Sam

Depending on the water temperature, the bass may have gone deep for the cooler water and oxygen. You may have to fish at sunrise and sunset when they are feeding. Try a buzzbait or topwater; a finesse wacky rigged worm; a Senko rigged wacky; and keep throwing your spinnerbaits and crankbaits. See what they want and where they are located. If all else fails, throw a Rooster Tail. Have fun.

Get the rod you feel comfortable with. I have a Kister Helium which is fantastic; a G. Loomis for cranking which is fantastic; Shimano rods which are excellent; BPS Woo Daves 60 million module rods which perform beautifully; and Ugle Sticks which are super for pond fishing. With today's rod technology you really can not go wrong. Just make the purchase and start saving for your next rod. Remember, you can never have too many rods.

Great story. I am amazed everytime I go out on the rivers and lakes in Virginia regarding the wildlife we see. Deer, snakes, squirles, bald eagles, osprey, Kingfishers, Red Headed woodpeckers, blue birds, hawks, vultures, beavers, racoons, rats herrons, farm animals (cows, sheep, horses, goats) all types of other birds and crazy people. Gald you had a great 29th birthday and that you enjoy your new G. Loomis rod to compliment your new Shamino Calais baitcaster that the guys gave you! ;D Happy Birthday.

White. Black, white and white and chartruse will serve you well depending on the water clarity, time of day and cloud cover. I like the dual props on the standard clothes pin head. Or the props with the holes in them. Or the props with the small triangle "clacker." Buzzbiats are lots of fun and they can catch fish all day long. After you get familiar with the three you have you will have to consider downsizing for ponds and rivers and also adding the in-line buzzbaits to your collection. Remember to add a trailer hook the size of or one size smaller than your buzzbait hook. You can never have enough buzzbaits.

A new technique! Send it to Bass Times, Bassmaster Magazine and Bassin. So, to understand how you fish the Wacky worm... You cast it out. Let it fall. Wait. Pop the bait hard. Wait. Pop the bait hard. Wait. Reel in and start over. Sounds like a winner and I am going to try it. Right now I raise my rod tip a few inches and let the worm fall back to the bottom but I do not do this with any power. Great idea. Thanks for sharing. Maybe those lazy bass that are staging in the deeper and cooler water will go after the bait. You are "The Man"!!!!!

One more suggestiion. I wonder how the Swimming Senko would work? It has a tail like your Pop'n Toad and it is built like a heavy worm. You can drag or swim it above or through the grass although the grass will accumulate on its head. And it casts like a deamon. Really far since it is a heavy bait. I caught one on it at a Maryland pond two weeks ago but have not fished it since. Too much fun with the Wacky rig. If I remember correctly, I was using a 4/0 EWG hook.

Nope, that's not what I was thinking. The one I have is more like a Scum Frog but with a larger body and two long "tails" for feet. The one you showed me reminds me of the Ribbit or Horny Toad. The Ribbit seems to be a close cousin to the Pop'n Toad. Since you have a lot of grass I agree with the frog presentation, either like a buzzbait or like a topwater. What about dragging a finesse or trick worm rigged Texas style with a light weight over the grass? That should get them excited. If you need a heavier bait consider using a Senko, a Bush Hog, Creature Bait or a Lizzard, all rigged Texas style with a light weight or no weight. If possible, try to make a few holes in the grass with a push pole or a broom handle. Then wait an hour or so, or the next day, and fish the holes. The bass will congregate at the holes. I put gas in my boat tonight so I am planning to fish the Mattopani River next week and maybe go on the upper James between Bosher's Dam and Watkins Landing. At least I will be on the water again. Later, Sam

Deadeye, Add me to your list. I have caught catfish in lakes, rivers and ponds on crankbaits, spinnerbaits and plastics. I also nailed one on a Chatterbait. Why I remember that cat was that the Chatterbait hook actually broke in half when I tried to get it out of the cat's mouth. That was one heck of a surprise. I have also caught Pike and Bowfin on spinnerbaits. Go figure.

Lizzards - long lizzards. Brush Hogs. Creature Baits. 6 inch Senkos. Big Beavers. Just about anything you want to put on the end of that Carolina rig will work. Are you going to troll the C-Rig or sit in the boat and throw it out? I would suggest trolling with the lizzard or brush hogs. Last time I trolled with a C-Rig was on Lake Gaston and what ever hit it is still swimming in the lake. One big hit and that fish headed North and I just had to hold on until the line broke. It was exciting for about 10 seconds. Look up Carolina Rigs on this site and read what the pros have to say. Have a good time.

And by the way, one more thought.... I have a Zip Lock bag full of Senkos and finesse worms rigged for the Wacky rig. I just take one out of the bag, put it on the hook, put some love on it (Carolina Lunker Sauce) and it is ready to go. I must have 20 finesse worms and 25+ Senkos all ready to go. I use the shrink tubing in place of the O-ring and it is fantastic. I can keep using the worm for at least 10 fish or until the bass throws the worm when it jumps. This is Ike's method of Wacky rigging and it is fantastic!

Caught a 16 incher today using a Zoom Mocassin Blue finesse worm Wacky rigged. He just sucked it in and started to walk off with it. Lucky for me I saw my line start to move sideways so I set the hook. He had almost swallowed the entire worm and I had to dig the hook out. But he was fine and swam away as a happy fish. The Gammy weedless hooks are a pain to use for the Palamor knot. I like the Eagle Claws as they have a very large hook eye and tying a Palamor is easier. The weedless hooks are excellent with a Wacky rig as you can throw it anywhere and it will not get snagged. I use all types of plastic worms, including Senkos and Gulp! with the Wacky rig. All do very well. Just remember, you cannot cast the finesse worms as far as you can cast a Senko but that really is not a problem once you understand the physics of the cast. Have fun going Wacky.

