Sam

My 2000 Volvo S-70 with 309,800 miles on it finally died. So I am in the market for a new vehicle to drive around the highways and byways and to tow my boat. Any suggestions or input is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Some of the best bass fishing in the world if they are in the ponds. Very low fishing pressure and they will gobble up Senkos and finesse worms and topwaters. Other lures can work so give your entire arsnel a try. You need to obtain permission from course manager or else you can be charged with tresspassing. Most golf courses close one day a week so fish that day but be ready for golfers to come by even if the course is closed. Do not litter; release all fish; and be totally invisible. Do not cause any problems and be very polite to the golfers that may come by. Have fun.

Hey Ron, I was planning to take my boat on the upper James on Thursday but my car has an engine problem so I may go out on Friday, DEPENDING ON THE WATER COMING DOWN THE RIVER FROM THE WEST. Rain in Richmond is not the factor to concern ourselves. It is the amount of water traveling down the James pass Watkins Landing; going over Bosher's Dam; passing through the Z-Dam and then hitting the Pony Pasture. I have not driven past the Pony Pasture in a week so I have no idea of the water's height and current. Please check the water levels up river towards Scottsville and see if they are high. If so, then the water is heading for the Pony Pasture. Be careful and wear your PFD as you know, the Pony Pasture is an unforgiving place. Have a fun time and catch those smallies!

P.S. You can go longer, such as a rod over 7'. Check out Denny Brauer's book or video, Jig Fishing Secrets. He likes a 7-1/2 foot medium to medium heavy Diawa rod with a medium action. A real stiff action rod allows you to flip but it is hard to pitch with. Good luck and go buy something, the economy needs help.

Don't get caught up in "one rod for one application" as the Bait Monkey will rob you blind. Any medium heavy rod that is 6'6" or 7' long is great for pitching and flipping. Just make sure the rod is at least a medium heavy. You can pitch and flip with a baitcaster like most of us or with a spinning rig if you want. It depends on the cover you are throwing into. Some guys like graphite rods while others like combination models. Just be sure you use the proper line test and that your rod is stiff enough to pull the fish out of cover. Now, for the guys to chime in and tell you that you need a G. Loomis or Shimano or All Star filpping stick and that is the only way to go. It is, if you have the money.

You can retrieve by.... using same speed stop and go stop, let her sink and then go stop, let her sink and rip her to the surface yo-yo up and down go slow - go fast- go slow In other words, do whatever you want to do and the fish will tell you what they like. And yes, I retrieve using one speed for crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits and buzzbaits. But I also do all of the above, too. There are no rules regarding your retrieve. Do whatever you want.

Rocks Rockpiles Overhead transmission line towers in the water And the list goes on and on and on..... ;D

Get a magnifying glass. Look for.... humps...which will be shown as a small circle in the middle of the lake or creek or river islands dams dropoffs....where water depth goes from shallow to deep very rapidly creeks and water depths at mouth and rear of the creek pilings roads where houses are as houses have boat docks trees marsh as marsh can have grass and pads pads bridges submerged roads...roads that end at water edge and then start up on the other side of the water or marked on the map submerged bridges water depth on the outside edge of river turns points...where the shore forms a "point" and see water depth that may be a continuation of the point into the water. marinas barges ports mud flats piers hidden ponds and how to get into them Read the map's legend and study a specific area and fish that area. Depending on how large the lake or long the river you cannot fish the entire area so select a one or two mile radius and fish it. Now, studying a map is a start. If you can "recon" the area and find the wood and brush and grass and pads and other cover and structure you are on your way to fishing success. And get more than one map of the body of water so you can compare them. Be careful of tides if you are fishing a tidal river. You do not want to get stuck in a creek. Good luck.

