Sam

There are a number of places to fish in Hanover County. There are many more within 50 miles, from Lake Anna to the Rappahanock River up to the Potomac and down to the James River. Lots of ponds in the area, too. If you are an Animal Control Officer you will meet a lot of wonderful people down this way and they have ponds you can fish. So come on down to the beautiful south where it hardly ever snows.

Outstanding! Is this your first lunker? ;D Soon you will have a wonderful fishing partner. It just doesn't get better than this.

Love him or hate him, Kyle Bush is showing signs of Dale Senior so racing is going to be fun again, especially when Stewart and Newman start to take Bush out. I think the top guys are just running to stay in the chase and not doing anything to damage their chances. The chase should be fun and I can't wait to see who takes out Bush a few times.

There are a lot of 13 year olds that have sore forearms. Burley, super you can play the instrument once again. Isn't it wonderful that you really never forget things you learned many years ago? This will be a great change of pace for you to relax and have some fun time between working, fishing and your volunteer work.

And remember to SWEEP your rod to the left or right when setting a treble hook bait. Do what Roadwarrior suggests. You have to be patient. It is very frustrating to see your topwater get eaten and then you miss the fish. And you have to guage your hookset timing on each outing. Sometimes they will crush the bait while other times they will let it go. Talk about frustration.

Get purple and gold. Purple and gold are killers. Just ask Ohio State. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D P.S. And check the water clarity. Low Vis Green for stained/muddy water and clear for clear water. Red Cajun line if you want to see your line better above the water.

Hey Link, If it was a boy yesterday and it is a girl today, maybe it is twins. Check the two Peckers stores to see what they have. I don't remember what other reels were on clearance and sale. If I walk the grand dog over to Peckers tomorrow I will check it out for you. Just remember to get a medium heavy six foot six baitcasting rod as a minimum. And congrats on the twins.

Spinning? You are having a casting problem with a spinning setup? my mistake. I know of no one who has a casting problem with a spinning reel. It must be the reel. Or is the reel like a Zebco? If so, then yes, you will have a casting problem. Maybe the rod is too short? Or too stiff? Hey guys, this member needs our help. Help!!!!

You will recieve many suggestions so here are mine: 1. Balance your reel and bait. Point the rod tip to 11 o'clock and let the bait drop. The bait is balanced when the spool does not backlash when the bait hits the floor. The bait will drop in a slow manner. Be sure to have your drag set, too. 2. Check your drag. Make sure you can pull it off the spool with about 2.5 pounds of pressure, or any power you need that you feel comfortable. Then, rebalance the reel with the drag set as you wish. 3. Reel the lure to about 6 inches from the rod tip and fling it with a snap of your wrist. Bring it back behind your head if necessary. 4. Loosen the spool to try to get more distance without causing any backlashes. Be careful but you can do this easily to get a little more distance. 5. Spray some KVD Lure and Line Conditioner (or other product) on the line on the spool to help lubricate it. Try spraying some of the liquid on your rod's guides, too. 6. What length is your fishing rod? The longer the better for longer casts. Now, with all that said, stay tuned for more exciting suggestions from the gang. Good luck with the set-up and casting distance.

Some guys do, but I don't. I tie the braid right to the frog or rat's eye. I also use a drop of glue if I think the Palamor Knot will slip. Why create another "weak" spot in your line by tieing another knot? If you want, you can use a high test (17+) mono when fishing topwater. The higher the test the more the line will float. But beware of having the line pull the tip of your frog or rat down. If this happens, stick a suspend dot on the frog or rat's behind to make the head stay facing upward.

Link, You need a baitcaster in your arsnel. It is a great weapon and it is fun to use. There are ways to help stop backlashes and I can share them with you. Baitcasters are designed for the "heavy" fishing, like throwing topwaters, fishing in the grass and bushes, fishing deep, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits, jig and pig, plastics, Carolina rigs, etc. Learning to use one is easy. Probably easier than your classes that you teach. ;D If you think learning how to use a baitcaster is difficult, wait until the baby is born and then you can get worried about something important, like raising a child. We need to get together and do some fishing with the baitcaster, or at least show you how to use one. Bring a sissors and Scotch tape, too. Especially the Scotch tape. Now, as for a rod. Any "medium heavy" baitcasting rod will do. An Ugly Stick is fine. Nothing expensive. As for line, any 10 or 12 pound flouro is fine. Vanish or Trileen for starters and then you can start to experiment with lines until you find the one you like best. Hooks? Anything weedless or worm hooks in the 2/0 and 3/0 sizes. Weights? 1/8 and 1/4 ounce bullet weights work great. We will have to make plans for after next week. An LSU rising senior, and a friend, was killed in a one car accident on July 9 in Fluvanna County and I am not in the mood to go fishing right now. Very sad and unnecessary. He hit a slick spot after a rain storm on a dangerous curve and the car spun out and the driver's side hit a tree. The memorial service is next Wednesday at Fluvanna County High School. He was a very popular boy at Fluvanna High School and he loved LSU. The place will be packed. Later.

