Sam

Hunter, we need a lot more information. A small pond like you described full of hydrilla could be difficult to fish successfully. Since it is your pond I offer the following for you to consider: 1. Throw slices of bread on the water to check if the bluegills, minnows, etc. arrive to attack it. If so, great. If not, you have a major problem. You may need to add some of these bait fish to your pond. 2. When there are a lot of grass and pads in an area, you will need two items to use to make them productive: a raft and a paddle. Take the blow up raft out to different areas and using the paddle make three foot wide holes in the hydrilla and other grass in different locations. Wait at least an hour and pitch and flip your plastics into the openings. The bass will come to the openings seeking an easy meal. Try a shaky head, drop shot, and Texas rigged finesse worm in the color of June bug or green pumpkin. 3. If the pond has not been managed correctly you will have a lot of small bass. If you are catching smaller bass you have another problem: what is the bass count and do you harvest the smaller ones? 4. Does Texas game and fisheries offer any pond help? Can they help you find out the fish count or how to control all the hydrilla. Remember, grass carp sound like a good idea until you put them in your pond and they eat all vegetation. 5. The bass are deep at this time of the year. You write you fish in the early mornings which is prime time. Do you see the bass go after topwater action like minnows and bluegills? Do you fish the western and northern banks first as those warm up first due to the sun? Do you use a buzzbait or small Whopper Plopper for topwater action? What about a 1/4 ounce spinnerbait? A frog with the hooks pulled out via pliers from the frog's body? Weightless Senkos? Light weighted finesse worm Texas rigged dragged over the top of the grass? 6. When you walk around the pond do you walk at least 50-feet from the bank? The bass can feel your vibrations as you move around. If the water is clear, they can look up and see you, too. Be stealth. Like a ghost. Put your tackle bag down and walk around with a few baits in your pocket or a small tackle box and one spinning rig with 6-pound momo (it floats) or 6-pound fluorocarbon line and a second spinning rig with up to 8-pound test for your topwaters and spinnerbaits. You can also go with a 35 pound braid. No leader is necessary. 7. You can punch through the grass with a variety of presentations. This will get old if you are not up close to where the bass are holding, such as in the middle of the pond. This is why you need a raft and paddle to go out into the pond to fish the exact middle with a variety of baits and presentations and then float around hitting the bank and other areas. 8. The bass will tell you what they want. If you are not getting hits with your current baits and techniques then change them around. 9. Add wood. Yes, go out and get some fallen trees and put them in the pond along the bank. The bass will come to them for safety and to rest plus ambush any forage for an easy meal. Give the area you put the wood at least seven full days for the bass to accumulate to it. 10. Keep a fishing log like the one in the above "Tools" link (Free Fishing Log). Make a map of the pond and add all places you caught something. After three months you can look into your three ring binder at all of your reports and map locations and you will start to see where the bass hang out. You may also consider having a professional pond management company give you an estimate as to what they would charge to help get the pond in better condition; what species you need to support a strong bass community; and if catfish would be helpful. Good luck and how about adding where you live in Texas (it is a big state) so we can give you better information in the future. Welcome to the forum. How about introducing yourself in the Introduction section?

No idea, but you could be correct. I will ask BASS and try to find out this week when I have the time. Will let you know what I find out.

One day we will have Snakehead tournaments.

Hey KVD, I just remembered that you can fish the BASS Opens as a co-angler and not need a boat. Check into it and fish some. Good luck.

Ike is in first place with 11 other guys, all in shooting distance of him, in today's 12-man last day Northern Bass Open on the Historic James River out of Richmond, Virginia. Looks like the guy that nails the big lady will take home the trophy and a spot in the Classic. Will be a great tournament since the starting weights are so close to each other. Geaux Ike, Geaux!!!!

1. Tomorrow from Annie. 2. I Did it My Way by Frank Sinatra. 3.

Fishing with my aunt and two cousins at Audubon Park Lagoon in New Orleans using cane poles, some sort of line, red and white bobbers, small gold hooks, and rolled dough from white bread. We killed 'em!!!!

