Sam

Funny you bring this up. The two tournaments I fished last month on the Rappahannock and Pamunkey Rivers produced very few topwater bites. All of the guys in both tournaments were talking about it. We did catch a lot of bass on swimming worms and Shad Raps fished close to the surface, but the vast majority of strikes and fish hit our baits below the sunline in the water column. I used to nail them right and left in a pond using trick worms, frogs and Pop-Rs but that bite has seemed to go away, too. We can say that the water temperatures are causing the bass to go deep but we have always caught them early in the AM and late in the PM on topwaters and that bite has slowed down. I did catch four smallies on the Upper James River using a Rat-L-Trap and each hit came from below, which I would expect. But nothing on topwaters during that trip. What is your opinion of this situation? Is it only in Virginia or other states? Only in rivers and ponds or are you all seeing it on lakes, too. We should get some good answers.

Nope. But I must admit that I like fishing by myself more and more in lieu of fishing tournaments. I still love the fellowship of other fishing people and the beauty of nature so I will keep going out in the boat or on the bank. I caught 15 LMB the other day and left the pond as it was time to go home for dinner. Had I not had to go home I probably would have stayed and continued to catch the fish.

You are welcome. ;D

Sorry to hear about your loss. That is like having your computer crash. Is there anyway you can backup the data on your GPS? I think I will ask Lowrance and find out. Thanks for the story.

You should find these type hooks at your local tackle shop. Green Top has the Falcon Bait-Jerker Hooks that are used with the Money Minnow swimbaits. Excellent set-up and all owe Brian our gratitude for sharing it with us.

Paul, There are a lot of ways to fish grass and pads. You can throw over them with an assortment of baits, such as a buzzbait, spinnerbait, swimbait, frog, rat, trick worm, finesse worm with our without a light weight sinker; a Senko pulled over the top; a creature bait or a lizzard pulled over the top; and a Horny Toad pulled between the top of the water and the top of the weeds. You can throw lipless crankbaits through the weeds if you can find a clear spot and the hooks do not get tangled. Same is true for a crankbait. Just give 'em a try but try not to lose them. Pitching and flipping a jig and pig or a 10 inch worm or a creature bait with its apendages removed on a heavy sinker can work. You can always throw an ounce weighted 10 inch neon blue plastic worm to have it fall through and punch through the grass and weeds and then hop it along. Use a pegged bullet weight. Use braid line, like 60+ test. Or you can use a tube as long as you have a pegged bullet weight and Tex-pose the hook into the tube's skin. Fish it on 60+ pound braid and hope and jiggle it all around. Just make sure the hook is the right size for the tube. And you may have to go with a 1/2 ounce or heavier bullet weight to get it through the weeds and grass. What about fishing a "drop shot" set-up allowing the bottom weight to get into the pad's V shape roots and then jiggling the worm to make it shimmy? You will need a small weedless hook (1/0) or even a smaller hook like a #1 fished weedless (or as best you can make it weedless) and fish it almost straight up and down. Be ready to lose some rigs, too. Braid line is best. If possible, a crankbait fished parallel to the weed line and also if there are any areas where you have two types of weeds meeting each other can be good; a piece of wood or a rock; a channel; or a hole; or a point; or some irregularity in the grass line where they can stage to ambush a baitfish are always good selections. You can throw almost anything along the weed line. Points coming out from the shore are good if you remember that the grass gets less and less as you move into deeper water. The fish may not be in the thick grass nor in the sparse grass but inbetween. I love to throw a frog out and fish it for a while in and above the pads. A pink or white trick worm can work wonders, too. Trick worms are fun to fish and you can see the fish inhale them. So you have many selections and presentations to select among plus the ones the guys tell you. Welcome to the forum. Keep asking those questions and posting your results and pics.