Insurance companies set their rates based on actuarial projections after viewig their own company claims data and the overall USA claims data for specific lines of coverage and age/sex of drivers, etc. Now, sex has been removed from auto insurance underwriting guidelines so guys and gals pay the same, but rates are stilled based on your years of driving, garage location, type of vehicle and if you have any tickets. Statistics show that a new driver (age does not matter) will have at least one accident within the first three (3) years of driving. So as you get older or more responsible (married) your auto rates will decrease. Traffic tickets will kill you on your auto rates so please drive safely and avoid any traffic tickets. A DUI is a death sentence for the standard insurance carriers and they will refuse to cover you if you receive a DUI. So buckle up; don't follow too close; don't speed too much; and don't drink and drive. We need you to pay a lot of F.I.C.A. for us old folks!!!! ;D

"This is the New Orleans Police. Lay on the ground and spread your legs." ;D

Roostertail, no, the line is not greasy. It is nice and soft. Give it a try. Wayne P., thanks for the update. I agree with what you say and a BARREL swivel is the way to go to help minimize line twist. And yes, your spinning reel's mechanics cause the line twist. But if you could invent a line that would not twist and curl you will be a rich guy. I have never had braid twist on me. I must be doing something wrong.

F. Lee Bailey once said, "Insurance companies pay the claims they shouldn't and don't pay the claims they should." Bailey was a very well known attorney in the 60s and 70s and he handle and won many high profile cases. Now, insurance companies have to hire who they can to be first line adjusters. In fact, the individuals handling your claims may not understand how insurance works. They are there to 1) accept your call and claim; 2) pass it along to someone in the company who knows what is going on; and 3) stall you for as long as possible. We are not talking about a dedicated insurance professional. We are talking about someone that the insurance company needs to handle the first reports and followups. In many instances, these individuals have no authority to settle a claim, unless it is under a specific amount, like $500. May I suggest that anyone having any claims problems contact their state's Bureau of Insurance for assistance. Bureaus of Insurance do not fool around and if your claim has merit the Bureau will have the claim processed and paid ASAP. An insurance company does not want to tangle with a Bureau of Insurance investigator. Also, you can always ask for additional damages under your state's Unfair Claims Practices Act. You can put a lot of pressure on an insurance company via your Bureau of Insurance and the Unfair Claims Practices Act. Just remember, insurance is not gambling. All you can do is lose, not win. You are purchasing an unilateral contract of adhesion that is written by attorneys. What you pay the carrier (premium) does not balance with their payment (claim) to you based on your insuring agreement, exclusions, deductibles, terms and conditions so it is not gambling. You can only lose. Not win. So all the carrier has to do is to put you in the same position one second prior to the loss, meaning they will take depreciation to reduce the claim payment or find you another boat and motor of like kind and quality. One other thing, insurance companies file with their state's Bureau of Insurance a "filing" that describes what they can and cannot do and the reinsurance they need to pruchase, etc. to be solvent and to meet individual state requirements. If the "filing" states that they will not insure any commercial boats then they cannot insure any commercial boats. The insurance company's definition of a commercial boat is going to differ from your definition. So to be on the safe side and not get into trouble, underwriters will not provide any insurance coverage on any watercraft deemed to be a "commercial" craft even if the watercraft is not used as a commercial craft. And one last item to ponder, if you get paid by a nonboater in a tournament be sure the amount is not excessive. If so, an insurance company can claim you are using your boat for a "profit" making it a commercial boat and they will decline your claim. (Same thing holds true if you charge others in a car pool situation. If you make a profit you are a livery vehicle and you do not have any personal insurance. Speak with your agent about this.) As for GEICO, "Run Forest, Run." There are many other insurance companies out there that are user friendly. GEICO is a pain to deal with regarding third-party liability claims and after reading the posts I now understand that they may be difficult to deal with on first party claims. And regarding USAA, you had to be either an officer (and a gentleman) or a NCO in the military to qualify for membership and you have only one year after active duty discharge to join USAA. USAA is a Reciprocal Insurance Company and you will receive a check once a year from your savings account. This is MY MONEY. My wife has no idea we receive it. I use it for LSU football games or fishing tackle. It is a nice "surprise" to receive each year. So, for all of your NCOs and officers, please, please, please, place all of your insurance coverages with USAA as Micro suggests. OK, Insurance 101 is over. Now bend over and smile!!!! ;D

I have the Megabass Pop Max and it is just as beautiful as the Megabass XPOD. Can't wait to use it, as soon as the weather clears up over here in Virginia.

