Sam

Bass XL, This was a test. One of life's little tests. So did you pass it? Did you wonder why you had the test? Maybe something terrible was going to happen to you on the water. Maybe you would have been accused of cheating at the weigh-in if you did so much better than the other guys. Mabye your boat would have capsized or you would have been battered around and gotten hurt? Who knows? So this happened for a reason and you are now a stronger person and fisherman to accept it as part of your life's experiences. Now we all expect to read how you killed them in your next tournament so quit complaining and get ready to do some fishing.

All right! Another bass fisherman who knows football. Great to have you with us. We expect to read your fishing adventures and see your beautiful pics on this site this winter as us guys up north freeze our tails off. So are you a UT or A&M fan????

Bass Major, You have asked a very simple question with a different answer from each of thr 15,000 guys on this site. So here is my response: What are you looking for? I mean do you want to read a story, such as Ike's book Fishing on the Edge? Or what about as specific bait sand techniques such as Kevin VanDam's Secrets of a Champion? How about a great scientific read from Dr. Keith Jones of Berkley Products Research Center in Knowing Bass, The Scientific Apporach to Catching More Fish? Basic bass books which are outstanding are Homer Circle's Bass Wisdom. Denny Brauer's great book on flipping or pitching jigs and other baitsis a super read for you so consider Jig Fishing Secrets. Finesse Bass Fishing by the father of finesse fishing, Don Iovino, and including a great sectin on sonar units, is a must for your library. And then there are Kevin VanDam's Bass Strategies and Roland Martin's Bass-Catching Secrets. Check out any local books on local boides of water such as we have in central Virginia for Lake Anna and the James River. So take your choice of these suggestions or the ones from the guys. You can't go wrong. And by the way, don't forget Sowbelly. I have not read it but I plan to order it to read in the winter after I rearrange my tackle for about the zillion time. Then, there are great DVDs and Videos out but that is for another post and discussion. ;D ;D ;D Just read, read, and read. And make an outline of what you read and view and start a filing system for your outlines and other articles you find interesting for future reference.

Mepps, I agree with all of the above, especially that you know she is there. I have a local pond where I caught a six-pounder earlier this year but so far she has eluded me. Driving me crazy, or crazier. So keep on trying and if you can't catch her let us know and a bunch of us will venture to the pond and give it our best shot. ;D ;D ;D

Sorry Sam, But when the temperatures stay below 70* that is cold to me. My fishing tournaments are over for this year and I may go out some on the beautiful Virginia lakes or rivers but for the most part, once it gets below 70* it is C-O-L-D. ;D

Nice try but flechero is correct. Better luck next time. ;D

I was on Aquia Creek this Sunday, in the hot sun and wind, and never hooked into a Snakehead. I wanted to hook a Snakehead to have a fun fight, but no luck. The other guys fishing the tournament did not catch any, either. Slow day fishing but I caught 8 anyway. Nothing to brag about.

"I've yet to try it but I currently have a stradic FI as my first choice. Thats tough to beat." X2

Sincerely hope all works out OK. The recovery is the hardest part. God bless, Sam

Great pics and great fish. You guys did super. Keep those pics coming.