1. Report all violations and problems to local law enforcement agencies so you will have a paper trail of the problems you are encountering. Added to the City's violations it will give you some ammunition. 2. Do like suggested and contact the owner, in writing. Suggest lega action. 3. Call the Florida Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (or whatever) and tell them you think the people have fish or animals in the home and that it is illigal. OK, only kidding, but the game wardens have more power than a deputy or police officer and you may get some satisfaction from them. 4. Keep call in the police every time they do something and keep repeating the calls until whatever it is stops. You may have to make a number of calls for each situation. The police will get to know you and that the house is a problem and you can call upon them to testify if necessary. 5. Bring legal action against the homeowner. Remember, under today's EEOC rules the homeowner may have not have had a choice to rent to the occupants and he may be looking for a way out. In other words, be a pain in the fanny, which from the tone of your post, you can do very well if you put your mind to it. Please avoid the people as any encounter can work against you. Let the police and game wardens and legal system handle it. If you get personally involved with these people all you can do is lose. >

Dave, That looks like a work of art. Really coming along, nicely. Can't wait until it is finished to see how it turns out. Good job.

Fishbear, I agree. With results like that I would be finished with All Star rods, too. According to an old Exxon Oil Company study, it can take the average American up to nine (9) years to go back to a product or service that has failed them. I would think the same would hold true for all of us on this forum, even longer in some cases if not forever, if we had the same experience. Thanks for sharing.

Hey Noboat, The Palamor Knot is one of the best knots you can use when rigging anytype of a bass rig. I even use a Palamor Knot when tying a swivel to my Carolina rig or when I am fishing a swimming worm. The secret to a Palamor Knot is to PULL THE LINE END TIGHT AND THEN PULL THE TAG LINE TIGHT. By doing this you will not burn the line end of the line and only the tag end of the line will be burned. I use a Palamor knot on all baits, including spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and crankbaits. I mean every bait I use and all hook setups. When using braid, I use a Palamor Knot and I put a drop of glue on it if I am concerned it will slip. A Palamor Knot is easy to learn and it will not fail you. Please check the Reel Mechanic's web site for knots or the web for instructions on how to tie a Palamor Knot. If you can tie an overhand knot then you can tie a Palamor Knot.

Audubon Park Lagoon. Take the St. Charles streetcar and exit by Toolame University and the entrance to Audubon Park. Bass, bream in the big pond. Or drive down St. Charles Avenue to the park's entrance and turn left into the park. I think you may need a license to fish the lagoon. Contact Fish With the King if you want to go saltwater fishing in the Biloxi Marsh. You will need a car to get to Shell Beach. But you said you did not want to go out with a guide so this is just for your informatoin. City Park Lagoons. Should be OK by now but they were hit hard by the flooding. Try by the Art Museum at the end of Esplanade Avenue and then the big lagoon in the park. Otherwise, I can't think of any places to walk to or drive from the French Quarter and there are no places to do any fishing around the French Quarter so please do not venture out of the French Quarter as it is not healthy. Anyway, you will be in the French Quarter. Are you sure you have fishing on your mind???

Hey Skip2MyBass, Ever tried the Banjo Minnow for them? ;D

21 x 21 x 14 = 5.15 pounds 1200 Congrats, you now are the proud Papa of a 5 pound lunker! ;D Great story. Thanks for sharing.

I have heard wonderful things about the All Star line of rods and this is the first time I have read anything negative. What were the details of the rods breaking? I have broken only one rod in the history of the world and it was my fault. I had thrown a crankbait into a tree, got angry, ripped the rod back and it popped. Otherwise, I have never broken a rod and am curious what happened. Thanks.

It is an unusual lure. May work. I will allow the guys to try it out and let us know how it works.

Hummmmm, With a testimonital like that I have to now start throwing them. Will let you know how I do with them.

Dave, Great post. Thanks for brininging us along on the ride to the finished product. You did good. You have too much time on your hands. Ever heard the words "summer work"? ;D ;D ;D

That's a great deal. Sorry I will miss it as we are baby sitting our grand dog and I can't leave the house until he goes home later today. Did you leave any for the rest of us?

Reels- The 2500s you have are perfect. I don't see any reason to go higher unless you are fishing for larger fish. And the Shimano and Diawa models you have are excellent, too. Rods - Wow! What a query. There are rods out there for every technique and bait available and you can drive yourself crazy selecting one. It boils down to personal preference. If you want top of the line models, how about a Kistler, All Star, Carrot Stix or a G. Loomis? Or you can go to a St. Croix I enjoy by Shimano rods, too. They cost me under $60 and they work fine. May I suggest a 6' 10" length medium heavy rod as this should meet most of your needs. You can always go up to and past the 7' length but I suggest you do this when you have a few 6' 6" and 6' 10" models. Just as long as you get a quality brand name rod you can't wrong. Any of the rods the guys mention will work for you. But as I said, it is totally personal preference as to your rod and handle lengths and the weight of the rod and how it balances with your reel. How about checking out the Cabella's or Bass Pro Shops' catalogs and you will be able to view the different rods that are on the market. Hopefully there is a tackle shop in your area that carries the Kistlers and Carrot Stix so you can see them, too. Good luck and let us know what you get.