The Monster from the Black Lagoon. Watch out!!!! ;D

Cool water. Oxygen. Current. This is where you will find them.

IMHO, Fisherboy nailed it. Buzzbaits. I fish a friend's pond that is shallow and loaded with grass and those bass just eat up my buzzbaits. A Minus 1 is OK, but the buzzbait is excellent. A Horny Toad is good, too. But a buzzbait is better. What about a Pop-R or Spook? Good choices. But a buzzbait is better. So think about it and throw that buzzbait all day long.

Beautiful. Just beautiful. You did good. I have my eye set on one of those new Triton rigs and one day I am going to have one. For now, you enjoy the boat for both of us. Congrats!

Pearce, Check your personal messages as I sent you the information on who to contact for the Virginia Yute events. Have fun at JMU. And don't forget to study. You can't party all the time!!!! ;D

Simon, Sent you a PM at 1:35 PM on Friday, August 3rd. Going to gas up the boat now so call me on my cell phone. Call at office on Monday or during the week. Sam

John. Are you talking about the frog with the long tallons as feet? If so, I fish them but have not had that much success. To make the frog swim different I cut the left side tallons just about in half so that the frog will twitch towards one side. I am also thinking of using a trailer hook on my frogs as it is hard to set that one hook and harder to set two hooks. Actually, I would rather drag a Zoom finesse worm over grass and pads and use either a RICO, Pop-R or a buzzbait for topwater bites.

I use MegaStrike when I fish tournaments. Otherwise I use Carolina Lunker Sauce or Jack's Juice. The problem with scents and attractants is that they are not water solouable so the fish cannot smell them. If you are interested in the best scents and the best type of scent to use I suggest you purchase Dr. Keith Jones' Book, Knowing Bass, the Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish. Check out Chapter Three, Chemoreception, pages 55-57, Smells and Flavors Bass Like. The chapter also discusses how smell and tast control feeding, chemical lures, chemical sensitivity, converting chemicals to brain signals, and a lot of other extremely interesting information backed by scientific studies and tests. I am planning to use Dr. Jones' secret formula as my own scent just to see if it actually works. Sorry guys, Dr. Jones told me what to do and it is all mine!

I hate to say this but you may not be able to correct the problem. Some ponds have soft bottoms and you may just have to put up with having the trailer wheels sink into the mud. As long as you can pull the trailer out with your vehicle you can launch your boat. Of course, anything you can do to help harden the bottom of your ramp will be helpful but I would think that the gravel, rock, etc, would just sink into the soft bottom sooner or later. Can you put a layer of concrete blocks or bricks down to help form a solid base and then cover it with rocks? Maybe some local builders or contractors can give you some help with the materials you can use and how to set them. Good luck. Let us know what you do and if it works.

Nope. It is an investment in fun and mental health. Gas prices are down to $2.59 in Richmond and are expected to drop to $2.50 in a few weeks. So don't let gasoline prices ruin a good day. Gasoline is still cheaper than bottled water.

Ponds also allow you to test new baits and techniques and to balance your baitcasters. So pond do play an important role in bass fishing and the fishing is usually very good.

CROOM SHOWN THE DOOR BEFORE START OF 4TH SEASON IN STARKVILLE AP - Starkville, MS July 30, 2007 According to inside sources of the Mississippi State University football program, AD Larry Templeton has pulled the plug on head football coach Sylvester Croom. After amassing a total of 9 victories over the first 3 years at the helm, Templeton decided, "the timing is not good, but a change had to be made." When asked for his reasoning, Templeton stated that he had "found a better, more deserving individual with a proven track record." Templeton already has his replacement in mind. Larry Templeton is negotiating a contract with former Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick. In response to why Vick was chosen, Templeton stated, "If Mike can't get these Dawgs to fight...I don't know who can." ;D ;D ;D

Hey guys, Make Ike's web site...www.ikesrules.com The other one I posted above is for school supplies. Sorry, but it is early in the AM and I am getting ready to hit the local pond on the way to the office. Come on buzzbait!!!!!!! ;D

Glad to have you join us. You will be receiving a lot of information about fishing your lake from the guys. I can suggest, at this early hour of the morning, that you look for wood and grass along the shoreline and fish that structure with a series of search baits and presentatiions at each structure and grass line you fish. Any boat docks or piers? Can you find a Fishing Structure Map (aerial photo guide) of the lake showing the bottom and any submerged roads, tree stumps, etc.? Is there a map of the lake you can use to find the depths of the banks and drop-offs into deep water? As usual, I would think you would fish the shoreline with your "fish finding baits" like a crankbait or spinnerbait. You can then see where the bass are holding and their depth. You may have to experiment with depths, colors and types of baits to locate the fish. If it is hot, the bass may hit the shallow water in the early AM or late PM to feed and then head back to deeper and cooler water during the day. If you have a sonar unit on your boat check for humps, structure, bottom cover and anything you can find on the bottom off shore where the bass will be holding. Is there anyone you can talk to about the lake? An old timer who fishes the waters and knows the topography? One last suggestion, Mike Iaconelli has a wonderful DVD that explains how to understand any body of water from a pond to a lake. The DVD is "Ike's Rules - For Better Bass Fishing - Volume 1: Taking the Luck Out of the Equation." This 43 minute production is from 2005 Bassfilms, LLC. You may find it on the net at www.ikerules.com. This is an excellent DVD and I suggest you obtain it as it will give you some wonderful suggestions to consider. Good luck and let us know how you do and what you find out.