Sam

Wonderful news. Congrats and all the best for a great school year. A college degree can put in position for a good career and being in your 30s adds to your attractiveness to employers. Go get that CC degree and then head to FSU for your BS degree. All the best to you!

I use the Shimano 4500 Baitrunner which is an excellent reel along with a 7 foot heavy Ugly Stick. Works great!

Fished too many this year. Will miss my club's last two due to family obligations.

The passion. The hustle. The love of the sport. Ike all the way.

DanekM is right. The line is terrible. Send all of your Yo-Zuri Ultra soft line to me. No matter the test or if it is just the green. I will take it all off of your hands so you will not have to worry about it any longer and you can go out and get some of the great Berkley Trileen. ;D

Check out the clubs Bass Hunter suggests but at the same time go on the web and locate the Kansas FLW/TBF and B.A.S.S. sites. These two federations will have a list of local bass clubs in the greater KC area along with names and phone numbers. You can also call their Secretaries for information on clubs in your area. Good luck.

Great bait. Secret is to WATCH YOUR LINE. The bass will take the Senko into his mouth and walk away with it so you have to keep a tight line and WATCH YOUR LINE AT ALL TIMES. Rigging is simple and you can see that on the thread. Try the Wacky rig as it is a good producer of lots of hits. Just remember, WATCH YOUR LINE when fishing a Senko.

Newman (not going to make the Chase) 12 has some good advice. I am going to get a ladder on my bass boat ASAP. It is almost impossible to pull yourself back into a boat from the water. The idea of having a rope tied to one of the cleats is a good idea, too. Better to be safe than sorry.

You know it was 19 inches long and you can estimate it's grith so.... Length x Length x Grith = Pounds 1200 So give it a try and let us know what you get. Great story. How many times do you get ready to leave a spot or make "one more cast" and catch a nice bass? In fact, I now have a habit of saying, "there are no fish here" with the intent on catching one on the next cast.

Of the two, may I suggest the 7:1 as you can always slow down. The 5:1 is good for winching the fish out of slop, pads and grass and for deep cranking. If it is Shimano you can't go wrong. ;D

P.S. To make it count and be a bid deal, get with your Federation's Yute Director so the kids can move up to the next level. You can adverstise on TV and radio for free as a community ad or contact your outdoors newspaper writer so he can put something in their "calendar" section announcing the event. If you really want to go all out, get BPS or Gander Mountain or Cabela's or a local known tackle shop to allow you to have the event in their parking lot. You can also send flyers to your local boys and girl scout headquarters; any Ameican Legion Post; churches; pharmacies; and if possible, elementary and middle schools. You will need help. Lots of help. Like 10 people to help with registration; practice; the event; and totalling up the points. It is a lot of work but it can be fun. It can also be very boring if no kids show up.

If you belong to one of the two Federations contact the state Yute Coordinator and they have the plastic target you may be able to use or they can send you their rules and regulations for you to follow. Here are my suggestions for your consideration to do it all yourself: 1. Find flat surface on grass, driveway or playground. 2. Put tape where you want kids to cast from. First line of tape is 20 feet; second line of tape is 25 feet; and the third tape line is 30 feet from front edge of target. 3. Kids can bring their own rods or you can furnish them. We use Zebco's as they are almost indestructable but they are a pain to use if the kids are not used to them. Spinning setups can also be used. 4. Use a jig with the hook barb cut off. The weight of the jig is up to you if you are running the tournament. 5. The target should be plastic to absorb the jig hits. Paper can tear. Or better, use a styrofoam board as it is even stronger. 6. Put color photos of different fish on the styrofoan board with the bass being 30 points; a bluegill being 20 points; a catfish being 10 points, etc. Put as many as you want on the board in whateve places you want. 7. Kids get to practice before casting. At least three to five casts from each of the three tape lines. 8. Kids get three casts at each tape line and you keep score when they land on a fish or a circle you make around the fish. 9. First line is pitch and filpping; next line is underhand casting; third line is overhead casting. Or whatever techniques you want to use. Winner gets some fishing stuff or a rod and reel. You can do it by age groups up to age 14. Give it a try and have fun.

Sent a PM.

Wow! No BPS, Gander Mountain nor Cabela's in Tallahassee? It is hard to believe that any one of these three companies do not have a store in the Florida panhandle with all of the great saltwater and freshwater fishing in the area and southern Georgia. Do you have to go to Jacksonville? If so, that is a hike. The only saving grace you have is that next weekend football season starts so you don't have to be concerned with fishing until next year.

Glad he is doing well. Sometimes when guys disappear from the forum you have to think the worse has occurred. Will he be returning this fall/winter? Tell him we miss him and that we all hope he will be back.

John, Ron and Simon, I have heard the date is either late September or early October. I have not heard anything about the weekend of September 6th. If I do, I will let you all know.

Very glad you are OK. A canoe or a pirogue can flip so fast that you have little warning. I would also like to suggest to all bass boat owners that next summer, when the waters are warm, jump out of the boat and into the water and then try to get back into the boat. Your buddy, which you need to have with you, will have to help you back into the boat so those of us who use bass boats should not laugh when a canoe flips. I can tell you that it is almost impossible to get back into the bass boat, especially when you have your clothes and shoes heavy with water. Please believe me, I know. I am going to get a ladder for my bass boat just in case.

One of the joys of fishing is taking youngsters with us and showing them how much fun it can be. I am taking two little heathens (ages 10 and 7) to a private lake this afernoon. I will work with them and probably not wet a line. The happy smiles on their faces when they catch a fish, any fish, is worth the price of admission!

My God! You hit the Creature from the Black Lagoon and lived to tell about it. Fantastic! ;D

Here is a synoposis of the article. I have no idea if the entire article is there along with the map but I can scan it at my office and e-mail it to you. New park planned near new Bass Pro A park with nature trails and a fishing hole is planned for the area beside the new Bass Pro Shops store in Hanover County. Bass Pro is expected to open in the fall. The plan calls for converting a storm-water retention pond just north of a Bass Pro parking lot into a fishing hole. Hanover created a Community Development Authority for the 185-acre Winding Brook development to help attract Bass Pro. The authority issued about $28 million in bonds to pay for water and sewer lines, a four-lane road from Lakeridge Parkway to Lewistown Road, parking lots for Bass Pro and the park land. Richmond Times-Dispatch - Aug 24, 2008 Google Richmond Times-Dispatch and then go to its web site. Look for the Metro section or search Bass Pro in the search engine. I found it but I really don't know how I found it. Don't you just love computers? ;D

I don't know if the story is on the www.richmondtimes-dispatch.com web page but it will be interesting to find out. Check out the author, too, Reed Williams. The article is titled, New park planned near new Bass Pro and is in the Region section of the August 24th editiion. I will give it a shot, too.

Ron, did you ever figure out what was on top of the beaver hut? Glad you are back on the water. Did you clean and oil the reels? Will check my schedule for this week on the Potomac and also watch the weather as we may be getting the Fay ran up this way starting on Thursday. Later, Sam

Great story. Maybe you can pen an article for a bass fishing magazine and have it published?

This is what you do. Use an ultra light spinning rig with 4 pound test. Tie rig onto line and fish it like you would a spinnerbait. That is, throw it out and reel it back to you. You will catch bream, bluegills and small bass. Have fun.

50s, 60s and 70s rock and roll. A number of broadway plays, too, like A Chorus Line, Phantom of the Opera, Mama Mia. Also like Johnny Cash and Garth Brooks. I listen to Cajun music in the car as it drives wife over the edge.