hidden somewhere so I can go fishing when I visit with them in the future. Our family is very happy for Rudy as he was frustrated living in a city and could not run around. An Aussie needs a "goal" and "specific work responsibilities" to be happy. Sincerely appreciate everyone's concern and comments. We will miss Rudy but we know he is extremely happy on the farm.

We found a 200+ acre far north of Charlottesville for Rudy. Taking him to the farm on Saturday, tomorrow. Hopefully the people will like him along with his three-month old Aussie. Will let all know. Thanks for asking.

Wish my Walmart would put some of their bass baits on clearance.

I replaced my trailer jack this summer when it started to show signs that it would not go up and down. Pumped some grease into it but to no avail. Bought a new one at West Marine as the holes did not line up with the ones at BPS and Cabela's. Check for the screws that hold the jack plate on the trailer. I am sure it is there. If not, how about sending us a photo.

One thing many people don't like is change. Change is stressful and uncomfortable. When a company changes the package size, shape or color, some people freak out. When we see Strike King products we know they are good although there are many others equal or better in the marketplace. So when we read things like "Lews to close Strike King" we become concerned as we know the look of Strike King products without even noticing the name. If Lews does in fact close out Strike King and start marketing the same baits under the Lews name it is going to take a few months for me to become used to it and get my confidence level up to where it is for Strike King products.

KVD's paperbacks are great: Secrets of a Champion and Bass Strategies Just Google Kevin Van Dam's books and you will see them. Excellent reads.

Love Las Vegas. Don't play the gambling but it is fantastic to watch others play. What I do when in Vegas is go to each casino and ask for silver dollars. They hate silver dollars and love to get rid of them as their money counting systems are not set up for silver dollars. On the east coast you can't find a silver dollar. When they hit the banks the tellers grab them. They make fantastic birthday and Christmas gifts for kids. Welcome to the Forum. Glad to have you with us.

Was at Duke this past Tuesday. Would have stopped in to say hello had I known you were there. Sending wishes for you to get well, soon. They can work wonders at Duke Medical Center, once you get through the traffic to get in and have the valets take your car!!!! Keep us posted on your progress.

Yep, but I don't care what they catch as long as I can figure out what they are throwing. I get up close to the TV and try to see their baits, which sometimes are not shown.

I do, especially when throwing Rapalas. There are so many variables to selecting a reel to go with a rod and a technique that we could go nuts trying to figure it out. Sometimes we need a slow retrieve. Other times a fast retrieve. Then we may need a heavy presentation to go deep. Think about your technique throwing crankbaits on your spinning setups; look at the rod's line test and bait weight parameters and stay within them; check out the reel's line test parameters; and decide what retrieve ratio is best for your presentations. Then balance the rod, reel, line test, and baits to get the maximum performance. Good luck.

The closest place to purchase non-ethanol gas is about 25 miles to the west of where I live in Richmond, at the intersection of Routes 60 and 522 in Powhatan County. It maybe worth a trip in the future to fill up my gas cans for my riding and push mowers. I may even consider, once again, to tow the boat to the place to get it filled with non-ethanol gas. Thanks for sharing and presenting the facts about putting ethanol gas in our machines. Appreciate the input.

Never have encountered this situation with my Red Eyed Shad collection. I keep them In their own Plano box in a cabinet in my garage and take only the colors I want to use when I go on the water. Will keep an eye on them from now on. Thanks a million of this information so we all will be ready to go back to Strike King to replace them.

Received a $10 gift card from Dick's and went to a local Richmond, VA Dick's to see what to buy. I stumbled on a $10 pack of 30 Green Pumpkin YUM Dingers and scoffed them up for free. They may not be Senkos but they work really well, especially when smothered in MegaStrike. r

T-bone, we all want to give you some advice but we need your help, first. First, please update your avatar with your physical location and where you like to fish. Second, please go to the Introduction section and introduce yourself. Now, as for to you getting shut out, it happens to all of us. If we know your physical location and the types of waters you like to fish we can really dig in deep and give you some good advice. Welcome to the Forum. Become a regular and read, read, and read some more. Take your time this winter to read and study your little green opponent. Ask us questions. Challenge us to give you some good advice. And then you will be armed and dangerous this spring.

Yep, feast or famine on the Historic James. No telling where they went. The smallmouth could go anywhere while the largemouth would be in the area you fished. They probably went deep, coming up to get something to eat and sun themselves now and then. And yes, try Tuckahoe Creek but be ready to lose your tackle. Lots of tree stumps and roots on the bottom.

Still have Rudy. My efforts to find a farm failed so the family has to discuss putting him with an Aussie adoption service or taking him to the pound. Will continue to try to find him a good home where he can run and chase everything around in a safe environment. We will decide what to do after Thanksgiving.

Be very, very careful when wading in the Richmond area. Can you bring a friend along? Can you wear your felt sole boots? Your PFD is a must. I have no idea of the water flow in the Historic James around Richmond. Check it out before you venture into the river. Check out this Internet site: https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=akq&gage=rmdv2 Be safe.

7-foot medium heavy with a fast action tip. Take the reel to your local tackle shop and put it on a few rods to see how it fits, feels, and balances. This will give you a good idea of which rod will feel the best. Do not look at the rod's prices. Do this as a "price blindfold test." Then rank the best feeling rods from top to bottom along with their prices. Let us know which rods you liked best and which one you purchased.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

You can head towards Richmond but you will be stopped by Bosher's Dam. Right before the dam and to your left is Tuckahoe creek. Fish it all the way to the back. Be safe and let us know how you do.

And Andrew, one other secret this time of the year: bulk up and upsize your baits. The bass are getting lethargic but they know they need to fatten up for the winter so they are looking for a nice, big, juicy, easy to get to meal. Like going to McDonalds or Burger King and sizing up your order. Add a trailer to your Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits. Go with a magnum size worm. Check out some of the GY beast baits. Throw the larger lipless baits plus go to the 2.5 or larger crankbaits. Throw a swimbait. Get back to me when you visit this site again. And stay home this week as it is way to cold to be outside.