Anything plastic. Senkos lead the list but guys are finding out that anything plastic will work with the Flipping and Pitching technique. Don't forget your heavy weighted tubes for grass, too. Just go out and have some fun and be sure to post pics.

I walked my grand dog over to the Stony Point Fashion Park for exercise and we ended up in Dick's fishing department. I noticed that they had a Shimano Curaod 200DHSV, exactly like the one I have, on sale. They also had a Pfluger President with a 6:3:1 gear ratio which I have been thinking of purhcasing to use when fishing braid in the grass. The Curado retails for $199.99 and with the price reduction and the additional 25% clearance discount I paid $112 for the reel. The Pfluger President had a final cost of $75. So for $197, including tax, I picked up two great reels for under the cost of the Curado alone. The President will be the only reel in my arsnal that is not a Shimano and I can't wait to try her on the Chickahomony River in two weeks. You all go to Peckers and see what other items they have on their unadvertised sales rack. You may be able to pick up some bargains. Glad I decided to walk the grand dog!

My friend has a big tournament on Lake Gaston each year and you catch your fish, measure them in inches, and throw them back. If you want, you can always bring in your largest fish to the weigh-in to show it off. That is, if you have a live well on your boat. All fish count. We have first, second and third prizes for.... Largemouth Bass All Other Fish, like catfish, gar, pike, bream, white perch, stripers, etc. We use a sheet where we write down the species and inches. We then total all bass and then all other fish. Lots of fun and so far no problems.

John, Check your compartments, too. Seems the humidity will get into your compartments and soak your equipment. I just take the cover off the boat, open all compartments and let her air out. I will do this today since we have had a lot of rain during the past few days. I have never heard of anyone using any type of a dehumidifier or even a light bulb to control the humidity but they both may be worth trying. I would be concerned with the light bulb burning a hole in the carpet or cover. With my schedule getting easier mabye we can go out on your new boat later this month.

Bill, When selecting a watercraft we tend to forget the "safety" factor. The guys gave you some solid advice about boats, but one of the factors you need to including in your formula is safety. If you are going to be fishing ponds and small lakes where the possibility of bad weather is not a problem, then a Jon boat is in order. If you are fishing rivers and big lakes then a larger, safer watercraft is necessary. All of the above suggestions have merit so read them, think about them, and then make a command decision. Just be sure the watercraft is large enough to be safe should a storm pop up or you encounter windy conditions. P.S. Always wear your PFD, even when in a small pond in a Jon boat.

Smaller bass have a tendancy to really smack your lure hard. It happens all the time. You get hit hard; the fish fights like a monster; you yell to get the net or try to secure the net yourself; and the bass turns out to be a dink. That's fishing. ;D

Dave, so glad you did well and fished without your dad. Seems your dad is kicking your fanny when you go fishing based on the latest photos you posted. Better keep practicing your techniques. ;D ;D ;D

Not only did you do everything correctly but you could be a pro with that setup. ;D

Oldie but goodie. It is still funny.

Great question. And I really don't have an answer. Actually, I never thought about it, although I did read that Cedar is not good for a brushpile but don't hole me to that. I use pine or fur Christmas trees held down by cememt blocks attached to the trees by wire. Can't wait to read what the guys have to add and what is the best type of wood to use. It should be very interesting.

Check with the insurance company that underwrites your auto or homeowners coverage. State Farm, Farm Bureau and others can give you quotes. Be sure to include $1,000,000 of liability insurance as it is actually not that expensive. Wonderful story about you new Nitro. Have fun and be safe.

Great idea. Thanks for sharing. I will have to try it. How do you secure the weights to the line? Via an O-ring or do you peg them? Thanks again.

All of the above plus..... Attach a clam shell sinker to your spinnerbait's hook shaft to give the lure more weight to throw into the wind. A pro's secret. If you do use a baitcaster, cast low to the water to help avoid blacklashes. Be careful as the wind can catch you asleep in an instant and you will be in a world of hurt on the water.

You know what we need? A standardization among hook manufacturers regarding the size of our hooks. So when we buy a 2/0 it is the same size no matter the manufacturer. All we have to consider is the type, weight and color. Just a thought. What do you think?