Sam

Good question, difficult answer. The G. Loomis rods are excellent, but there are so many of them. Diawa rods are super, too. I would go with the G. Loomis rods if you can afford them. I would also consider other variables, such as the backbone of the rod (heavy, medium heavy) and the tip action (fast or slow) and the length of the rod (6'6" or 6'10" or 7') plus the reel's dynamics (lure and line weight) to balance with the rod's dynamics (the rod's lure and line weights) to balance with those lures you fish. Then you will know what rods are best for the way you fish.

Bass Chump, Sent you a PM.

Pink, white and yellow trick worms are fun to throw as you can see the bass inhale the worms. I have caught bass on the Lemon Senkos, too. The bright colors do well in stained and dirty water. Sometimes you want to throw the bright colors in clear or lightly stained water when the bite is tough and you want a change of pace. Try the pink trick worms and have some fun watching the bass come up and look at them or just dart out and explode on them.

Ah yes, the first time. It was in high school.... Opps. Wrong story. What you experienced with the Senkos is usual and makes the bass hold onto them via their texture. Try the *** version. Either way, they are fun to fish. And remember, if you have a topwater hit and the fish misses the bait, throw a Senko to the same spot. The bass will hit the Senko. Have fun and send us some pics of those *** bass.

I use a band to hold my glasses. I put it on when I leave the house. So far I have not lost any glasses in the water. Have seen cell phones, rods and reels, lures and a latern hit the water. Great story. Good thinking about the pads and changing up your presentation. Keep 'em coming.

The philosophy behind Roadwarrior's suggestions is that the fish look into the current for their next meal or snack. By throwing up stream or across the current you allow the lure to be brought into the fish's target zone as the fish are expectingthier next meal to flow. You do this on rivers with current, like tidal rivers and their creeks. If you can find the Woo Daves video, "Bustin' Bronzebacks! Winning Smallmouth Techiques" produced by Bass Pro Shops, the 2000 Bassmaster Classic champ gives you a lot of pointers and insight on fishing for smallmouths. In fact, all of Woo's productions are excellent and I suggest you invest in one or two. They are great to watch during the winter months. Good luck.

Where is the Gander Mountain store in Winchester?

Opps. "When LSU plays Ole Miss in football."

Dave, If the hole is not that big consider JB Weld in the inside and also on outside of the puncture. A boating supply store may also have the strong material I used on my Tracker when I had to fill the holes after the rear cleat was torn off under a dock in rough water. Sorry, I dont know what it is called. That material is extremely strong when it hardens and you will never have a leak again from that spot on your boat. As for Mike from Ole Miss, "Go to Hell Ole Miss, Go to Hell." You repeat that about six or seven times when LSU plays LSU in football. Also remember, the most important play in Ole Miss football history and Eli falls on his ***. You got to love it. Geax Tigers.

Good story. Shows that you need to amend your presentations during your outings. To obtain an good estimate of the fish's weight use the following formula: Length x Length x Grith = Pounds 1200 Knowing the length of your arms, you can interperlate the length and grith of the bass in the photo and then promulgate the estimated weight. Next time you go out in the evening try a topwater, like a black buzzbait. Have fun.

Very rarely. But that is because I do most of my fishing on weekdays and not weekends. Remember, game wardens have more power than law enforcement officers. Game wardens can check your boat, cooler and car without any logical reason other than for "believing" you have some illegal game or have broken some fish and game laws. They can also take your rods, reels, tackle, guns, ammo, etc. if they think you have broken any fish and game laws. I have never met a "nasty" game warden. In fact, everyone I have met have been ladies and gentlemen and I am proud to have them put their lives on the line for us regular, honest guys and gals who enjoy the outdoors. If you call your state's fish and game department you will find that the game wardens can be of immense help with questions on where to fish, baits, techniques, boating safety, etc. They are the good guys.

I returned a Johnny Morris baitcaster that blew up on Smith Mountain Lake and the clerk told me that I would do better with a Shimano Curado. So I gave them the broken Johnny Morris and picked up a new Curado plus some other stuff with the credit balance. No questions asked. P.S. Rondef, if all is in order, the new BPS south of Ashland is scheduled to open at the end of September so you can just ride down I-95 at 95 MPH in the bumper lane and do some good shopping. ;D

I guess he really set that hook hard.

Could be lack of oxygen or someone put a chemical in the pond. However, since you did catch bass and bream I would think whatever it is did not affect the entire pond. Maybe you should call the Maryland Game and Fisheries and ask them. They may be able to give you an answer or go out and study what happened.