I don't think there is much of a difference. I don't even mind putting on a red hook. After all, it should not render the bait useless. Just go our and see what happens.

Rock, Plastics and Senkos. Rig either Texas or Wacky rig. And don't for get the "skip" your bait under the docks. By skipping the bait under the docks and piers you can get way back under them for the bass who are resting in the shade and cooler water. When you get bit, remember where. For instance, was it in the rear right hand corner next to the shore? Or out front by the ladder? Or under the dock as you skipped the bait in the middle? Chances are that the other docks and piers will be holding fish in the same area. Jigs and pigs are good, but please have a finesse worm and a Senko ready to go. One guy I know throws a Shaky Head under and around docks. I have thrown a Split-Shot rig. So just about anything goes. The fish will tell you want they want and once you discover the pattern you are in fish heaven. Have fun and don't be concerned about getting out of the boat to retrieve your baits when they get hungup on the boat docks and piers. Or hitting the boat docks and piers with your baits when you skip them. That's part of the fun fishing docks and piers.

Glad to have you with us and we now have anothe Tiger. A Clemson Tiger to help out those LSU Tigers on the Forum. Can't wait to see your pics and read your suggestions.

Super! You are now on your way to having great times bass fishing. Have you ever heard of the Bait Monkey? ;D ;D ;D

Tom is totally correct. I like the Sammy's. The RICOs are outstanding. Only problem I have with a Sammy is the hookset, which is mostly my fault. I have to remember to SWEEP to rod to the right or the left and not set the Sammy like a plastic worm. For some reason the bass like the RICOs. Expensive? Yes. Do they produce strikes? Yes they do. I picked up two of Zell Roland's XCalibur Zell Pop XZ2's and I am looking forward to throwing them. They are priced around $15 each so if I lose one I won't be as upset as I would be if I lost a RICO. Sometimes I wonder if these beautiful baits are designed to catch us fishermen as opposed to catching the fish?

GiterDone, you have asked a very simple question with a very complex answer. I sincerely wish it was as simple as to what colors to throw and we all will catch bass, or whatever fish we are hunting. But that is never the case. After reading books, magazines and other publications; after viewing DVDs and videos on fishing; after attending seminars and the great Bassmaster University series; after fishing lakes, rivers and ponds, all I can say is Good Luck. Brian Reeves listed the most popular colors that are used and I use them, too. Brian's list is excellent so you may want to follow it for starters. But what happens when someone says that a Salad Bar Bandit crankbait is a killer on the James River this weekend? We all run out and buy Salad Bar crankbaits even though when we throw them the fish ignore them. May I suggest that in order for you to have a good color selection you set up the colors by the clarity of the water and then the time of year? This will give you at least 12 selections. Then, you can add lakes, rivers and ponds to your selections. Of course, you will have duplications, but at least you are ready to roll. And one more item to consider. Some baits work better on some bodies of water than others. For instance, when Kerr is high and the water is in the bushes, spinnerbaits are killers. When the Kerr water is low, you may have to fish plastics or crankbaits to find the fish. And at Bobcat's Tackle Shop by Kerr they had a "Special Color Creature Bait" from Gary Yamamoto that was supposed to be the right bait for Kerr. I threw it on a Carolina rig and caught three. And that's all. I thought I was going to have a fish on after every cast. And the funny thing about the trip was that I caught some bass throwing a Taco Salad crankbait as suggested to me by one of the guys on the Forum. Right now I have heard that Tequila Sunrise is a great presentation on the Chickahominy River. Although I plan to fish the Chick later this month, I will bring a package of the Zoom Tequila Sunrise worms just in case nothing else is working. So it is always good to have the standard colors as Brian has suggested with you at all times. But you will find yourself adding other colors to your arsnel as the years go by and driving yourself crazy like the rest of us trying to figure out which color those dumb fish want. ;D Now, what shape plastic worms are the best????