Sam

Yes, you did good. Now if Phat Phil Phulmer could do half as good as you did he would have a winning record so far this year. ;D

Read the specs on your rod so you will know the line test and bait sizes to throw. Go with the baits first and the JJs second. Baitcasters are great and I know you have the right line....mono for treble hooks and flouro or copoly for all others and braid for heavy cover or deep diving crankbaits. I purchased a beautiful Japanese bait and put 20-pound mono on a 5:2 Curado 5 reel with a 7 foot BPS cranking rod and it is a beautiful setup. Just double check your rod specs to make sure you stay within those paramaters. And get good grades in your core subjects in high school so you can get into college and after graduation, and before you get married, you can work towards a nice bass boat and some great equipment. Plus pay a lot in F.I.C.A.!!! ;D

Yikes! No, Mass is not a southern state. My fault. So let's leave out Mass. Thanks for the correction. ;D

Easy answer All SEC states plus all ACC states, with th exception of Maryland. And the only reason Louisiana is a southern state is that it is located in the USA. Louisiana is a country unto itself. Louisiana - Come As You Are - Leave Different. P.S. All guys under the age of 18 are to stay out of the French Quarter as they may have heart attacks or nervous breakdowns if they see those sights. ;D ;D ;D

Here is the DGIF report I just had e-mailed to me on SML. Smith Mountain Lake By Mike Snead: Cooler weather will move into our area for the next couple of weeks. This week the forecast is for daytime high temperatures to be in the 70's and the low temperatures to be in the 50's. Next week the forecast is for even cooler temperatures with high temperatures only expected to be in the 60's and lows at night projected in the 40's, almost ten degrees colder than normal for this time of year. These temperatures will undoubtedly lower the water temperature even further and may trigger changes to fishing patterns. Lake access continues to be an issue as the result of continuing low water levels. The lake water level continues to be about four feet below full pond and there is little relief in sight. While we will scattered showers over the next two weeks, sustained periods of heavy precipitation are not expected. This will continue to pose problems at selected boat ramps and increases the risk of running aground on shal! low points and shoals around the lake. Visibility at night will improve over the next couple of weeks with a first quarter moon will be on October 7th and a full moon on Tuesday, October 14th. [see the sidebar for moon phases for next three months] Both bass and stripers continue to feed on baitfish. Schools of stripers have been running shad to the surface in many locations and last weekend, when we had overcast conditions; they stayed up for several hours. There are a number of good lures for schooling fish. For bass, spinner and buzz baits, like those by Pulsator, are good choices, especially if it is windy. Topwater lures including the RICO, Pop'R, Super Spook, Spook Junior, Sammy and small gunfish are also good choices when it is relatively calm. Larger topwater lures like the Super Spook, large Rebel Pop'R, Gunfish, Striper Strike and large Chugbug are good lures for schooling stripers. Flukes rigged on belly weighted Falcon hooks, ¼ ounce jigheads and wide gap Superline hooks are also good choices for both schooling bass and stripers. When the schools are found deep, jigging flukes rigged on a ½ ounce jigheads and spoons (Crippled Herring, Cotton Cordell, Hopkins Shorty, Hopkins Smoothie and Kastmaster) is ! an effective technique. When not schooling, bass do not appear to be in any pronounced pattern and are being caught in a number of different places. Some are being found deep and others in shallow water where jigs (Dave's, Easterly Custom Jigs, Eakin's) rigged with trailers by Deep Creek, Netbait and ZOOM are working. Bass are also being caught around docks in shallow water using pig and jigs as well as shaky head jigs with small craw and worm trailers. Wacky rigged Yamasenko worms are also producing on bass suspended near pilings, bridge abutments and other vertical structure. Rigged worms and creature baits are working in deeper water off points and in submerged brush. Crankbaits are producing an occasional bass along the tops of submerged grass beds and brush. Striped bass are still being found in large schools from 20 to 45 feet below the surface. There have been a number of nice stripers caught in the lower lake by anglers trolling Captain Mack's Umbrella rigs and three way rigs with Sutton spoons, bucktail jigs and swimbaits. When schools are located suspended in submerged timber, live bait presented on downlines, jigging spoons and flukes are also producing good results. Crappie fishing is starting to pick up with several anglers reporting that good numbers are being caught on small minnows. Small jigs and plastic trailers are also working on crappie suspended in submerged brush and under docks, but increasingly anglers are complaining that the white perch are making it difficult to get lures and bait down to the crappie suspended below them. Panfish are being caught around most docks on "red wiggler" worms rigged on small hooks below a split shot on light line. A small bobber can also be used to keep the worm in the strike zone or to help reduce snags. Small, live shiners rigged on hooks and light jigheads are also great baits for panfish, bluegill, crappie and white perch. Flathead catfish are still hitting nightcrawlers, live shad and small panfish including bluegills, especially near the banks at night. Channel catfish continue to be caught using Magic prepared baits fished on a bottom rig and springhook as well as on cut bait and nightcrawlers. The Smith Mountain Striper Club Tournament was won by Carlos Brown and his son CD. This Sunday, the SMLBass Tournament was won by the team of Anthony Brooks and Chase Blankenship with a weight of 10 pounds 4 ounces. Second place went to Greg Byrd and Philip Wood with a bag weighing 9 pounds 3 ounces. The big fish this past Sunday weighed 4 pounds 4 ounces and was brought to the scales by the team of Dan Jessee and Kenny Newton. The proceeding weeks SMLBass Tournament was won by the team of Terry Jones and Bob Peaslee with a combined weight of 9 pounds 4 ounces. Water Temperature: 71 degrees Water Clarity: Good

Hey Simp, You may want to send it to the Reel Mechanic beacuse when you go to repair it you know, if you are like me, you will have some parts left over. ;D

Yes, it sounds like a great buy. Do you know how old is the line? Where did you get it? E-Bay; Forum sale; tackle store; off Griedo on the corner? Use it and let us know how it performs.

