Sam

I think he listening to the Bait Monkey. I think we all listen to the Bait Monkey, vibrations and all. ;D ;D ;D

Funny Story The names will not be released to protect the innocent. Buddy hits the Chickahominy River in central Virginia and he motors across the river to the pads I showed him this summer and where he caught a bass. He takes his baitcaster armed with the new frog he bought the day before and casts it into the pads. Only problem is that he hits the rod tip on one of his other rods in the boat and the frog snaps off and files about 10-feet into the pads. So now he is angry. His new frog is now sitting in the pads and he is determined to get it. He tries to troll into the pads and goes about two-feet when he gets stuck. Pads are too strong and bunched together to get through them. He then decides to lift the trolling motor so that the prop is on top of the pads so he can go the remaining eight-feet and get that new frog. Only problem is that when he looks up after resetting the trolling motor, the frog is gone. Yes, that's right. Gone. A nice bass came up and sucked it under. I just thought this was a very funny story. I guess if you knew the guy you would be on the floor in laughter. I get a chuckle out of it when I think of his reaction when the bass took the new frog. ;D

Rooster, I am not going to put my dog in this fight but I am going to suggest.... Give yourself a Christmas present in the form of Keith A. Jones' book, Knowing Bass, The Scientific Approach to Catching More Bass. Chapter Five is "Hearing and Vibration Detection" which I found extremely interesting from a scientific point of view. Bass have ears and Dr. Jones tells you how their inner ear works. I think you are the kind of guy who will love the book. Just remember, we have some guys on the forum that do not accept Dr. Jones' research. I accept it and found the data to be outstanding and you will learn alot about the bass. Good investment for your library.

Take one 12 to 15 pound turkey. Totally defrost. Inject with some Cajun spices. Place in pot of 400* boiling peanut oil. Cook for 3 minutes per pound. Remove from pot and drain. Let set for 10 minutes. Grab "Pope's Nose" and eat, fast, before brothers and sons get it. Fight over the skin which is out of this world. Serve. Throw away bones as there will be no leftovers.

I am up and I can't figure out what I ate or drank to keep me awake at 3:30 in the morning. Maybe it was those great Dr. Peppers? Anyway, it is in the 30s in Richmond at this time so enjoy your "freezing" weather. ;D

Both are good baits and what Glenn said is true. The problem I have with Sammy's is setting the hook. The Sammy is so big that the fish can use them as leverage and throw them when they jump. To reduce the risk of losing a bass on a Sammy, I swing my rod to the left or right and stick the tip into the water to stop them from jumping. I now do this with all treble hook baits, even crankbaits. It's easy to get paranoid after you lose a few when they jump. ;D So whatever you use, set the hook with a swinging motion and put that rod tip in the water. This technique works for me.

Read. Read, read and read somemore. That's the secret to fishing during each of the four seasons. Check out some of the pros' web sites for their winter fishing tips. Check out the topics on seasonal patterns and winter fishing on this site. Subscribe to Bassin magazine. Join B.A.S.S., or at least visit their website, and get their magazine. Join FLW and get their magazine. Both have articles about seasonal patterns, lures and techniques. Just read, read and read some more this winter. Now, for your query. As the water temperature drops, the fish become less active and the digestion time increases. This means that the bass are "staging" in the deeper water, usually around drop-offs close to the shore for a fast raid on minnows and bait fish. And anything they eat will take more time to digest. The bass are looking for nice, big meals that they do not have to expand a lot of energy to capture and eat. Suggestion: Throw as far out as you can and fish your baits s-l-o-w on the bottom. Senkos are great. Try them both Texas rigged and wacky. Shaky head is super. Drop shot may do the trick. Slip shot, the poor man's Carolina rig, may work. A Carolina rig with a trick worm or a creature bait could produce results. You may want to throw a crankbait. Either a deep diver to look like a crawfish or one with a big wobble and rattles to attract the bass. Just make sure the crank reaches the bottom to stir up the mud and slop. Consider a shad color crank or Ghost Minnow. Sexy or Foxy Shad is a nice selection. If those do not produce any bites, go with a crank with some orange on the bottom. Rat-L-Traps will work, too, so try both the chrome with either black (cloudy) or blue (sunny) backs or a crawfish colored Rat, the color of the crawfish in your area this time of the year. If throwing a crawfish crank, be sure the "claws" are close to the body and that the depth is enough to bounce along the bottom stirring up the mud and slop. Throw the cranks out and retrieve with a rythum, like reel fast, slow down, reel fast, slow down, stop letting it sink or rise, reel, stop, slow down, etc. Get a rythum and play it in your head like, 1, 2, 1, 1,; or 1, 2, 1 ,2, etc. A stop and go retrieve may work best. Just experiment. And don't forget your flukes. They look like dieing shad and fish them like a dieing shad. Cast, wait, move with rod tip, wait, move with rod tip, wait, etc. You want to minick a dieing shad or bluegill. Hit the body of water early in the AM and throw topwaters, like buzzbaits or Chugbugs. Do the same in the late evening as the sun goes down. You may want to try a Mann's Minus-One, too. Topwaters with "white" bottoms may work best. But who knows? So experiment. You are limited and therefore you will be very frustrated. You will probably not catch anything as the bass are staging in another area that you cannot reach. But if that is the way it is, then that is the way it is. Look for another body of water and give it a try. Some maps show the local ponds and lakes in blue so it is easy to find them. Good luck and remember to read, read and read.