I think it is fantastic and sets the bar for trolling/GPS/Sonar systems up a few notches. The other companies will follow in Garmin's footsteps. Only drawback that I noted is that you may need a Garmin GPS/Sonar unit to pick up the trolling motor signal. If this is the case, what does Lowrance and Ray Marine do? If you can sync your trolling motor to your "other than Garmin" GPS/Sonar unit than you have a real winner. Also, when you compare the cost of a high end trolling motor coupled with a high end GPS/Sonar unit and compare those combined prices with what Garmin is asking for its set up, it is not a bad deal. Just don't drop the control remote overboard!

Only changes I have seen are: 1. More BPS products at Cabelas; and 2. Cabelas will take BPS returns and give refunds. That's all I have noticed.

Welcome! Don't forget to have you and your son wear purple and gold when you go fishing and yell "Geaux Tigers" when you set the hook. Great having you with us and we look forward to your posts about those beautiful Louisiana bass (and redfish and specs and croakers and drum and sheepshead and oyster loafs and roast beef poboys and how you do your roux and do you all go crabbing and how much fun you have at LSU football and baseball games and how many five-gallon buckets you have for hurricane season and your Mardi Gras adventures and some French Quarter stories and on and on and on). Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

B.A.S.S. Northern Open on the Historic James River out of Osborne Landing in Richmond, Virginia starting July 25th. Glad you are with us. How about introducing yourself in the Introduction section so we will get to know you better. Then, add your physical location to your avatar so we can give you better input based on your geographical location. And last, please do not leave the Forum. You will learn a lot and we are here to help you become a better bass fisherman. Welcome!

Sometimes the Fishing Gods will not be in your corner. Here is a story that is true and if you can picture it happening you may get a chuckle out of it. Direct from the Fishing Gods! I know of a gentleman (elementary school teacher) that is an excellent bass fisherman and he had something happen to him and his partner that was way out of the ordinary. On the level of losing a personal best but not the same. While fish along the bank of a local lake, a tree came crashing down on his boat, himself and his partner. He jumped out of the boat when he saw the tree coming down while his partner hunkered down and got hit by some dead branches. Then the fun started! Ants. Thousands and thousands of ants. All over the boat, motor, and his partner. Seems the ants had eaten the tree causing it to fall at the exact moment the boat was passing by. If I remember correctly, I think he had to jump overboard, too, to get rid of the ants that fell on him. They finally had to get back in the boat, remove the dead tree and its branches, and run back to the ramp with all of the remaining ants on them and the boat. So when the Fishing Gods are against you they can take whatever paths to get to you, be it losing your personal bests at your boat or having a dead tree full of ants fall on your boat. You can't get the Fishing Gods mad at you. Be sure to let us know when you finally land that one big lady for your personal best. Good luck.

Chick Lake is with the Chick River map. I saw them somewhere but I have been all over the place last week and have no idea where I saw them. Maybe Fishing Pro Tech in Toano. Not sure. Now, let's start using the GMCO map for good places to try your luck. Not all places that I know and I hope you find a lot more, but some to give you an idea. 1. Call Ed. Allen and find out if the grass has taken over the lake, 804.966.5368. Check out their web page, too: https://edallensboats.com/ https://edallens.com/fishing-report/ 2. Call Eagles Landing Marina and do the same, 804.966.9094. No web page but you can Google it anyway. 2142 Landing Road, Providence Forge, VA. 3. Leave Ed. Allen's and stay on the north bank to the trees. 4. Fish mouth area of Johnson Creek. 5. Fish mouth area of Lacey Creek. 6. Hit from the main lake into Lacey Creek on both sides. 7. Look for the old beaver hut in the mouth of Johnson creek, to your left. 8. If the grass is high, use your paddle to make a few holes in the grass and then revisit them in about an hour. 9. Fish Eagles Landing Marina area. 10. There is a bridge on the south side across the river and after Eagles Landing marina. Try to find it and if the water level is OK give it a shot. 11. There is/was a duck blind at Four Corners. Good fishing. Good current. At the mouth and right before Tonyham Creek. Was one of the best places to fish. 12. Fish the bank from the river towards Spring Landing. Wake Zone is at the end of this area. Fish the bank and look for the trees by the duck blind. 13. Go past Wake Zone to Old House Landing. This is where the river gets narrow and the snakes start to watch you. 14. Head back to Four Corners and look for the creek across the river from Four Corners. There was an old house and shed if it is still there. Fish around this area. 15. Head back to Ed. Allen's and fish the bank by Matahunk neck. 16. Cypress Trees by Ed. Allen's has never produced anything but Crappie but you can give then a shot. 17. Hit anything you all like. NOTE: There is a bridge at the back of Lacey Creek. If the grass does not stop you, go back into Lacey Creek and find the bridge and fish it and all around it. Hope this gives you some insight into Chick Lake. It is imperative you call both Ed. Allen's and Eagles Landing to find out about the grass and if it is going to be a problem. I have not been on the lake in a few years so my map may not be 100% correct but it reflects the places we used to fish. Fishing Pro Tech and Hooker's Bait and Tackle in Toano off I-95 (watch your speed it is 35 MPH) are open and you may be able to get a map of Chick Lake plus some input on fishing the lake. Both tackle shops have very nice guys who will tell you about Chick Lake. Good luck. Be safe. Have all licenses with you as VDGIF has been known to watch Chick Lake from time to time, and let us know how you all do.