Remember.... Good things about swivels are that they help stop line twist. Bad things about swivels is that they add to your knots and therefore add to the areas where your line can fail. I use swivels when I throw baits that twist, like Roostertails, Mepps, swimming worms, grubs and of course, Carolina rigs. Use a barrel swivel. You may also want to use black swivels so the fish will not see them easily. I attach my swivels with Palamor Knots. This means that I tie the swivel onto my line, then pull off how much leader I want and cut the line. Then tie the swivel with the line attached back to the main line. By doing this you have a Palamor Knot above and below the swivel. When Carolina rigging use a glass bead to protect the swivel from your weight. You also do this if you put a swivel by the top of your hook and use a weight. If you get a lot of line twist on your spinning reel, you may want to use a swivel to help reduce it even with baits that do not twist.

Glad you are with us. The guys are right. Read, read and read some more of the articles. If you have questions about a specific bait, rod, reel, technique, etc., use the search option in the upper right hand corner to find past posts and then open those posts and read what everyone has to say. Have fun.

Hey guys, Thats why we call it "fishing" and not "catching." "What a difference a day makes," like the song says. I see guys prefishing and doing great and then on tournament day they do awful. I am one of those guys, too. This is what makes bass fishing so challenging. Our mistake is thinking that the pattern will hold for a few days when in reality the patterns change from hour to hour, day to day. Last tournament on the Chick River the guy running the boat refused to leave one spot in a creek because he had caught some fish at this spot last year. We stayed there for four hours. I finally spotted a bass next to a tree since I was wearing my Polarized sunglasses and he was not. He did not see the fish nor believe me until the bass went after a minnow and made a splash. After about 10 casts to the area he finally caught him. Meanwhile, I was trapped in the back of the boat and could not throw to the area. He caught two fish all day because he was not flexible and he thought that the pattern earlier in the week and last year were still valid. The second fish he caught was in my "secret pad area" on a frog. Otherwise, he did not catch anything and I got only one fishing with a big handicap in the back of the boat. But he sticks to his milk run no matter what and I have decided to skip fishing any tournaments with him in the future if I am drawn out as a nonboater. They guy just fishes his pattern at a few locations and he will not change anything for the entire day. Needless to say he is near the bottom of our Club's standings.

May I suggest: Spinning reel presentation - 8 pounds. Baitcaster presentation - 10, 12 or 14 pounds depending on the cover and structure you are fishing. Consider using a weedless hook presentation if you are in heavy cover or structure attached to the lightest test line possible. Remember, you want the Senko to sink at its own rate and flutter downward and you do not want a heavy line to interfere with the downward flutter. Same is true for the wacky rig where you want the Senko to fly like a bird as it sinks. I use 8 pound on spinning reels and 12 pounds on baitcasters. Consider YoZuri lines when you are once again in the market for line.

ALWAYS FLIP YOUR SPINNING REEL BAIL WITH YOUR HAND. It will extend the life of the reel. Then, pull on the line to tighten it before you start to reel it in. Run line through your fingers to feel for nicks and to try to remove any line twist and to keep line tight. Do this for a few turns of the handle. You will always get line twist with a spinning reel. It is just the amount of line twist and how long it will take to curl your line that matters. Be sure to treat the line with KVD Lure and Line Conditioner when spooling your spinning reels.

What brand of hook were you using? I would stay away from them if they bend that easily, unless you bend hooks with pliers when removing them. Good story and pictures, however in my opinion the moral is to use quality tackle. In the future if you do not want to catch the fish you can remove the barb from your hooks. Just a suggestion.

Be sure to take a boating safety course. Be sure Ohio allows 14 year olds to operate a power boat without taking and passing the boating safety course. Check motor with compression check by an independent dealer. Check boat hull for damage. Have a service tech check it out in great detail. Go to college; get the degree; get a career; and buy your own boat before you get married. ;D

I upgraded my trolling motor from 42 to 67 pounds of thrust by going with a 24-volt system and not only do I have more than enough power I do not have to worry about losing battery strength during the day. One of the best upgrades I have made to my Tracker. Go with the 24-volt system if you can. You will not be disappointed.

i thnk that ZELL's list is very gud. I am sending it to a teacher i no. tHanks ZELL.

The correct answer is "dinner."

Ahhhhhh...walking out of Louis Armstrong Airport terminal and getting hit with the heat and humidity. Home. Wonderful home. May I suggest trying your luck by fishing deeper? The bass will head to deep water for the cooler water. If you still don't catch anything how about watching the LSU-Ohio State BCS Championship game? It is a great view. ;D