Sam

Fished a pond today and when I was reeling in my Wacky Worm over some grass along the shoreline a bass came from no where out of the water and hit it. What was so amazing is that I did not expect the strike and was actually reeling in the Senko fast as I thought it was out of the strike zone and that the grass was not holding any fish. So try reeling fast and slow and other presentations so the fish will tell you what they want. The trick worm rigged Texas-style without any weight is a good presentaion. Work it like a snake over the tops of the pads and grass. Let it sit on the pads for a few seconds and then move it some more. Try bubble gum (pink), too. For some reason, they like pink trick worms. Remember, fishing pads can be unproductive for a lot of time so be patient. Or, they can be a lot of fun if the bass are under them.

Have you tried a Chatterbait?

We had these in southern Louisiana. We called it a shiner. Good bait for bass and catfish.

Great decals. The bass is beautiful. Your license plate is super. I have "CRAWFSH" and I get some funny looks and smiles from other motorists and their occupants. I hope you catch some real big fish, too!

In Richmond I paid $2.47.9 a gallon to fill up the boat and Jeep on Monday, August 13th. Milk is up to $3.58 a gallon. I hope the gasoline prices are starting to drop in your area.

Bass Pro Shop Johnny Morris baitcaster. Totally destroyed itself on Smith Mountian Lake for no apparant reason the first time I used it. Took it back to the Hampton, Virgnia BPS store and the guy told me he would give me a full refund towards another reel. I asked him what reel he would suggest and he said the Shimano Curado as he said the Johnny Morris baitcaster was not a good reel. So, I made the trade and received a small credit. So far no problems with any Shimano baitcasters.

I see you are a UK fan. Did you know that it has been 25 years since Kentucky has had back to back winning seasons in football? And the schedule might prevent it from happening this year, with LSU, Louisville, Florida and Tennesee as sure losses and Arkansas, South Carolina and Georgia as long shot wins. But with the talent UK has on offense and all the starters returning on defense it may be possible to do it again. As for your fishing, any time on the water is better than on land, unless you are fishing from the bank. Thanks for sharing.

Or a spinnerbait with a bluegill skirt.

Opps! It is a 1/64 ball head jib; not a 1/16 size. Sorry.

Friday, August 10, 2007 My friend and I put in his raft in the James River adjacent to the Huguenot Bridge and we floated down to the Pony Pasture. Along the way we threw a 1 inch grub on a 1/16 jighead on 2 pound Stren mono and a Diawa spinning reel and a light 5 foot rod to catch our catfish bait as our target were the big flathead catfish in the river. We caught at least 15 largemouth bass; 10 small mouth bass; and over 30 bluegills and redbreast sunfish. The water was so clear that you could see the fish hitting the bait, or missing it and then turning around and coming back for a second shot. We could also see the smallmouth and sunfish swimming among the boulders and rocks in the river. Due to the drought, the river is very low and many times the raft scraped the top of the rocks and boulders. We crossed over the Z-Dam to save time (dont' do this unless you know what you are doing) and started to use the sunfish for bait. I caught 12 flatheads, with the largest being 25 pounds (citation size) and 2 channel cats. The most exciting part of the trip was when a big flathead hit the bluegill and the rod and reel went screaming out of the raft and into the water. My friend dove in and found the rod and reel in the boulders and I reeled in another beautiful flathead. The river was simply beautiful. It was also cool, with a slight breeze blowing. We saw Andrew, the Channel 12 weather man, tubing; and a bald eagle take a fish away from an osprey. All in all, it was a fantastic trip and it brought back memories of using ultra light gear to catch bass. I got to do this again and fish for only smallmouth and largemouth using a light rig.

May I suggest you consider purchasing his DVDs. They are excellent. I enjoyed his book and thought his insight on getting companies outside of the fishing industry to sponsor the pros is ahead of his time. Sorry to read about his marriage breakup but he has two nice little girls from the marriage and he seems to be a good father to them. I hope Ike can make up some ground on the Angler of the Year standings as he has fallen way down in the standings. Follow Ike. He is a fun guy and he know how to fish.

In his Tidal River video, Woo Daves says he uses the Mepps inline spinners on tidal rivers. I have two of the Mepps lures but have not thrown them. Maybe will do in the future. I like the Rooster Tails right now.

Remember, it is what you do for others that comes back tripple to you from others. So you could not go fishing. I bet the next time you hit the water you do very well. I also think you will have a good football season. You will be remembered for your kindness and thoughtfulness towards others; not your money or house or car. You did the right thing. Happy Birthday.

Hope you went fishing. Sounds like normal Louisiana Cajun driving to me. Or New Orleans driving, if you had a revolver with you. Or heaing to Baton Rouge on the old Airline Highway for a football game. Moral to story: If you think there is a possibility of going into the water be sure to have your LSU or Saints football tickets in your shirt pocket!!!! ;D P.S. Glad you are OK. 20 days to kickoff!

Sounds like the pond does not have an aerator in it. Rain is probably your best hope unless the temperatures drop. If the pond is deep, the fish should do OK unless the pond turns over due to the heat, if that is possible.

...and the wacky rigged Senko and finesse worms. If the fish are deep what about a crankbait or a suspended jerkbait? Jig may work, too. Let us know how you do and what worked best.

