Sam

Nothing. I love it all. It is all part of my treasures.

That is terrible. Doing what he could for the residents as he places himself in peril. Thoughts and prayers to the family and community.

Favorite Drivers - 48 and 99 Car of Today - OK since everyone is now driving the same car Mark Martin - No more victories - he needs to retire

According to Kevin VanDam, in his book Secrets of a Champion, here is a capsule of what he has to say about reel ratios. 4:1 up to 6:1 can be used for 90% of applications. A 5:1 is in the middle. If you use a lower ratio reel and reel fast, you will put additional stress on the reel and your arms. You will get tired. 5:1 reels are good for crankbaits, spinnerbaits; 6:1 and 7:1 reels are good for plastics, Carolina rigs and treble hook baits. Faster reel ratios allow you to reel in faster so you can cast faster. If you use a short rod, a faster reel ratio will help your hook-up ratio due to the short range you need to sweep the rod to set the hook. If your reel is underpowered then you can have problems landing the larger bass. Spool size can also make a difference. A small spool will not take in as much line per turn as a larger spool. So you have a very simple question but it has a very complex answer. Hope this info from KVD is helpful. Do we want to add line size to the equation?????

Gamakatsu Split Shot/Drop Shot size 1. Get the 25 hook value pack if you can find it.

Lack of Hydraition. Low blood sugar. Diabetes onset. GO SEE YOUR DOCTOR. THIS IS NOTHING TO FOOL AROUND WITH. AIT WILL ONLY GET WORSE. >

I must agree. That is a dumb ad. It is also insulting. Glad it cost PETA quite a bit of money to produce it. Man, am I hungry for a steak all of a sudden. ;D ;D ;D

Super! A second guy from central Virginia. We are so glad to have you and look forward to your posts and pictures. Big difference between Sandy and Briery. And you have to venture out into the rivers and other lakes to enjoy their beauty and good fishing. Both you new guys stay warm and safe and keep those questions and posts coming.

Glad you are with us. Having another guy from Virginia is always great. There are bass clubs for yutes so let me know if you are interested in joining any. Now, be sure to tell us of your favorite baits and secret places to fish on the James and Appomattox. ;D ;D ;D Also, can you take us onto Swift Creek from one of the private neighborhood ramps and not the one by Sunday Park restaurant? Just wondering!!!

You guys are sick. Funny, but sick. It's like the Texas guy who was visiting New York City and walked into a Kosher deli. He asked the waitress what was the best Jewish food they had and she suggested matzo ball soup. After he ate it, he told the waitress that it was excellent, but he had one question. "What other parts of the matzo are eatable?" ;D ;D ;D ;D

Yes, into the shallows and beds as the water temperatures start to increase. Start at the outer edge of any wood you find, and then into the center and then back to the shoreline. Make many casts to each target to aggravate the fish to hit your bait. If they are coming out of their winter staging, they will be hungry and will take your bait. Use any type of bait you want, like worms, tubes, flukes, lizards, etc. You can also flip and pitch a split-shot or mojo rig; a drop-shot; and even a Carolina rig. You can throw Senkos without any weight or worms and other plastics with weights. You can flip and pitch any bait you want. And as Catt said, you can also flip and pitch a spinnerbait. Do things "out of the box" when selecting your baits to make different presentations to see what can work. Let us know of your results, too. Have fun.

Senkos Zoom *** Sliders

Dave, you got too much time on your hands. But I must admit, those are great pics.

Both are beautiful. I like your Sexy Shad rat, too. What hooks are you going to put on them?