Hey Richard! Will get back with you when I wake up in about 3 to 4 hours!!!! Do you have a GMCO map of Chick Lake?

Do you have a boat?

I have had a crankbait come screaming back at me and hit me between the legs. Lucky for me I was wearing jeans. Yes, one of the treble hooks got into my jeans and I had to use my needle nose pliers to wrench it out. Been cognizant of this occurring in the future so I try to be careful.

He was a talented actor. He could make you laugh just by being on the stage or screen. His non-verbal was classic. Happy birthday, Don. Keep putting smiles on our faces via reruns.

There is no such rule in spinnerbait fishing. Anything goes. I have all sizes. I will admit that I am partial to both War Eagles and Hank Parker's line of spinnerbaits.

Had it happen twice. One time she nailed me with my Senko and the doctor had to operate to remove the hook, which I did not keep. Second time was on a spinnerbait trailer hook and once again, had it removed surgically. Did not keep the remains of that hook, too. I am now careful of treble hooks and trailer hooks and Senko rigs.

Facebook post says these are the lures taken out of fishering guys and gals. I have no idea but it is interesting that they made a case for them.

If I recall, about a full week before she will feel better and two weeks before she wants to go fishing. Just hang in there with her. She will be fine and glad she had the operation.

d**n Reb, very upsetting news. All the best for a strong fight that you will win. Prostate cancer is curable in the vast majority of cases. My PSA is .02 and my doctor is watching it closely. If it rises rapidly there is a problem. You are correct. Us guys don't like physicals, especially the prostate exam. But ask your oncologist and he will tell you that the prostate exam is the reason he went to medical school! (my doctor's joke just before the exam) Keep us posted on your progress and to all of the guys on this site, young and old, don't be bashful and ask your primary care doctor about having a digital prostate exam annually. It takes only seconds and it can save you life. Now go out there and knock it out of the park! We are with you all the way. P.S. VCU can work wonders.

JWall, I think you will receive better input if you repost in the Northeastern section of the Forum. I have no idea what bodies of water are in New Hampshire or what types of bait fish are available. Being from south Louisiana all I can suggest is you bring lots of very warm clothes as the temperature may be below 70*.

Pros will feel the bass' stomach to determine what they are eating. Crunchy or hard material are crawfish. Soft material are baitfish. It is your responsibility to know what forage is in your body of water and then add the stomach feel to your formula to determine what they are eating. If you are fishing a tournament, the bass have a habit of spitting up in the live well what they were feeding on when you landed them. We find all types of crawfish and bait fish in the well after weigh-ins. If you have a well in your boat place your catches in the well to see if they spit up anything. Once they do and you see it you can let them go.

Mac, there are two types of current in rivers. The first is from the normal flow of the water. The second is tidal. We have no idea where you are in North Carolina, a state that has both types of rivers. Please note what Tom penned above about river current. He hits it on the head. So let us know if you are fishing a tidal river or one in the interior and we can give you a better response.