Hey and Welcome to the Forum! I do a lot of pond fishing. Sometimes I do good and other times I get skunked. But it is fun, especially fishing different ponds and finding out which ones hold good fish and which ones are a waste of time. First, consider throwing wacky rigged Senkos and finesse worms along with a jig and pig. Then, try your luck with crankbaits, spinnerbaits and the Chatterbait. After that, consider visiting the pond early in the AM or late in the evening and fish buzzbaits and topwaters. Remember to walk about 50 feet away from the shoreline when you move around as the fish can "feel" your presence. Look for submerged structure and also grass along the shoreline. See where the dam or drain is located as that should be the deepest part of the pond. I fished with another guy on this forum this past Monday and the ponds were very deep; something I had not prepared for. He nailed about 15 bass and I caught two beauties; lost one and landed a big catfish. He knew the ponds. Next time I wll fish the ponds different. So what does this story tell you? To fish the ponds; learn them; and use the baits that are productive. When I go to Maryland next week and fish a golf course pond, I will clobber them with finesse worms. For some reason, they love the Mocossin Blue finesse worms. They will also hit Senkos and crankbaits, but those wacky rigged finesse worms are the secret and they out perform all other baits 10 to 1. And remember to scale down your bait sizes and weights. Good luck.

I would think the fish would survive depending what was bleeding. Did you damage the gills taking the hook out? Were the gills bleeding? If not, then the bass should recover. What do you guys think?????

I think this happens to all of us. You aim at the target area and cast. The bait sails out, the reel spins correctly, the bait has a beautiful arc, and then it lands to the right side of your target. Have a friend stand behind you when you cast to see how your arm or body is rotating when you cast. Although you think you are throwing the rod tip at your intended target, your body motion is having the bait slide to the left or right. All I can suggest is that you practice so your motion is the same for every cast without you thinking about it. It is just like your golf swing. You can hook or slice the ball and have no idea why, thinking you are swinging the club directly at the greens. And may I suggest you practice with a nice Senko at your local pond. Might as well have some fun practicing.

Go get some Nightcrawlers at Wal-Mart, rig them on a #1 gold hook or a 1/0 straight shank hook, and throw them out. Whatever is living in the canal will hit the worm, be it catfish, bass, bream, crappie, bowfin, pike, white perch, etc. Then you will know what lives in the canal. You may also check out some tackle shops to see what they can tell you about the canal and other places to fish in the area, like Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach. As you know, there are ponds all over the greater Tidewater area so you should not have any problems locating someplace to fish. And regarding your canal, are you talking about the inland canal that goes down to Florida or another canal? I have my map of Chesapeake in the car and I suggest you purchase the ADC map of the area in book form to note all the ponds and canals you can fish. Have fun.

Buzz, If I were you I would store all rods and reels at home. Not only for the safety and security issue but to keep them out of excessive heat and cold. As for my baits, I have had plastic trailers melt so I now keep everything at my home office in large plastic storage containers you get at Wal-Mart or Target. I also keep my line in my home office as I do not want it to get extremely hot or cold. And my attractants, especially JJ's and Spike-It along with Carolina Lunker Sauce and the MegaStrike tubes. So please consider keeping as much of your tackle with you in a safe and temperature controlled environment. At least keep your rods and reels with you, if nothing else.

Those nibbles are either bluegills, bream or small bass. Not only will they drive you crazy but they will bite the tails and arms off your plastics. I purchased those 2 inch Senkos from GY's site and I have nailed those rascals that drive me crazy with the nibbles jsut to see what they are. I also caught a 19 inch bass on one of the 2 inch Senkos (smoke with black flake) on a #1 gold hook. When this happens, I keep throwing my bait but I move it faster in my retrieve. Or, I go up a size (4 inch Senko to a 5 or 6 inch Senko) to stop the nibbles. Plus the fact that I do set the hook when I get the nibbles. I also set my hook hard and have my bait flying all over the place and on two ocassions this summer I have popped a small bass clear out of the water with one landing in the boatand the other stopped about six inches from the boat's hull. So set that hook! And have fun.

Rain, sleet and snow. Fished them all. Great fishing in the rain. So you get a little wet? The fish are wet and they don't complain. Other than for lightning, fishing in the rain can be extremely productive. I remember as a kid in Louisiana fishing on the bank of a lagoon just before a strong cold front and a storm came through the area and we caught them on every cast. Bluegills, pearch, bass, catfish. They were going crazy. We stayed as the storm got to us and the rain started to fall and we continued to catch fish. We finally quit when the lightning arrived in the distance and ran home, fast. So fish in the rain and have fun. You may be the only guy out there!

To add my two cents to the discussion, bass like current, oxygen and cooler water. I would think you would do well at the mouths of creeks or channels with a shad colored crankbait or a smaller Rapala in shad color. However, with that said, the fish may just not be a mood to hit anything unless you aggravate them. Those Mattlure swimbaits look beautiful. I would think something would be interested in them. By reading your post it seems you did not catch any trash fish, like catfish, pike, bowfin, etc. I am thinking that the lack of oxygen levels have the fish inactive and they are setting right above the thermocline where there is oxygen. Any other thoughts out there??????

If I remember correctly, Hank Parker said that the best color for a jig below the Mason-Dixon Line is blue and black. He did not know why this color combination is the best but it works. And it does.