Yes, Senkos attract all freshwater fish. I have caught catfish, crappie and bream on Senkos. Of course, it helps when you throw a 2-inch Senko! ;D ;D ;D

Hey Fishing, Good reply. And yes, I know it has been in the Louisiana courts, which use Napoleonic Law, as I have been following the case in the literature. The issue is the right of third-parties to access waters over private land. Just like accessing mineral rights under the land where you must state that you want the mineral rights and pay for them or you own the land over the mineral rights and others can mine the land for the minerals. The interpertation can be construed to also extend to docks, piers, marinas, etc. Areas where the landowner may or may not have title. I understand the position that you cannot venture onto flooded land, just as you cannot enter private property if the gate, door or window is open. Some of us who fish these flooded areas may have to visit the county or parish courthouse to view where the landowner's land stops. That is, does the ownership extend into the waterway and if so, how far? As for a states rights issue, I sure hope you are correct. We all get along in Virginia with the fishermen and the property owners and I would be very upset if the federal courts got involved. Then there is the question of who actually owns the water. But that is a debate for another day.

Sent PM.

This is a very interesting situation. Can one fish on waters above private land? Does the landowner also take possession of the waters above their land when the waters are either transitory or permenant? And can this standard be expanded to include creeks and coves if the landowner has title to any part of the creeks and coves? We can also add marinas, boat docks, piers, canals, etc. to the list of areas where a landowner has the possession of the land under the water, either on a permanent basis or due to flooding or tidal action. Should be an interesting case and decision.

I changed the 42-pound 12-volt trolling motor system on my Tracker 185 by going with a 67-pound 12-volt system. Billy Wells in Richmond converted my 42-pound Motor Guide to the 67-pound system so I still have the original Motor Guide. Works great. Only problem is that on setting 5 you have to watch what you are doing as the boat flies over the water.

Good one, Muddy. ;D

Boudreaux enters Thibodeaux's barbershop in Lafayette for a shave. While Thibodeaux is foaming him up, Boudreaux mentions the problems he has getting a close shave around the cheeks. Thibodeaux said, "Mais, I'm got just the ting", taking a small wooden ball from a nearby drawer. "Just place dis between your cheek and gum." Boudreaux places the ball in his mouth, and Thibodeaux proceeds with the closest shave Boudreaux has ever experienced! After a few strokes, Boudreaux asks, "Mais, what if I swallow it?" "No problem," says Thibodeaux. "Just bring it back tomorrow like everyone else does."

"I don't know. I am making it up as we go along." Great adventure movie!

I Google all the time. That is because it says "Google" on my screen. ;D

OK Russ, With that behind you how about going out and doing some fishing and let us know how you do and ask us your questions. And don't try to get older, faster. You will get older in time and then wish you were younger. We expect to read some stories about your outings and the ones you missed. Just the ones you missed should take up a page of posts. ;D So get on the band wagon and start sending your posts.

I agree with Glenn...small bream, bluegills or baby bass hitting the bait can drive you up a wall. You need to use a Palamor Knot and then run the tag end back through the hook eye from the front of the hook to have the hook stand straight out from the line. But you and Pigsticker know this. So tie the Palamor Knot and try not to burn the line. Be sure to pull the line end first so it is snug and then pull the tag end. Wet the line so help avoid line burn, too. When knot is setup, you can then pull both the tag end and line end to tighten the knot. In my experience, I have had the bass take the bait and run like crazy; take the bait and walk away with it; and take the bait and just sit there for some reason. If I feel some weight on the line I set the hook. This also happens when I accumulate grass on the sinker but I would rather look silly than miss a strike. I may take Glenn's advice and use copoly in lieu of fluoro. I use 8 pound test when fishing the drop-shot, although I may go up to 10-pound test if fishing in lots of strutucture. I have used 6-pound test on a spinning rig and have caught two nice 6+ pound ladies in a private pond. You and Pigsticker have fun. I hope you can out-fish Pigsticker.

It looks yummy. Give it a try.

Please consider checking the rod's specifications for bait size and line test. Then go from there when selecting your rod for the way you want to fish. From what you asked, I think what Roadwarrior said makes a lot of sense. Each rod has a specific purpose and if you match the set-up with the rod's specs you will have the best set-up available.

I have 10, 15 and 25 pound anchors and I select one based on the weather and wind for the day. The 25 pound anchor means you arn't going anywhere when you use it. I think they call it a "fisherman's anchor" and it works great. But I am not sure of its correct name.

Great one. I will remember that one. Thanks. ;D

P.S. Great color combination. Keep it as it is.

Island Bass, Don't quit. Don't be like my grandfather. He invented a soft drink that he called 1-Up. It was not that good so he changed the formula named the new drink 2-Up. He kept inproving on the drink until he got to 6-Up and quit. Just a word to the wise. ;D ;D ;D

CFFF 1.5, Isn't that what the suction cup is supposed to do, like suck? ;D Sorry, could not help myself.