Sam

I believe that there was a reason the door failed. Had you been able to get on the road and water something bad may have happened. Things happen for a reason. We just don’t know what it will be. I was following a slow moving vehicle in the hammer lane on I-95 and had to slow down. About 25 seconds later there was a state trooper with radar. Had the slow moving vehicle not been there I would have been ticketed. Have WAZE now

Bank, I am now at Duke Medical Center in Durham with my wife who had her back rebuilt by Chris Shaffery. Six and a half hour surgery. Her problems started 15 years and 13 (now) back surgeries and two neck surgeries ago She is just getting out of bed and starting to walk. We had the operation on May 13. Be very careful of surgeons as they want to operate which could make your situation worse. All the best for getting relief.

X2

Drove over Falls Lake on I-85 for the past two weeks while wife is at Duke Hospital and never saw one boat. Glad the lake allows fishing. Let us know how you do.

Reb, good fish. Congrats. I caught one about that size when you saw me and Jesse go out last year. Caught it in Cattle Creek on a Senko. Keep those cards and letters coming!!!!!

Blue, going down river towards Bosher's Dam and the City is great for all boats and fishing for both smallies and largemouths plus catfish. Going up river from Watkins will introduce to many boulders and rocks and you may need a jet engine to get around safely and not destroy you boat and you will be in smallmouth heaven. The DG&IF upgraded Watkins a few years ago and it is a great ramp. Good parking and easy backing the trailer to the Historic James. Put in at Watkins and go down river and have some fun. I put my Ranger in at Watkins and go all the way down to the dam and Tuckahoe Creek. You can fish the river all the way to Bosher's' Dam and back to Watkins. And regarding the train, there was a derailment in Lynchburg that spilled some chemicals into the river. But so far, no problem with the water quality or fish. Have fun!

Let us know when you make it down this way.

Big Bill, just had my annual physical and my PSA is .02. Doctor is amazed so no manual check this year. Watching the PSA and if it jumps higher we have a problem. Still glad you are doing well.

Chop, are you fishing the CATT trail out of Route 5? I understand that they expect around 80 boats to be in the tournament. Just get out of their way as they speed up to the dam. Let us know how you did and where you fished, main river or the creeks. Good luck this weekend.

Planned obsolescence or they are not selling? If it is planned obsolescence you will be getting information on a replacement rod line that is new and improved. If the rods did not meet sales expectations then you can kiss them goodbye. Stay tuned. Time will tell.

Ksam, good question and you will garner a lot of answers. The problem is that everyone is correct. Alton Jones told us that the best way to measure your drop shot is to use a Plano tackle box as a ruler and make the leader the length of the tackle box. That is a starting point. The secret is to know when to go longer or shorter. Only the bass know that answer so you have to experiment and have two or three drop shot setups ready to go. So I always use a Plano tackle box and go from there. So far, it works. Have fun; be safe; and let us see those monsters you will be pulling up from the depths.

Grandkids posing for their photos. Had a big fight right after this. Things were great for about 5 minutes. Granddaughter starts the fights but grandson gets the blame. But they do clean up nice.

OK, its tomorrow now so how did you do yesterday? Get any of those Florida Strain Bass? Did you meet any conservation officers? (Yes, they patrol the creek off the Chick, mostly for speeding bass boats in the creek). How far back did you go? To the train bridge? Are the pads up in the back of the creek? Did you have a favorable tide? Was the creek water clear, stained, or dirty? What was the water temperature? Come n, Clutzy, let us know. Any high school or college skinny dippers on or around the boat houses at the mouth of the creek? Let us know. Even Travis wants to know!!!!! He started the thread.

Zoom Trick and Swamp Crawler worms. Zoom finesse worms. Power Bait - all plastics. YUM - all plastics. Slider plastics. Just for starters! We have "presentation specific" plastics that are great for the Ned Rig, Drop Shot, Shaky Head, trailers on moving baits, punching, fluipping and pitching, etc. Way too many to list. But I do have a lot of confidence in those I listed above.

Good Luck!!!!! Welcome to the Forum. Have you considered launching at Route 5 on the Chick and fishing the creek in your kayak? Lots of kayaks in the area just having fun. Also, Ed. Allen's on Chick Lake is a good place to go. And do you know if the Harrison Lake Fish Hatchery off Route 5 is open to boaters? I fished it about 15 years ago but never returned. If so, great place to kayak. Let us know how you do and when you catch those Florida Strain Bass in the Chick River.

Super Glue on knots, only. Mainly from braid to fluorocarbon. Use Mend-It or Soft Bait Glue on your plastics.

Right! Woody told me he caught one. He also broke #7 above and the guy using his baitcaster got a very bad backlash, putting the reel out of commission. You don't let anyone use your baitcasters unless they are true bass fishermen and know how to use a baitcaster.

The Historic James, Appomattox and Chickahominy river systems would be a great place for a Classic once again, making the guys fish tidal water which is more challenging than a lake. Everything is close by, too.

Yep. I want to start writing down the drugs advertised and ask my doctor if I need any.

Junebug Green Pumpkin Watermelon Depending on the water clarity. Silver for crankbaits. White and chartreuse for spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits.

Sure. Note the following: 1. Fish in the water, even though it is wet. 2. Look for any downed trees or shrubs along the bank and go stomping in them to see if there are any snakes. 3. Look for beaver huts and walk on top of them to get a better angel. Don't worry about the copperheads. They won't bother you. 4. Water moccasins are in the area so look for them. If you see any just pull on their tail and they will squirm away. 5. Be sure to tell anyone who comes by the exact name and brand of all equipment and tackle you are using or have with you. 6. Have your fishing license with you even if the odds of you catching anything are from zero to none. 7. Yell and dance if you do land a bass so everyone around will hear you and come to beg you to use your stuff to fish. Now, those are just a few of the suggestions I can give you. Have a fun time and let me know how you do. Take some pics of your catches. And for heaven's sake, Woody, don't fall in.

Humble, what Glenn's video offers is excellent and will help reduce line twist. Just remember, the lighter the line on a spinning rig the more line twist you will have to put up with. Since I switch to braid I have reduced my line twist problems by 90%. So give braid a shot, using the same diameter mono as backing on your spinning rig. You may or may not use a fluorocarbon leader. Personal preference. Good luck.

Great having you back with us. Welcome back!

Koz, the app is another tool to be utilized along with all of the other information you have learned and experienced over the years. It can't help or hurt. It is another piece of the puzzle that you may wish to use to help with your confidence.