Micro, You actually did good. The Bait Monkey bit my fanny I walked out with $190 of stuff. Super stuff. Stuff I can't wait to throw. So, from now on we will tell everyone that we made up this place unless Lin wants to advertise on this forum. I plan to ask him about it on my next trip once I get my tax refund check, if not sooner just to walk around and look at the baits. Did you see those Megabass Type-X frogs? I am killing myself waiting to go out and give mine a try. I have never, never, never, never seen anything like them. I hope they drive the bass nuts. Later.

A baitcaster!!!! I use my 7:0:1 Curado for treble baits so I use mono for the fast retrieve and hookup. I use my Curado 200 with braid when fishing frogs, trick worms and plastics in and over grass and pads or flipping/pitching into wood or heavy cover. The main reason I do not use braid on my Curado 7:0:1 is that I only use it for fast retrieves for treble hook baits and I do not want to put it under the "extreme" pressure you encounter when fishing slop and pads and grass and heavy cover. Just stick to the name brands and you should not have a problem no matter which path you decide to travel.

Hi Roostertail, Nice having you respond to my post. Ike says to spool the line on a spinning reel counterclockwise since the line comes off the reel in a clockwise manner. And I have spooled the line in both ways, plus turning the spool over every ten (10) to twelve (12) turns. So what happens? Line twist no matter which way I spool my line, especially if I am using a Roostertail or grub or something that spins. I have found that the KVD Line and Lure Conditioner works great. After running the fresh line through the wet spot on a washcloth, I spray the line on the spool a few times to soak it. Then, during the day, I soak the line on the reel as I am fishing. This seems to help keep the line soft and reduces line twist. I would think that anyone that invents a mono or flouro that does not twist will be a very rich person.

Mac, May I suggest staying with the American reel styles and consider investing your hard earned money into Japanese baits? I think you will be very happy with that decision.

Dave, Yes, it is just you. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

That is an unnecessary tragic accident. Not only should we always wear our PFD, but if you can afford a SPOT and its $150 year subscription price you will be taking a large step towards boating safety. I think $300 for the first year (including the cost of the SPOT unit) and then $150 for future years is a lot less than the cost of a funeral. I just don't understand why people do not wear their PFDs when they enter an environment that is foreign to them? Our thoughts and prayers are with you and their families. RIP.

Mono and Fluoro lines will have "line twist" as you use it during the day. The pros have to respool their spinning reels every evening to remove the line twist. Braid does not have any line twist but using braid with a spinning setup can be disastrous if you do not have the correct rod power or powerful spinning reel. If you do use braid try to find one that has a two (2) or four (4) pound diameter. And yes, not only close the bail with your hand but pull on the line to make it tight when starting to reel in the slack after each cast. For spinning rigs, usually an eight (8) pound test, or maybe a 10 pound test at the most, is the maximum test to use. Eight (8) pound fluoro is a favorite line test to use for spinning reel applications. Ike also says to spool your line in the opposite direction and run it through a wet washcloth soaked with a line conditioner. You spray the washcloth to create a wet spot with the line conditioner and run the line through it when spooling your spinning reels. Ike suggests a 2500 size spinning reel which I use, although I have some 2000 models that perform excellent with six (6) to eight (8) pound test. I usuqlly use six (6) pound test on the 2000 reels. Remember, by throwing your bail with your hand you are also prolonging the life of your spinning reel. Now go out and catch something by pitching and flipping!!! ;D

Anything GY has to be good! Thanks for the heads up.

Bandit 200 series. Select the color of your choice.

Remember, One Fish Anna. Not Lake Anna, but One Fish Anna. Here are some suggestions to consider: 1. Purchase a GMCO map of Lake Anna. You will need it to find some places, etc. 2. Where are you putting in? I need to know as Anna is a B-I-G lake. 3. Let me know via PM and I can share some secrets with you. Now, will you catch fish? Who knows, but at least I can give you some information and coupled with the other guys data you will be ready to attack One Fish Anna. Sam P.S. Bring lots of water and Gatorade as it can become extremely hot in the sun on Anna.

Super. Seems like you have your priorities in the right order. Keep on trucking!!!!

No, a snap is not necessary for a wacky rig. Use a straight shank hook tied with a Palamor knot.