Sam

Nope, sorry. Do you think you could speak to another bait shop owner out of the geographical area where you want to start your bait shop? They can give you all of the facts, the good, the bad and the ugly. But it has to be out of your area as they do not need competition.

Skinny biats that shimmer a lot. Finesse worms that have a nice tail to shake in the water. Anything that you can get to move with a lot of wiggle. I use a #1 gold hook. Sometimes I use the Octopus Drop Shot hooks but I really like the good ole gold #1 hooks with the long shank. They stand straight out from your line with a Palamor Knot and then running tag end through eye with no problems. I am going to practice the Drop Shot technique later this afternoon and I bet you that I catch more than you do. ;D ;D ;D Just kidding. Have fun and remember, the Split Shot works good on Kerr, too. Any finesse worm works great (watermealon or green pumpkin) with a round split shot sinker. As does the Carolina rig in front of the floating docks. Have fun.

Wow! Super pics. I guess the fish have no idea who is holding the rod and reel in the boat. ;D

Do you think the girls would be upset with.... Bite Me! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Did you all read the editorial about the boating industry in the current issue of Bass Times? Seems the higher priced boats are no longer being purchased at the previous rate. The writer gave inference that an aluminum boat may be the way to go. Will be interesting to see if we have more Trackers, Champions and jon boats on the water bass fishing in the next few years.

Yes, I had it last year. Rest cures it.

What I find interesting about having the games in China is what we will find out about their country and its government. The pollution problem was the first problem we were informed about. Then their is the Tibet problem. Should be interesting to see what happens when all of the various cultures interact with the Chinese people.

May I suggest getting a small metal trap and use that to catch the animals? A "Rear Release Box Trap" will do the trick. They cost about $50 each. I got one from a client and we caught the squirrels and I released both of them at the Pony Pasture, about 3 miles away. Please, no guns as you will damage the flooring, walls or roof. No poisions as they will hide and die and really smell bad in the attic. No big snakes from the Everglades as after they eat the squirrles they will hide and go after your pets. Good luck and I hope you get rid of them, fast, as they can do a lot of damage in a short period of time.

I have had an Eagle Claw hook and a Chatterbait hook break off but never a jig head hook. I have these shaky head jigs and have used them only once and had no problems. But I will watch them closely now that you have shown us one that has failed. Thanks a million for the heads-up.

Sweep for both Carolina rigs and treble hook baits. And all of the info above is great. Take all advice.

P.S. Have you tried fishing them Carolina rigged????

If you do nothing with the brush hog place the EWG hook in its side to give it a different motion. You can do this with lizards, too. Brush hogs do well in local Virignia rivers. I have caught a few in ponds but throw finesse and Senkos mostly in ponds along with crankbaits. So keep trying.

Sounds like you have your mental health under control. Right now, in the Virginia heat, I have been tuning up my shaky head and wacky fishing techniques. Today I will attack the drop shot. Also trying the Rage Tail products to see how they perform. So you are on the right track. Just enjoy yourself and that lunker will come along and take your bait later this fall. Or during the winter. Maybe at the prespawn state. Or after the spawn. Or next spring and summer. Then it's onto fall again.....and the beat goes on. ;D

Three women, one engaged, one married and one a mistress, are chatting about their relationships and decided to amaze their men. That night all three will wear black leather bras, stiletto heels and a mask over their eyes. After a few days they meet up for lunch. The engaged woman: The other night when my boyfriend came over he found me with a black leather bodice, tall stilettos and a mask. He saw me and said, ' You are the woman of my life. I love you.' Then we made love all night long. The mistress: Me too! The other night I met my lover at his office and I was wearing the leather bodice, heels, mask over my eyes and a raincoat. When I opened the raincoat he didn't say a word, but we had wild love all night. The married woman: I sent the kids to stay at my mother's house for the night. When my husband came home I was wearing the leather bodice, black stockings, stilettos and a mask over my eyes. As soon as he came in the door and saw me he said, 'What's for dinner, Batman?'

Bred, A lure will hit the water and fall back towards you when you use a baitcaster. A lure will hit the water and fall straight down when you use a spinning rig. When jig fishing, do what the guys said: Cast. Peel off some line from the reel very fast. Click the reel into position to retrieve as fish may hit jig on way down. Repeat. I use both a baitcaster and spinning rig when fishing jigs and pigs. It all depends on the cover I am trying to approach and if I need to "skip" the jig under a tree or bush or to the bank or under a dock or pier. Just remember that your lure will fall back towards you when you throw a baitcaster. And one more tip: Use the Rage Tail crawfish or chunk. The action is outstanding and will attract bass to hit the jig. You may also want to purchase Denny Brauer's Jig Fishing Secrets book or DVD. Excellent production and you will learn a lot from Denny.

