Sam

Be safe and we hope and all the guys can return home, soon. Send us those pics when you get a chance. Merry Christmas and God Bless.

I stay inside. When the temperature goes below 70 it is freezing out there. Have some hot chocolate; watch the bowl games; organize your tackle; read some bass books; see some bass videos and DVDs and stay warm. I see no reason to bother those nice fish when it is cold outside and they don't want to be bothered. ;D

So are you enjoying the ice and snow up there in Minnesota? Be safe and have a nice Christmas and we hope you get a lot of Loomis rods and Shimano reels. What Catt said is totally correct. Bass like to snack on crawfish, bluegills and shad. Of course, they will hit snakes, mice, frogs and other fish like minnows, perch, small catfish and, as you know from living by the Great Lakes, gobies. I support Hawg Caller's suggestion to read about seasonal patterns on this forum. But you need to do some additional reading and studying over the winter to learn about your advesary and their patterns. Check out the various pro's web sites, such as Bill Dance, Woo Daves, Ike and Bassin USA, etc. Just Google "bass fishing" and "bass fishing seasonal patterns" and see what you can find. There are some great books you can read that discuss seasonal patterns so check them out at your local tackle shop and book stores. Here is a list of suggested books to read. They hold a lot of information that you can use to your advantage: The Bass Angler's Almanac by John Weiss Smallmouth Bass, An In-Fisherman Handbook of Strategies Largemouth Bass, An In-Fisherman Handbook of Strategies Bass Wisdom by Homer Circle (the bible on bass fishing) Knowing Bass, The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish by Dr. Keith Jones (great scientific book that you can use for school papers!) Any publications by Kevin VanDam, Don Iovino and Denny Brauer. DVDs and Videos include Jimmys Best Ever by Jimmy Houston Ike's Rules for Better Bass Fishing by Mike Iaconelli Anything Kevin VanDam Bigmouth, Bigmouth Forever and The Feeding Habits of Bass, all by Glen Lau. The basic videos for all bass fishermen. Order via: Wet & Wild Images P.O. Box 480 Silver Springs, Florida 34489 800.661.4286 So get your tackle polished and organized while you watch the snow and ice fall; read some bass books; see some DVDs and videos; and do your homework to get good grades and go to school in Florida where you can fish all year and never see snow! And learn to spell crawfish. It is one word.

And the plot thickens!!! Believe it or not. http://wbgv.wordpress.com/2007/12/17/nick-sabans-agent-contacts-wvu/

OK guys, for those of you who were wondering why Rodriguez would leave West Virginia here is some insight into what was going on behind the scenes. Sounds like a lot of small stuff, but I guess it adds up. Enjoy! http://sports.espn.go.com:80/ncf/news/story?id=3159677

May I suggest you put your time and energy into organizing your tackle, cleaning your equipment, reading a few books by the pros and watch some DVDs or videos on different baits, techniques and types of water this winter as opposed to going out and trying your luck and getting frustrated during the winter months? You may also want to go to your favorite bookstore and look for bass magazines that discuss fishing during the winter and follow their suggestions if you do want to venture out on the water. I understand that this is probably not what you want to hear, but believe me, it is a lot of fun to read and study your opponent and how to attract and catch him and then make plans for the spring and purchase the tackle you will be using. Regarding cold water fishing, if you have a boat you may still want to give it a try but don't think you are going out and catch one on every cast. Only Basspro48 can do that! Bass, and other acquatic animals, do eat during the winter months. However, since their metabolism is very slow it can take 14 days to digest a large bluegill. Shorter time periods for smaller fish to be digested, but still a lot longer than during the spring, summer and fall. So once the bass grab a baitfish they are not going to be that active nor looking for another meal until they digest the baitfish they captured. The bass are staging in the water column so you will need your sonar to try to locate them. Once you locate them you will have to fish for them very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, slow. Did I say fish for them s-l-o-w? Of course, the water temperature will guide on how fast or slow to fish, but in the winter, think slow. This means to throw out your bait and retrieve it slow or just let the plastics sit there, jiggling them a few times every 60 seconds. Believe me, this can drive you nuts. Of course you can catch bass and bluegills, etc. so if you still want to venture out please do so. Just don't be frustrated if you do not get any bites. Until you can read about winter fishing or speak to some local tackle shop employees or other bass fishermen in your area and get some tips you may not be fishing your area correctly and therefore you will get upset when you get skunked. Living in North Carolina I would think you would watch basketball all winter and get ready for the spring thaw. ;D If you do go out, please let us know how you do. Good luck.

Ozark, Getting a guide is a wonderful idea. He will show you how and where to fish for the Crappie. I know people in Virignia fish for the Crappie in the winter but since I do not I really do not know if the winter months are the best for Crappie. I do catch them in the summer when fishing for bluegills and bass. Beautiful fish.

What waters hold this fish? Never heard of it. Only look at bass articles in the In-Fisherman magazine and then I throw it away. Photos, anyone?

Glad your wife is doing better. Now it is time for you to get treatment because the beautiful spring days are right around the corner. At least you can sit home, rest and watch the bowl games starting tomorrow evening leading up to the big one on January 7. I know you will be watching that game.

