Sam

Next time I will.

Good article that highlights the need for a moving tide on the Chick as long as you don't get an easterly wind. This article illustrates how important it is to know the tides before you hit a tidal river. Check out this Internet site when heading to a Virginia tidal river: https://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/virginiasites.html Thanks for sharing.

A little drop shot history. Don Iovino, who is the father of our electronics and finesse fishing, started using the drop shot in the 80's to replace the doodling rig he made popular. No one used the drop shot very much among the pros until Aaron Martins came along. I guess Aaron was successful with the drop shot as it blossomed in the early 2000's when the pros started using it as another "different" finesse presentation. The guys in California started using the drop shot and soon it expanded into all pros arsenals. The presentation underwent some changes from what Iovino threw and now we have a very sophisticated bait and presentation. I know about the "power drop shot" but I don't use it as I am a purest and use the drop shot as a finesse presentation on 8 pound fluorocarbon or light braid on a medium heavy spinning rig. I may go to a 6-pound set up but line twist drives me nuts so I stay with the 8-pound option 99% of the time. As for throwing a drop shot into pads and grass, I do but I throw my standard presentation into holes or along the grass/pad line. If I want to go into the pads and grass I graduate to a Texas rigged power presentation with a heavy sinker and 12 to 17 pound test on a medium heavy rod. So to me the "power drop shot" is something you can throw if you have confidence in it. I will stay with the original as if it is good for Don and Aaron, it is good enough for me.

Brad, I thought Wilcox is a "trolling motor only" lake. Is this still true? However, the ramp is short and I have no idea if it can handle a bass boat. I know of no one who has put a bass boat in the lake so I am no help with that information. I believe you can fish from the ramp to the highway in one direction and for about a half block in the other direction from the ramp. You do need some sort of water transportation to fish the lake properly. What is the most fun is honking your horn as you go under the old train bridge on the way to the lake. Maybe it is time for me to revisit the lake one day when I am on I-85. Thanks for posting this about an old forgotten lake.

Dynamite.

Congrats! Your daughter will do great. She will learn how to do her laundry; manage time; manage money; meet lots of new lifelong friends; enjoy a great social life; see some good ball games; get an education; and hopefully stay at least five years on your dime. DON'T GRADUATE!!! You and your wife should be proud of her spreading her wings and flying on her own. Just be able to have access to her bank account so you can transfer money into it from your home. You will need to do this sooner or later. And please don't change her room until she graduates and moves out into her own apartment. My wife went crazy when our son went to Alabama and redid his room. He cried when he came home for Thanksgiving and saw what she had done. He is over it now but at the time he was extremely upset. After all, it was his room, not a guest room.

Richard, took my Ranger out on Friday to test her after putting on a new prop and droping the motor an inch and hit 56 MPH very fast. So I backed down to 45 MPH and cruised around the lake just to make sure the motor ran well, which it did. Almost called you but I decided to go home now that the test was over. Did no fishing; just looked at the sights and other boats. State Police were out there practicing their rescue techniques in their Rubbercraft. Waved at them and they waved back. Did find out that the Seven Springs ramp closest to the parking lot is no longer level. The smaller ramp closest to the restaurant is OK. Lake was dirty from the rain the day before so I double the bass were biting. Just giving you an update. Take care.

X2 to your last sentence. I have a blue and chartreuse Bandit that outfishes all others I have. No idea why.

One. Texas rigged finesse worm with a lead bullet weight on a spinning rig.

What made you think of using braid for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits? As stated above, I like to go with the lightest test for these two presentations as they are on top and in the first water column. Therefore, I use 8-pound fluoro for spinning presentations and 12-pound fluoro for baitcasters. Remember, if you are fishing around rocks your braid will take a beating and could fail. As for a leader, ever since I had a pro wax me by using 100% braid without a leader fishing plastics I have given up on leaders. What really matters is confidence. If you have confidence throwing braid by all means continue to do so.

I have a 2100 Cub Cadet riding tractor with a 48-inch deck and it performs OK. I would put my Cub Cadet on the same level as the John Deere with the Kabuto rated higher based on the sales baloney the Cub Cadet guy told me many years ago. And Kabuto cost more.

What the pros use: http://providertackle.com/store/ Very strong hooks. Excellent performance.

Because it is a challenge. It is man vs. beast. And that little green monster wins most of the battles.

Flatrock, to add to this thread please consider the following when you are learning to flip and pitch with a baitcaster. Set up the rod to pitch and flip as you wish and go outside. Cast the bait about 10 to 15 yards and then pull out two arm lengths of line. To stop backlashes from going deep into the baitcaster spool, use some Scotch tape or electrical tape and place it across the line on the spool. By doing this, you know you have the 10 to 15 yards plus the two arm lengths of line to pitch and flip knowing that if you do get a backlash it will stop at the tape.