Andrew, To answer your question.... Yes, go out and fish, but don't be surprised if you get skunked. When you get a heavy rain, this is what can happen. 1. Bass will feed before the front moves through and then just ride out the storm. 2. After the storm, the water is stained. Sometimes it is muddy. So adjust your baits accordingly for being "hard to see but easy to hear" when fishing. Use some JJ's Magic or Spike-It chartreuse to give your plastics a touch of yellow. Use pink and white plastics, too. Lemon Senkos may work, too. You may have to wait for up to three days for the water to clear, too. Put your bait in the water and let it sink. When it disappears check out the depth. Multiply that depth by three. That is the distance the fish can see in the water. Sometimes it is four. In clear water it is even more distance. So remember that you have to attract the bass towards your bait and the bass have to decide to bite it or move on as they see it. 3. Go with a rattling or big wobble crank bait so the bass can horn into the vibrations and sound. Remember, in stained or muddy water the bass can only see so far so they need to hear and feel the baits to move towards them and then they have to decide to eat them or forget them. 4. Fish the bank either by throwing to the bank and back to the boat or parallel to the bank. The bass will now be leaving their deep water refuge and looking for a nice snack, like Chicken Tenders from McDonalds. Fan-cast each area you fish. Make six or seven or more casts all over the place going from left to right and then back from right to left. Drop your bait into any cover you find, like a fallen tree or brush. If you are concerend with snags then use weedless hooks. 5. Finesse fishing may work but go with your Senkos, first. A 4-inch variety may work better than the larger 5-inch variety. And throw greenpumpkin with black flake or a dark color if the water is stained or muddy. A wiggly finesse worm, like the *** worms, will do great. Fish them Texas or Drop Shot or if there is not much slop on the bottom, Split-Shot. You can try Shaky Head, too. Your goal is to attract the fish to your bait in any way you can, short of dynamite. 6. Throw a pink or white trick worm, weightless with a 2/0 or 3/0 straight shank hook. If you have grass (luck you) use a weedless hook. 7. Try a buzzbait or a Chatterbait, too. 8. Go out early in AM, like before school or late in PM after you do your homework, and throw topwaters. A buzzbait can be deadly in the early AM and late PM. 9. If all fails, go home and do some more homework. ;D ;D ;D Good luck and go out today and give it a try and let us know how you do. Or how you don't do!

Blackbird, Welcome to the forum if we have not welcomed you before. Here are some suggestions to consider. 1. Read. And then read some more. Check out the posts on this site and Woo Daves web site plus other pros. Suscribe to Bassin' Magazine and you may want to consider joining B.A.S.S. for their web page and magazine. 2. To learn the Virginia waters may I suggest considering joining a local bass club? Don't worry about how well you do in club tournaments. Your goal is to fish with as many guys as you can and see where to launch your future boat; where to fish; how to fish; and listen to what the guys say and watch what they do. 3. Any golf courses around where you live? Most courses are closed on Mondays and you can fish their ponds. Some golf courses have fantastic ponds. You may want to ask permission or just fish it and see if you get thrown off the course. ;D 4. Check out "fall fishing" on this site and also what Woo Daves and others say. But remember you are very limited when fishing from a bank, be it on a lake, river, creek or pond. Also, critters start to move around now so be careful about what is above, below and around you when you are fishing. 5. Make plans to attend the Richmond Fishing Expo at the end of January. We will be putting posts about the event in the Southeast Fishing section of this forum. 6. We have a lot of great guys in Northern Virginia so read their posts. Maybe you can catch up with them and they can show you some places to fish. 7. Get the ADC Map Book of Northern Virginia or places you want to fish and look for all the blue water in your area. You will be surprised at the number of ponds and small lakes in residential and office parks that you can fish. Head out west towards Winchester and you will find other places to fish from the bank, too. 8. As for baits and techniques, try a white spinnerbait; a Mann's Minus One; Senkos; and finesse worms. And be patient. You may do better with your Senkos, like greenpumpkin with black flake or a watermealon if the water is not stained. And be patient. Throw the Senko deep and along the bank and let it sit for about 30 seconds (a lifetime) and then bring it back to you, slowly, using the tip of your rod to bounce it off the bottom. Fish it Wacky style, too. 9. Always bring pliers and sissors with you when you fish. Bug spray may be necessary as the "no see 'um's" are around for some reason. 10. Get a copy of the Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries' "Freshwater Fishing in Virginia" booklet. It is good through December 31st but the information does not change that much from year to year. Wal-Mart or your local tackle shop has them. Or check out www.huntfishva.com. You can find places to fish and other information in the publication. A new booklet will come out in either January or February of next year. 11. Talk to the guys in your area via a Personal Message on this site and ask for their input on local places you want to fish or other places you may want to fish. Sometimes we do not want to spread our gospel of bass fishing information for everyone to read and we will give you a lot more information by PMing each other. 12. Unless you use Nightcrawlers and live minnows, bass fishing is slow. This give you time to relax and to view the beauty of Mother Nature. You will find your blood pressure will go down; your attitude about life improve; you will forget your troubles; and you will enjoy the company of the quiet and splendor of your surroundings plus the beauty of the fish you catch. Of course, hook into a big bass and she gets off you will forget #12 above. ;D ;D ;D So read, read and read. Take your time as it will take about a year to get a good grasp to the sport. Ask questions. And have fun. Plus, if you are driving under 70 MPH on I-95 how about getting into the bumper lane??? ;D

It is a once in a lifetime experience. I know that when I am old and on my death bed I sure don't want to say, "man, I should have worked more." I want some fun memories.

