Sam

Hey Chris, The Hokies are better because they are no longer walking on the field and wondering why they are there, like in their first two games. The UVA fans are going crazy and doing the math to see if the Cavs can make it to the ACC Championship game. They figure they can lose one of the remaining ACC games and then defeat Tech to make it. I guess you can get carried away with big one, two and three point wins over sub-par talent. Hokie loss has me bummed out. Only things that will make me happy is for Ohio State to lose in Happy Valley; Florida lose; and Tulane lose. Is it snowing in Blacksburg yet?

Armesjr, Is that all you bought? When do you want to go back to the secret ponds???? PM me and let me know.

Although I missed the game, I understand that BC made a fanatastic comback to win 14-10 in the rain at Lane Stadium. Sorry to see BC win as I am a Hokie fan second to being an LSU fan and if the Hokies had won LSU would have jumped to second. Now LSU and BC control their destiny. Ohio State may not make it undefeated; LSU has to play Satan next weekend and close out with Arkansas and probably Florida in the SEC Championship game. Should be a fun end to a wild season.

The bidders propably think that this bait is the answer to their prayers. Or they are in a tournament and really need an edge. Next year we will not have any problem finding these baits, just like the Chatterbait craze last year. Are these people crazy? Yes, crazy to catch more fish and win a tournament.

I use pink as you can follow the worm easier and see the hits. But mostly any color will work. Fun bait and you can fish it on top of the water, over pads, through grass and deeper if you wish. Nothing like watching the worm snake through the water and then disappear when a bass hits it.

And if you go south of Richmond on Route 1, Jefferson Davis Highway, just south of Route 288, you can visit Castaways which has one of the largest selection of Zoom plastics. Small store but they have a table and you can sit down and trade lies with the old guys. Then, keep going south to the Southpark Mall area and visit Dance's. Nicest people you will ever meet. Good selection of national and local baits. Bring money!

Hey, it is money well spent as compared to going to the local bar to watch a football game with the guys. Once she sees how much you love to fish all will be OK. Show the rig to her and be proud of your setup.

I do. I do. Cabellas and BPS plus the local Green Top Sporting Goods store.

Welcome as a member of the forum. Glad to have you and thanks for the pics. Just Crazy has some great advice. I used Google Earth and found a pond by my American Legion Post that I never knew was there all these years. No fish, but it is a pond. Check out the local street maps of your area that illustrate the ponds. You will be surprised at what is behind those trees, buildings or houses that you cannot see from the street. Keep on posting!!

Where is the pic of the catfish?

Speak to a local dry cleaners and find out if one of them does waterproofing. I have used those spray cans to waterproof my boat cover and they work OK but not as good as a professional job. Plus my hand hurt from holding down the spray button. You may want to check out waterproofing in the Yellow Pages but I would think most of the listings would be for basements and crawlspaces. Let us know what you find out. Thanks.

No, but I seriously recommend to all to attend. It is super. And you can talk to the pros; discuss your Shimano products and Mercury engines with their engineers; talk to the manufacturers about their products and services; get lots of freebies; and so much more. Can't wait for the classic to return to my neck of the woods.

Kool.

"Lake Atwood" and no fishing??????? Congrats on the marriage. Looks like you did good!

No, never. BPS was great when I returned my Johnny Morris baitcaster. In fact, the sales guy told me to switch to the Curado as it was less expensive and a better reel. I did and used the extra money to buy some tackle that I did not need.

Good luckand have fun. Fish to your strengths. If something does not work do not keep trying it. Change. Don't be afraid to change. Go faster, slower, deeper, shallower. Use other baits. WATCH FOR THE PATTERNS. On wood? Off shore off wood or close to shore off wood? To the left or right of the wood? How deep? Get the pattern. Very important to be very sensitive as to the time, place, type of structure or cover, water clarity, numbe of feet off the shoreline, bait used, depth, etc. when you catch your first fish. Good luck.

Anthony, What school is UHA?

Kozak, Thanks for the reply. Glad you are doing well in school. Keep up the good work. Now, let's talk about bass fishing as a pro. It is a job. An unforgiving but rewarding job. More losses than wins. Money is tight. It is a year-round adventure. It is no longer fun. It is work. Hard work. Serious work. Stressful work. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Work. Hard work. In all sorts of weather. During holidays. Keeping the sponsors happy and constantly producing. Writing books and making DVDs. Work. Hard work. I tell the kids who want to play football or other sports at LSU to enjoy their college adventure and that it is more fun sitting in the stands with a nice coed on your arm watching the game then to be going to school and working at your specific sport all year. Yes, college sports is an all-year - everyday program. It is hard work. Not fun. Mess up and not only are the coaches on your fanny but so is the student body and your teamates. And professional fishing is the same. Fishing is fun. All I can do is suggest that you keep it as fun. Try the pro circuit. Join a BASS or FLW fishing club and work your way up into the amature side of the sport. If you can. Be the top finisher in your club for two or three years. Fish the six-man teams and see how you do. But...you will need a career that will produce the capital for your fishing (it is expensive) and the time to prefish and then fish tournaments. This means you will be on the road an entire week before the tournament; that weekend of the tournament; and then driving either home or to the next tournament. This is very expensive and you need a method to fund your expenses. That is why I suggested taking it slow. Improve and sharpen your fishing skills. Read, study, listen and watch. Get a summer job with one of the fishing industry companies (easier said then done) and learn all you can about fishing while in school. Study the fish, itself; water conditions; weather; Ph factors, etc. Get a good base to work from; get a good career to fund your efforts; and give it a try. Fishing for fun is like playing high school football. It is fun. Who really cares if you win or lose? But once you graduate into college it is a whole new ball game. An unforgiving game. Your future is at stake. Once again, get that degree; fish as much as you can; and see where the chips fall. And as for girls....just wait. Some nice coed out there is just waiting to get her hands on you. Who knows? Maybe one day you will want to spend the weekend with her and not go fishing. It happens. Just be ready and use protection. But make sure you don't spend too many weekends with her and not go fishing. You need to keep your fishing skills sharp; not your coed skills. OK, let's get on the big yellow bus and go to school. Lecture over.