Beautiful truck. Now show us your NEW BOAT that the truck will pull. ;D Be safe and please wear your seat belt. The roads in West Virginia have some of the most beautiful and breathtaking views but they are very unforgiving at the same time. And we want you around a long time so you can pay a lot in F.I.C.A. when you get paid.

Cliff, Once in a while the courts get it right. Congrats on your victory. It is a big victory that will have a positive impact on two young lives. Please send us the pics of what you teach them to catch and also put them on the forum so they can ask questions, etc. You and your wife are not only blessed but are two wonderful people to do what you did. Keep on trucking!

What's your local lake?

Newman, Ever drive on Interstate 95 between Fredericksburg and DC? It is bumper to bumper with cars and trucks; old and young; men and women; fast drivers; slow drivers; lost drivers; angry drivers; aggressive drivers; dumb drivers; old cars; new cars; big trucks; zig-zagging among the cars; breakdowns; and more. Well, that is what you are looking at on SML with the pontoon boats, jet skis and ski boats. If you want to fish away from the house you need to be aware of where you put in so you can get back. Be sure to take a cell phone with you if you venture out as SML is big. Like very, very, very, very big. And you can get confused and lost easily. And it is BIG lake that has white caps when the wind blows. You can fish the shore line, docks, boathouses, piers and wood all over the place plus the creeks. You can throw Carolina rigs; Texas rigs; split-shots; wacky worms; drop shots; mojo rigs; pitch; flip; skip under docks; finesse baits; creature baits; crankbaits; spinnerbaits; Chatterbaits; creature biats; tubes; frogs; topwaters; jigs; Senkos; anything ***; and anything else you want, including minnows and Nightcrawlers. In fact, you can throw just about anything you want until the fish tell you what they want. Start with Pop-Rs and other topwaters in the morning and then go with your Senkos and moving baits all over the lake depending on the cloud cover and water temperature, for the rest of the day. Check with some locals to see what the fish are hitting. Google Smith Mountain Lake to find the blogs and read about what they are using and their successes. Fish from the shore or the pontoon boat or a dock. Just get the line in the water and be ready to catch bluegills, bass, pike and catfish. Just be extra careful as you will have a lot of company and lots of wave action and lots of dumb people skiing and not watching what they are doing. Plus the fact that the Conservation Officers will be out doing safety inspections and trying to keep the boaters within the speed limit. The lake is so big that you can fish around your dock area and do well, or poorly, there as any other place on the lake. Have fun; be safe; watch out for the jackasses; and let us know what you caught, etc.

Gald to hear the Pamunkey is still perking. We caught a boat load of bass two months ago and it is wonderful that the fishing is still good. I had plans to venture out this week but I have to go to New Orleans thsi weekend so my week is shot. Don't tell anyone about those Moccasin blue Dead Ringers. They are my secret bait. ;D And we had great success with the #5 Shad Raps (Shad) on the flats at the mouths of the creeks when the tide turned. Bandits worked, too. Does Conner still fish? Have not noticed him on the forum in a while. Glad you had a super day.

After a fun day with clients discussing captive insurance and claims problems I decided to walk to Lake Cheyenne by my house for an hour of fishing fun after I got home at 5 PM. I fish off a friend's dock and pontoon boat and I thought I would try to see what a shaky head would produce. In one hour and five minutes I caught six (6) bass; three (3) on a shaky head; two (2) on a Moccasin Blue Dead Ringer; and one (1) on a Rage Tail blue crawfish. None were over a pound and a half but they were fun to catch. I lost my Rage Tail crawfish to another bass (fantastic action and I was ticked that the fish took it) and had the Dead Ringer tail pulled off by a small bass or a bluegill. Had to leave at 6:20 PM as wife was on the way home and we were going to Ben Franklin's to have the picture of grand dog framed, which cost me $163. Money that could have gone into a good baitcasting rod. ;D All in all, it was a great way to relieve the day's stress and have a good time.

Funny story. I wonder if I could call 911 when a bass steals my bait? ;D P.S. Lots of 911 calls would be made.

Muddy, NOW you tell me. I have always used paper towels. So I guess I will have to change to something soft.

1. Pink. 2. White

www.insideline.net/weeklynews/icast08-megastrike.html Or, send a PM to Bobby at MegaStrike! ;D