Hey guys, I am coming back from a meeting in Stafford on Wednesday so I will double check the directions to the new BPS off I-95 and post them for everyone.

BPS is off Lewistown Road. Take first LEFT after you exit the interstate. BPS IS NOT on Route 1.

From Northern Virginia: South on I-95. Go off at the Ashland exit, exit #92. At Route 1 turn LEFT towards Richmond. Go LEFT onto Lewistown Road, about three miles down Route 1. Ashland exit is #92. Lewistown Road is exit #89. Green Top exit by Gander Mountain is exit #86. Ron, October 1st may be the special private grand opening so double check the BPS web site to confirm the opening date. I will probably venture down on October 2nd but if you go on October 1st you may want to check out exit #89 and if it is clear, take it. Just bear RIGHT at the top of the exit hill and then look to turn LEFT on th road to the BPS store. If the Lewistown Road exit is not clear, then go down to the Elmont exit (Sliding Hill Road but it is not marked on any signs), and after getting off the interstate you will then bear RIGHT onto Sliding Hill Road. (Gander Mountain is on your left after you exit the interstate) At the dead end at Route 1, which is the second traffic signal after you get off the interstate, about three-quarters of a mile, turn RIGHT towards Ashland. Lewistown Road will be on your RIGHT off Route 1. Or at the Sliding Hill Road and Route 1 dead end, you can turn LEFT and visit Green Top. Let me know when you are going and I will try to meet you and Jason, if he can make it. I will PM my cell phone number to you.

Sounds like the current mortgage banking industry. Money here; money there.

Roadwarrior 1 _B_U_R_L_E_Y_ 0 ;D ;D ;D

You accompany brass weights with glass beads. No plastic, but glass. Carolina rigs or Texas rigs. Anything that you want to make a crawfish clicking sound. Please make sure your beads are glass. White faceted glass beads are my favorite.

Roadwarrior, I would have expected you to have taken your boat out in those conditions. Shore fishing? I have never read any reports from you on shore fishing. Great report. My problem fishing in those conditions is spelled w-i-f-e. She knows I am a little crazy but there is no way she would have let me go out to fish in that weather. You are "da man"!!!

May I expand on what you said you were seeking? First and foremost, safety in rough water. Please consider a boat that can handle rough water and not beat you up. Second, speed. There is not much difference in the top range of the boats after you go over 50 MPH. But why do you need to go faster than 50 MPH? And do the bodies of water you fish have any speed limits or curves and bends where it is impossible to go faster than 50 MPH? My first concern is safety. Second is fishing. Consider your safety and your family's welfare. You can always find a place to fish closer to the ramp. And be sure to post a pic of the boat you buy.

According to the Sunday, September 14, 2008 Richmond-Times Dispatch the Hanover Bass Pro Shop off I-95 northof Richmond will open on October 1st. Since the I-95 exit is not a cloverleaf, guys heading from Richmod may want to take Route 1, getting off at the Elmont exit by Gander Mountain and go north on Route 1. Guys heading south may want to get off at Lewistown Road and head south on Route 1. So make your plans, accordingly.

As posted in another post, have you checked your motor safety switch cutoff switch? The one that you attach your lanyard to and then to your PFD or shirt? Just trying to eliminate one area of concern.

And all I can add is something way off the wall. Have you checked your automatic safety switch? The one the laynard is attached and that we are supposed to hook onto our PFD or shirts? Just trying to eliminate one more area that needs to be elimnated.

If she ran at home and the quit on the water something happened between those times so can you think of anything? Your fuel should be OK unless it was dirty or had water in it when you put it in the tank. So how long ago did you fill up? Is the water flowing from the water pump? If so, then the pump is OK. I guess it may be time to invest some money and have a professional take a look at it. You are fortunate to live in Texas where you can fish all year long. Up here in Virginia, we have to have our motors fogged and ready for winter storage so we have our motors professionally monitored at least once a year. Please let us know what you find is causing the problem.