Sam

Some people have mental problems. Minnows, crawfish or goldfish would make better selections.

John, Is the free public ramp on the Dinwiddie side of the lake? And yes, as the water gets warmer and they start to go to bed the shoreline from the public boat ramp along the Dinwiddie shoreline for a few miles is always a good place to fish. Topwaters will work in the AM as the water gets warmer, too. Great fish. Congrats. You did good! Let's plan a trip on Chesdin and also that "secret" pond. Do I need to call the guy again and get the permission slip and key? Let me know.

You have some wonderful memories that you can share with your children and grandchildren in the future. You were very luck to have such a wonderful person for a grandfather. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Hang in there.

With the price of mid-grade gasoline climbing a number of my friends will continue to fish tournaments, but only ones near Richmond, Virginia. Heading to Smith Mountain Lake or the Nottoway River can be very expensive. Even Gaston and Kerr are costly now. Luck for us who are living in the greater Richmond geographical area we have so many wonderful places to fish within an hour or an hour and a half from the city. Even the upper James, from Bosher's Dam to Watkins Landing, can be fun and if you want a really great trip, put a raft in at the Huguenot Bridge and float down to the Pony Pasture. Some of the best bluegill and catfishing in the state plus the smallmouth bite is out of this world. But please don't tell anyone as we do not want the fishery over run by people who have no idea of how to fish or enjoy the outdoors.

Of course you can use any lure or technique with braid as you do with mono and flurocarbon lines. However, I use braid when I am throwing, pitching or flipping into cover and need a strong line to bring the fish out to the boat or when fishing in deep water. Remember, braid has no "give" to it so if you are throwing a crankbait you could rip the bait out of the fish's mouth. That's why we use mono for fishing crankbaits. But it is up to you so experiment with all three types of lines and decide which ones work best under what conditions. Let us know of your results.

Old pros and guides will tell you to hold the fish away from your body towards the camera to make the fish look bigger. This is an old trick that has been around for many, many years. I have been known to do it from time to time, too. Who says size does not matter?

Kool.

Glad you joined us. Be sure to let us know when you out fish CJ! ;D

Father-in-Law had a Farmall. In fact, all of his tractors were Farmalls. Brother-in-Law still using his old tractor from the 60s and 70s. Runs good, too.

I am using the Eagle Claw or Gamakatsu wire guard hooks for wacky rigs. The Eagle Claw have larger eyes so they are easier to tie your line using a Palamor Knot. I use a 2/0 or a 3/0 the most depending on the situation and body of water and size of fish expected to be caught. I have 1/0 through 5/0 wire guard hooks so I have one size for whatever situation I encounter. OK, size of fish expected to be caught???? Yes, on lakes I go with a 3/0 or a 4/0 while on rivers I have found the 2/0 and 3/0 sizes to do well. In ponds it is usually a 1/0 or a 2/0. Give the wire guard hooks a try. I think you may like them.

Don't worry. The American Legion Riders usually show up to keep the peace with the protesters. Nothing violent. Just some nice vets on their Harleys being nice to everyone as us old retired or discharged military types are at all times.

A+ If you don't get an A+ be sure to give us your teacher's name and address and we will have a talk with him/her. Nice work. Now, how about some fishing reports!!!!! Dogwoods. Remember the Dogwoods.

This is the best part of fishing...fellowship and meeting new people with the same interest. I met a neighbor today. He used to fish for bass all the time until he opened his florist business. He sold it last year so he is now interested in bass fishing again but he had sold his Ranger so he has to work out a deal with the wife before buying another boat. I will probably take him fishing when the weather gets warmer. Fishing....a great way to make friends for life.

Super. Keep us posted on your success with them.

Chirs, If there are yellow perch, catfish, bowfin, stripers, crappie, pike, etc., I will catch them. I caught a citation yellow perch on Gaston on March 8th. Beautiful fish. Threw her back. If it is not a bass then it is classified as a junk fish, although my heart rate does pick up until I realize what I have hooked.

1. Chocolate 2. Ice Cream 3. Slurpees 4. White cake with chocolate icing The more sugar, the better!

Hey Ole Biker, Those stores look nice. Sort of like BPS and Gander Mountain. Since they don't sell regular sports stuff and do sell hunting and fishing gear it has to be good. When it opens please give us an update. Would be wonderful if they headed out east towards Virginia.

Congrats. Just remember, you can go where the big, pretty fiberglass boats can't go since you do not need much water to float into the hidden places to fish. Just watch the tides so you don't get stuck when the water goes out. Have fun.

I tie on a snap swivel with a Palamor knot. Makes changing cranks a lot faster and easier. Just be sure to double check that knot from time to time. I use 12 or 14 pound Extra Tough Trileen if there is a lot of cover or structure on the bottom. I usually use 12 pound line when there is little or no structure on the bottom or messy cover. I tried P-Line and like it; the YoZuri is excellent; Vanish is great. A lot of guys get all contorted about mono vs fluro but it I usually go with fluro most of the time, anyway.

First Adventure - Fished Buggs Island this past weekend and caught 4. Not very big but at least no junk fish. Caught one on a C-rig and the others on a crankbait. A secret crankbait that you cannot get in the USA. Second Adventure - Fished client's pond and caught 21 bass; lost at least 10 more; and caught one bream. Seems I did not rig up my wacky Senko correctly so the hook was not in position for a good hook set. I rig my wacky rigs kind of different from normal people so this could happen to me. I will correct the problem and be ready to attack those lakes, rivers and ponds real soon. Isn't fishing fun?

Of course. You just have a feeling. But you go out and try, anyway.

No, no, no Shandcranker. You skunked in front of the guys? Awful. Just awful. Oh well, maybe next year. Glad you had a good time. Maybe one day I can join you all and get skunked, too.

Welcome, Ithink. With a handle like that you are bound to get into trouble when bass fishing and things do not make sense. Just think like a bass and you will be OK. ;D

Chatter Bait, We all goof up. That is why there is an eraser on the end of a pencil. Don't worry about it. Your posts gave us something to post back and let you know how smart we are. ;D ;D ;D So keep those posts coming and be sure to let us know how successful you are with your Chatterbait. I love the Chatterbait.

Take only a sample of your jigs and pigs (pork and plastic) in different colors and weights and throw them, only. Will it drive you nuts? Sure. But you will learn. As a suggestion, rig up your favorite black and blue jig with a plastic Zoom chunk blue trailer (electric, sapphire, black/blue, etc.) and throw it out. Then, close your eyes and use your pole tip and fingers on the line as you bring it back to you very slowly, like a crawfish moving on the bottom. Use your sense of feel as much as you can. Do not be distracted. Concentrate on moving the jig slowly on the bottom (one inch of moving pole tip = 6 inches of jig movement). You will fee the "bump" or the bait will get heavy and feel like it is on a rubber band and you set the hook. Also, get Denny Brauer's book or video, Jig Fishing Secrets, as it is a wonderful read and you will learn a lot from the publication or production. And please watch the video mentioned previously by LBH. And with all of that said, don't for get the wacky and shaky worm rigs, too!!!! ;D