Where did this happen? Did not see it on TV or hear about it on the radio.

That is funny. Glad the girl was not injured. It is like something you would see in one of the spoof movies.

Word out of New Orleans from my LSU insider said that another reason were the death threats he and his wife received after the Pitt loss. One way or the other, for reasons we may never know, he is gone from an excellent program that he helped create. Maybe WVU refused his request for a pay raise; better facilities; more tutoring for his players; pay increases for his assistant coaches; and who knows what he was asking for? It will be interesting to see who WVU hires as their new head coach.

If you get either Denny Brauer's video or book on flipping, pitching and jigging Denny suggests a rod to use. For me, a 7 foot or 7 feet 6 inches rod is fine and I get good results. Never had an 8 foot rod and would think it would be hard to handle. That is a l-o-n-g rod.

Your unshelfishness will come back to you 100 times over. You did a good thing. Congrats.

Did you get into Lake Chick and do any fishing? What area of the river did you fish? Was the water calm or choppy, like it can get when the wind starts to blow? Glad you had a good time and thanks for the pics. That 13 incher is beautiful. Great color. Can't wait to catch him next year after he puts on two inches!!!!

It must be really cold up your way. It will be in the low 50s today so I guess we are fortunate. Did anyone say ice fishing?

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

Ah, the good ole days. Johnny Unitas. Bart Starr. The Stork. Hollywood Henderson. Joe Namath. Those were the days. Now, we have mass produced sports announcers from colleges across the country. Joe McKnight of River Ridge, Louisiana, passed up LSU to go to Southern Cal as he wants to be a sports announcer when he grows up. First time I have heard of a high school foodball player going to a school for its academics in a long, long time. May it will never happen again. And I have to agree, the announcers are vanilla. And hate him or love him, Cosell was fun to listen to. He even spoke about "the monkey", the Bait Monkey? on one Monday Night telecast even before we knew that a Bait Monkey existed. But you have to be politically correct and not say anything about anyone to get anybody upset. So no one says it like it is. No one calls Phil Phulmer of Tennessee fat. Or Nick Saban a liar. Or that Jo Pa has dimentia. Or hint that USC has so far avoided NCAA penalties for paying off its recruits or their families. Or that Kentucky basketball sucks today. Or that the Raiders are totally awful. Etc., etc., etc. And lo and behold, there is a women broadcasting college football on ESPN and we have women on the sidelines and women in the NFL locker rooms. I remember when it was embarassing to have your regular and sports underwear seen by anyone other than your team mates. We would have a fit if our mothers hung them out to dry on a clothes line. Yikes, what is this world coming to?????

And one suggestion for future reference: If you put the "www" in front of the address then we can just click on the name and we will be brought to the web site, automatically. Like this one as a test: www.lsuva.freeservers.com Thanks.

I guess with the weather you are stuck inside and that is a good thing as you found another source for us to consider. And if this outlet is what you say it is we may all make purchases. I will give it a look, like many of the guys on this forum. Thanks for the heads-up.

Spinnerbait, If you want to see something really scary watch Phat Phil Phulmer at a resturant's buffet. Now that is scary!!! ;D

Rolltide, I have a 7:1 Curado 200 and love it. I can reel slower and still have the bait stay on top of the water and not get tired. I have the reel on my 7 foot Kister Helium rod and it is a very good setup. I can cast far and reel in the baits fast or slow. May I suggest asking the Reel Mechanic your query on the adjustable breaking system? He knows all about reels. And he is a great guy. You may want to PM him if he does not see your post. P.S. Is it true Saban is going to West Virginia?

Hawg Caller, You had a great day. A bad day is when the Huskers lose a football game. Otherwise, everyday is paradise!!!! ;D

Troutfisher, I don't think so. Michigan was turned down by a lot of other coaches. We think Miles used Michigan to get a better contract at LSU. Somethink happened with RR's family or a rules violation or investigation or he thinks he is now too big for WVU. But I doubt he thinks he is too big for WVU since he had turned down the Bama job last year which is the prestigious coaching position in the SEC. It is baffling to me why someone who was considered to be a coaching legend would leave the school that has given him so much and go to a program that is floundering and even in a good season is second best at best in their conference. Time will tell.

Hey all you Mountaineer fans, I know how you feel as I and all other LSU fans had to live through the Saban lies and then his treason against LSU by going to Alabama after shafting the Dolphins. But between us guys, I wonder what went on behind the scenes to have RR leave WVU? Something must be brewing or he got a lot of flack from the Trustees, President, Athletic Director, etc. for blowing a very easily winnable game against Pit and making the BCS Championship Game. In fact, us LSU fans were getting ready for an OSU vs. WVU game which would have been another Civil War between the two schools with a lot of heavy hitting and some nice choice words between the players. There has to be more to the story than money or prestiege. RR is a very highly respected coach and he would have a lot of years winning the Big East and playing in BCS and MNC games at West Virginia than he ever will at Michigan. Stay tuned and let's see how this plays out. It could be very interesting.