In addition to the hook trick above, remember you have to allow the bass to put the frog in its mouth which will take about 2 to 3 seconds before setting the hook. Sometimes the bass will hit the frog to try to kill it and not take it in their mouth. When this happens, throw a wacky rigged unweighted Senko to the spot where you have the frog strike. The bass, thinking it injured the frog and if still in the area, may hit the Senko.

Start with a spinning setup to avoid backlashes until you get the "feel" of how to pitch and flip. I mostly flip and pitch with a spinning rig as these are "close in" presentations as compared to a baitcaster and its distance.

I fish my Senkos wacky with electrical shrink wrap tape and the Senko will last through many catches. I think, if I recall correctly, that I caught 10 straight bass on one Senko wacky rigged with shrinking electrical shrink wrap tape holding the hook in place so as not to tear the skin. Of course, I have had some really big hits on a Senko and some great fights and the Senko would go flying off the hook leaving me with only the electrical shrink wrap tape on the hook.

Boudreaux and I were pretty intoxicated this weekend, but we still managed to rescue this poodle. And we have an open discussion on setting and harvesting crawfish traps on the Forum, too.

Maine! A beautiful state with lots of lobsters. Where a lobster is treated as a Big Mac. Welcome to the Forum. Great having you with us. Just ask us about bass fishing and we will all give you our input.

A double secret buzzbait built by a local guy. It is excellent! Second is my Cavitron. It is also excellent!

Where he should have started in the first place. Just remember, to be successful with your crawfish traps, you need alligators, nutria, water moccasins, frogs, beavers, bass, catfish,and all kinds of shore birds that eat crawfish. Just put them out with the Louisiana suggested bait; wait three days; put on your waders, and take a covered bucket with you plus fresh bait and go get 'em. P.S. Watch out for gators and snakes.

I do. First, it removes a weak point in line in the line. Second, when a bass sees the bait and goes for it, the line does not stop him, be it a direct tie or a leader. He/she is going hard after the bait so get out of the way!!! This was shown to me by a nationally known pro one day and as I have posted in the past, he waxed my fanny without a leader using braid tied directly to the bait.

1. Be like a ghost. No noise. 2. Walk 50-feet from bank when changing positions. 3. Wear dark clothes. 4. If you can see them they can see you. 5. Don't fall in. 6. Use a "fan" pattern from right to left and then back left to right for every place you stop and with every bait you try. 7. Get a pool thermometer with a long string to find the water temperature to tell you what the bass are doing. 8. Always look where you are stepping to avoid snakes. 9. Wear bug spray. 10. Wear zinc oxide sunscreen on face and back of hands. 11. Wear sun resistant clothes with long sleeve shirts nad long pants to avoid bugs and plants. Always wear a hat or cap and polarized sunglasses. 12. Always look to right, left, and then above before casting to avoid getting bait stuck in the overhanging trees or big bushes. 13. Always take a cell phone. 14. Let someone at home know where you will be at all times, with directions if necessary. 15. Scale down baits. You can only carry so much so consider a small amount of a lot of baits. 16. Use rods that can perform a number of bait presentations, such as one cranking rod for your treble hook baits, spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits, jigs, swim jigs, etc. 17. Make a map of the pond. Walk around the pond and map it. When you get snagged put that there is some sort of structure on the bottom in that area. 18. Keep a fishing log. Note a suggested one you can download from the above "Tools" link and keep it up to date and put each page in a three-ring binder. You will start to see the patterns develop depending on the time of day, time of year, weather conditions, water temperature, etc. 19. Throw some white bread on the water to note if any bluegills or sunfish show up. If so, you know what the forage is. If not, consider minnows and crawfish as their food source. 20. Set up baitcaster to avoid backlashes. If possible, use spinning rigs that do not backlash but they do have serious line twist issues. Know how to "balance" your rod, reel and bait to avoid backlashes and the Scotch Tape trick. 21. Bring one each extra baitcaster and spinning reel with you just in case you get a serious backlash or line twist. 22. Read, read and read. Watch YouTube videos. Read the Forum posts. "Like" the Forum on Facebook and watch every video Glen and others put out. 23. Visit Woo Daves Internet site and read his articles. 24. If you do take a canoe or kayak to the pond please wear your PFD and have a friend with you for safety purposes. 25. Make sure your friend can swim. 26. Have fun!!!! P.S. Forget the frog. Very hard to be successful with a frog. Go with a popper or spinnerbait or Chatterbait or Whopper Plopper or unweighted Senko rigged wacky or a Texas rigged trick worm that you can pull through the water like a snake. But forget the frog until you can master it.

Great, make sure they don't have any creosote on them or other chemicals that would repel bass.

My wife is a sensational quilter so she lets me fish and I let her quilt. She will ride in the boat and sit in the passenger seat to read a book as I fish. She does not fish and has no knowledge of fishing nor is she interested in fishing or learning about it. But as a cook, homemaker, lover, and quilter she is over the top. She is a real blonde and if you think it is fun living with a blonde you are 100% correct. Never a dull moment. She is the best catch of my life.