Yes, And color and packaging, too. Check out your local supermarket. The brands that pay the store the most are eye level. Other brands are known by their packaging or name. When I played sports in high school we all had to wear the same brand name gear. If you didn't, we looked upon you as wierd. Just ask Muddy - and mention Shimano!!! ;D ;D ;D

Sean, From Gary Y's web site. Visit it and you can see the different colors of the Hula Grub and all of his baits. How I fish the Hula Grub: The real secret behind the Hula Grub is that it can be effectively used to target multiple strike zones and can mimic a variety of different baits that Bass find irresistible. For example, the front of the hula grub when reeled slowly on the lake bottom looks like a quickly retreating crawdad, pulling the lure in sporadic bursts the Hula can be easily mistaken for a frog. If your familiar with fishing "jig & pig" combos, those same techniques carry right over for fishing with a Hula Grub. For the tests I used: Complete Rig for fishing with the Hula Grub Rod Gloomis MBR783C (6'6) Reel Shimano Calais Line 10lb Trilene XL To use the Hula Grub effectively to get horizontal strikes it is best to use a 3/8 to 1/2 oz football head. This head will have the weight to bring the Jig quickly to the target area as well as plow through obstructions you are sure to find at the waters bottom. A good way to fish for the low hanging Bass is cast over the target area, allow the Hula to hit the bottom, and slowly (I mean sloooooowly) crawl the hula on the ground back to you. 10lb line is a good choice because it is inevitable you will snag and with 10lb line it is possible to pull out and save the lure. When this happens it is necessary to check the angle of the hook, as it is common that the pressure from your battle to free the lure has severely bent the hook. Using a sensitive rod is not absolutely necessary but a big plus! With the Gloomis MBR783C IMX rod I was able to easily differentiate bumping into obstacles on the lake floor and slight hits from fish. My favorite setup for "Hula Grubbing" includes a good casting combo The other way to get hits on a Senko is simply placing the falling Hula in front of the bass. Many times big fish have taken the Hula seconds after splashdown. At first I thought it was just plain luck, but now I've learned that vertical Hula dropping is one of the best ways to target multiple depths.

FOX reported that the school fired the coach who won the game 100-0. Good. >

...and then gets killed. On Fox this AM they had a segment featuring a Big Wheels Truck event promoter saying that the event was safe while being interviewed on TV. He was killed last night when one of the trucks ran over him at the event. I missed his name or the event details. So anyone knowing about the accident please fill in the blanks. Ironic, isn't it? :'(

We are supposed to get ice pellets in Richmond, Virginia on Tuesday. Maybe the ice will go south or north of us. I was watching the weather channel and it is snowing all over the place, from coast to coast. Come on warm weather! ;D ;D ;D

Glad you are back home and safe. Thank you for your service. We sincerely appreciate it. Hope you can stay home for the remainder of your tour.

Let us know what you do with that baby. ;D

Nice setup. You did good. Watch that crawfish.

Nitro, Check with Hope Springs Marina and tell them that your club is launching from their ramp to find out if they will give you a $5 discount down to $10 per boat. Last I launched out of Hope Springs they had only one ramp open. And don't forget to check the TBF and B.A.S.S. regional tournaments launching out of Hope Springs to avoid ramp launching delays.

Orange bottom is a must with a jerkbait. Make sure your retrieve is erratic with a stop and go action. I like the suspending jerkbaits - the ones with the red eyes. Any type or brand is acceptable. SWING your rod to the left or right when setting the hook and then point rod tip towards or into the water to keep bass from jumping and throwing the bait.

Chris, you have asked a simple question that cannot be answered with a simple answer. First, which of the two baits do you have more confidence? Second, do you do more Carolina rig fishing or pitching and flipping? Third, you do fish deep or shallow waters? Fourth, do you fish a lot of cover and structure or flat mud or sandy bottoms? Each bait has an application that makes it more attractive than the other in certain situations. If you fish more Carolina rigs, then a lizard is your answer. If you fish more flipping and pitching then the brush hog can perform well. If you throw into shallow water from deep water or fish deep water, and reel back to your boat, then a Carolina rig with a worm, lizard, fluke or even a tube can have good results. I would suggest putting some lizards and bush hogs into one pack (3 or 4 or each) and having that pack with you as you go fishing. If you think a bulkier bait like a brush hog will produce more strikes than a skinny lizard, then use the brush hog. And vice versa. Just some suggestion for you to consider.