Hookemdown, One more thing. Schools that really want you will fight for you. Two young ladies from Virginia had scholarships to Virginia Tech but we wanted them to go to LSU. So LSU made them better offers and they are now in beautiful Louisiana enjoying some great weather and a fanstatic social life plus getting a great education. So play one school against the other to see which ones want you the most. Or just go to LSU and have a great five or six or seven years. Some people don't want to graduate and leave the place.

I am in Virginia freezing my fanny off and you guys are talking about spawning? You all have it made. ;D ;D ;D

I have the E5 for cranking. Fantastic!

As an undergraduate recruiter for Louisiana State University, all I can do is tell you what LSU does regarding scholarships. Every on-line applicant ($40) is screened for scholarshlps. If you qualify, you can receive up to 100% of your tuition, fees, room and board. You may also qualify for Honors School and live in an Honors dorm with other Honors students. It is imperative that you VISIT the three schools you want to attend and discuss scholarship concerns, in person. Ask what scholarships are available and how do you qualify? A 4.0 is a great GPA. Just remember the schools look at your CORE courses for determining scholarship money. Then they look at your SAT or ACT scores. The higher the SAT or ACT scores the better opportunity for scholarship money. Good luck and GET THAT DIPLOMA! College will be the best five or six years of your life.

No. Because I don't play darts. One of my clients is an avid dart player and he is excellent. He has done this a few times. He says that the dart that sticks in the shaft of the dart does not count as the tip does not hit the board. It does count on the soft board when the electronic sensor feels the hit. He calls it "Robin Hood" and it happens once in a while in tournaments.

Hogseeking, Welcome to the forum. Keep those questions coming. Sometimes you will have to wait for a reply. But a reply will be forthcoming. And it is usually a good answer to your query. Be sure to post your results in the "Outing" section of the forum, even if you do not catch anything. We want to know how your gear worked and if the bait is worth the investment.

Fantastic! You will be the next KVD if you keep throwing that Sexy Shad. Try the Ghost Minnow, too. Great results with both the Sexy Shad and Ghost Minnow.

Wonderful story. Next time, may I suggest taking a camera? Memories are so much better when you have some pics to show your children.

Two-a-days are unusual for basketball. But in Kansas and North Carolina I suppose it is normal. Two-a-days in football can get "old" fast in the heat. But being in a warm gym should not be a problem. And two-a-days will make you a better basketball player. You may end up looking like the guy in your avator. Gross. ;D

And a punter. Anyone out there that can punt the ball more than 36 yards? If so, contact Les Miles at LSU in Baton Rouge.

Minimum 30-pound test. 50-pound test will also do very well.

Metal detectors are fun. Be sure to get a "high end" model as they have better electronics than the cheaper models. You can find all sorts of junk on the beach, in your yard, in the woods, and other places you think will hold valuables. Give 'em a try. Fun thing to do in the summer or all during the year, depending on where you go and what you are looking for.

Wow! What a collection. You did good. You made the Bait Monkey happy. Great report and super picture.

Who are you? Where am I? What did you do with my teeth??? Thanks Potomacbass.

So what is wrong with LSU football this year? No experienced quarterbacks. Using a third-string quarterback. Having Crowton allow Lee to throw passes deep in LSU territory. Playing safeties and cornerbacks with guys who do not play safety and cornerback. Two-person defensive coordinators experiment is not doing well. Keep running the ball when teams put nine men in the box. Wearing purple jerseys. Playing day games, like the one against Ole Miss next Saturday. Do you want me to go on????? LSU was lucky to win the Troy game. No excuses. I don't want to hear that "let down" baloney. The players need to play each game to their fullest ability and not walk onto the field thinking that by just showing up they have another "W" on the schedule. Yes, the Bama loss was hard to take, but it was Lee who threw that pass into the endzone on his own. It was not a called play. You know Miles would not call a play like that. Miles would have run the ball and taken a fieldgoal. And the really bad news is that if LSU wins out agains Ole Miss and Arkansas then the Fighting Tigers get to play against a Big 12 team in the Cotton Bowl. Missouri? Oklahoma State? Yikes! The game could be over by the half with LSU on the short end of the score. I predict a team from the Big 12 vs. Florida in the BCS Championship game. Later >

bmadd and potomac bass, Yes, you all are right. I got confused this AM trying to post and leave the house. Sorry. Everyone follow what bmadd and potomacbass say. Brain freeze this AM. Thanks for correcting my incorrect info. ;D ;D

The entire Pistol Pete Homework Basketball DVDs or videos to help you become a very good Kansas basketball player. Fishing videos or DVDs that you can watch this winter. Nice clothes, like a sweater. Spooling machine to spool your reels. One of those Spike-It ColorCelector's. Tickets for you and your dad to attend a KU basketball game. Bassboy 15, I am sure you can add to this list if you give it some thought.

Wacky rigged Senko on a spinning rig.