First, I try to study the body of water I am fishing via maps. Then, it is off in the boat to recon the place. After that, it is deciding where to fish, how to fish and what baits to use. We all have our favorite spots; do our milk runs; use our confident baits; and fish like we like to fish. Your options for us seem to boil down the ways to fish. Thanks for sharing. I have used only one of your methods when fishing but mostly I use a combination of them on each body of water, even ponds. Now all we need is some rain to put some water back into the rivers, lakes and ponds so we can go fishing again.

Redlline, Just rest and drink plenty of liquids. You should be feeling better by today or tomorrow. Just lay down, close your eyes, and think "Peacock" "Peacock" "Peacock" You will be ready to go on Friday. Take some good pics for us. And remember what the old LSU basketball coach Dale Brown said when he fished the Amazon River, "Don't fall into the water." Have a great time.

WB, What a great idea. I will have to give it a try. Thanks.

As an academic recruiter for LSU in Virginia (no sports) and knowing about college life may I add my two cents? When you enter college, your job is to get good grades and graduate. That is number one on your hit parade. Fishing, drinking, partying, playing club sports, joining a fraternity, attending football, basketball, baseball games, etc. or being a part of the student council is a part of college that is enjoyable but secondary. You will note that some of the brightest kids in your high school will not make it in higher education. Others who you thought were dumb will succeed. We all "blossem" at different times in our lives and if you blossem in college you will do well in life. That is one of the reasons I suggest to all parents to throw their kids out of the house and send them off to school away from home. You will find out who can make it and who cannot within four or five months. You will get into a schedule at college that may allow you to fish on weekends or maybe in the early AM or PM depending on your class schedule. But fishing will have to take a back seat to your main goal: graduating. Here is my two cents (or maybe a quarter) for your consideration: First, you are young and have a long, long life ahead of you. Don't be in a hurry. Second, being a junior in high school means that the fun and games are over. You are entering a phase in your life that screams "serious business" for your future. You need to attain and maintain good grades and good ACT or SAT scores. You also need that college degree. Third, with the degree comes a good career (not a job, but a career) that will give you income. Not a great amount of income after you graduate, but as you obtain more and more experience you will be more and more valuable to businesses and will be paid for your knowledge and experience. It is estimated that a college degree (even one from Penn State ;D) is worth $1,000,000 when compared to a high school degree. Fourth, you will be getting married. It happens to 99% of us, sometimes two and three times. You and your wife will want a nice home in a nice neighborhood, nice furnishings and children. So there goes the money you will be earning. Fifth, you can invest in a good bass boat and fishing equipment after college, if you have the time. Starting out after college can be demanding and you may not have all of the free time you think you will have, especially once you get a serious girlfriend or get married. So purchase your boat after you get your first job and before you get married. Be sure to take care of the boat as it may have to last 10 years or more. Sixth, you will have time to fish after you and your family settles in. However, you will be taking the kids to all types of sporting, school and church events so that will cut into your fishing time. Saturdays will become very busy with all of the activities your kids will be into and on Sunday it is church, including Sunday School for the rug rats. Seventh, once you and your wife make a deal on your fishing and your work schedule will allow it, you will then be able to give more time to fishing. Either with your children or in a club or by yourself. But fishing is expensive and if it is between little Johnny's braces and a nice used bass boat or a new trolling motor guess which one will win? Eighth, once you are settled in your career or start you own business and the financial responsibility is under control (good luck) then fishing or hunting can be done without any added stress of family life or job responsibilities. For now, your goal is to get into one of those six colleges and then graduate. You can go to a school that is located around good year-round fishing opportunities (like down south in SEC country or the great state of Texas) and maybe the school will have a fishing club you can join. You will need a car and one day you will want your own apartment off-campus. To study? No, to have your own space and have girls come over and study. ;D ;D ;D However, with all of this going on you can always try to continue fishing as best as possible while in school. Just as long as it does not interfer with your school work. Hey, there are a lot of places to fish from the bank. LSU has its own lakes filled with bream and bass. Tulane in New Orleans floods so you can fish anywhere on campus after a hurricane. There are so many places to fish in Florida you could start tomorrow and not fish them all in your lifetime. And you have the guys on this forum who live where you are going to school that you can fish with when possible. I would love to go out with Avid, Catt, George Welcome or any of the moderators if I was visiting or living in their areas. So keep on fishing for as long as you can but please, please, please get your priorities straight so you can graduate college and make a lot of money and pay a lot of your earnings into F.I.C.A. We all love F.I.C.A. Good luck and let us know where you decide to go to college.

Super. Outstanding. Great. Fantastic. I must try that wiggle rig. I have it and have not really fished with it due to the low water conditions in Virginia. Come on rain!!!!!!

Excellent choice. My Dick's was out of them. I lost my chartruse in the James River when I was too lazy to retie after catching a smallmouth. I know where it is and plan to go and get it. Cavitron's are very good and can be fished fast or slow.

I cast the rig, too. Only problem is having it get all tangled up with your other rods and reels while on the boat. You need to secure the weight so that it does not flop all around and get tangled. Otherwise, just fish it straight down or cast it out. Just make sure your bait "wiggles" and you are ready to go.