Sam

Just ask your questions. Don't be bashful. Welcome to the best forum on the web.

Some suggestions to consider: 1. Did you try the drop shot rig? 2. Did you consider scaling down your bait sizes? 3. Do you think a 4 inch Senko on a Wacky Rig would get their attention? Or a 5 inch Senko? 4. Did you throw a Fat Ika? Rigged backwards? 5. Did you all ever use a Mojo rig in place of a Carolina rig? You use the Mojo sinkers like a Carolina rig either above the swivel or just by itself free-flowing along your line. Sometimes when the bite gets tough it is a good idea to go smaller with the baits and different presentations. By using the Shakey Head, Wacky Worm and Drop Shot rigs you will have your bait jumping all around in their faces and if they are not feeding you can aggravate them into striking. I would think a Texas rigged Senko would be an interesting alternative, too. Maybe a cold front moved through your area and they had already fed the day or night before you went fishing. Who knows? But thats the fun and challenge of fishing. Every day is a new day!

Remember one of the major rules for setting the hook that I tell everyone: If the bait does not feel like it should then SET THE HOOK. Take your bait and throw it out to get a feel for it. When it fees "different" such as heavy or mushy, SET THE HOOK. I had to dig a hook out of a small bass two weeks ago as I thought I had a slop of grass on the hook. By the time I raised my pole to feel how "heavy" the bait had become, he almost swallowed the bait and hook. I had to go through the gills, cut the line and pull the hook out. I had no idea he was on the line until I raised my rod tip and pulled up to get a feel of what was on my line. So remember, if the bait feels different SET THE HOOK.

Were you using a trailer hook on the buzzbait? If not, please consider doing so in the future.

Remember the home run in the World Series or a playoff game that was called a home run based on fan interference? The fan received death threats and if I recall, had to be escorted out of the stadium for his own safety. Other than for that, I do not recall any play being changed. It amazes me how many times I think the batter is safe at first base and he is called out and no one complains. It is like you are supposed to be called out if the first baseman catches the ball and his foot is on the base even if the batter reaches the base before the ball is caught. Even if the ump is out of position on a play they will make the call. And most other umps will not overturn the call even if it is wrong. Umpire courtersey to each other. I used to catch (knees are now gone) and just kept my big mouth shut as it would do no good to complain. The umps would call you out on strikes if you made a scene or tried to embarrass them or made a smart remark to yourself or the next batter and the umpire behind the plate overheard it. I made a jester by moving my some plastic around and up and down with my had when I squated down for the next batter so the pitcher would know my thoughts. Otherwise, the umps are God on a baseball field.

Hey Brad, Thanks for the info. I *** you for attending the show. As for scents, unless they are water soluable the fish can't smell them. As for taste, I don't know if the fish will like coffee. But let's give it a shot. I can't wait for "donuts" scent to come on the market!

Of course. That is the fun part of fishing. I also look for the stakes and other things I know people have put in the water to hold fish. Today, I fished a dock with an old Christmas tree sticking out of the water (low tide) while haveing a conversation with the homeowner who was working on his boat. Did he mind? Nope. Not one bit. That is why the Christmas tree was sunk there...to attract fish so he and others can enjoy the catch. I have been known to wait for other fishermen to leave a spot that I know holds a submerged brush pile and then fish it. No problem. I tell guys about the Christmas tree I sank in a local pond so they will know where to throw their baits. It is a part of fishing.

I saw that video last year. It was funny. Never have seen anything like that.

Hey P-Rock, I am Type A and just sitting in a tree stand for many hours was difficult. We all had our stands as there were four or five of us hunting on private land and we had others trespass durng hunting season so it was dangerous to "track" anything. Climbing up and down the trees and using the rope to pull yourself up into the treestand got old and one day, as I was just sitting there listening to the squirrls and leaves falling and seeing the wild turkeys flying around, I thought that I could have more fun doing other things. So now I fish which keeps me active and I find fishing more challenging than hunting. And I really do not like cold weather. When the temperature drops below 70 I get cold!

Great news. Congrats. You will have a great fishing partner in about 3 years, nine months! ;D

May I make three suggestions? 1. Check out your state's Federation web site for bass clubs and see if anyone in one of those clubs wants to join you. 2. Place an ad in the state's Federation web site for a nonboater, if this type of ad is acceptable. 3. Join a bass club and you will meet a lot of guys who share your love of fishing and you can team up with one of the membrs. As you know, a nonboater can be a help or a major problem. So be careful in your selection process.

Good move by the golfing company. If you are in marketing and look at the bass fishing demographics, you will see a number of statistics that could help your company increase sales to your target market. And it is cheaper than TV advertising. For instance. Toyota trucks? Ike is sponsored by Toyota trucks? So what happens? Chevy, Ford and Chrysler could start a sales campaign designed to attract the bass fisherman to offset Toyota's efforts. In Ike's book he discusses the need for outside sources of sponsorship separate from the fishing industry. And Ike is correct. Just look at NASCAR and how they handle sponsors. If I was a professional fisherman I would go to a number of companies for sponsorship as the individuals involved in bass fishing are guys and girls that do other things in addition to fishing. What companies? Coke, Pepsi, Nike, Callahan Golf, Bike Athletic, Under Armor, Dell, Macintosh, Crate and Barrel, Victoria's Secrets, Harley-Davidson, Disney and other companies in the music, computer, shoe, sports, auto, clothing and soft drink industries. I can hear it now. "I want to thank everyone who helped me win this tournament in the pink Victoria Secrets' Triton X-21 series boat and the Harley-Davidson Mercury motor along with the Dell St. Croix rod and the Delco Berkley Trileen Extra Tough line on the Ipod Abu Garcia reel fishing the Nike Bandit 200 series Shad Rap crankbait. And special thanks to Exxon for supplying the fuel and to Bike Athletic for the Motor Guide 48 volt, 90 pound thrust trolling motor." Sounds like NASCAR. But this is whre the $$$$$$ is.

I throw the shaky head everywhere and do not concern myself with the bottom. Sometimes the head of the jig will be covere with black bottom slop. But the worm still sits straight up (or on a angle) and that is all that matters. As for the science of which jig head to use...I don't concern myself with that. I just rig it up and throw it out. I let the fish worry about if the jig head is correct or not for the conditiions. ;D

May I suggest that in the future you always open and close the bail with your hand? Do not use the reel's handle to close the bail. And pull the line tight off the spinning reel after every cast. By using your hand you will not put a lot of pressure on the reel when closing the bail. This is an "Ike Tip" that has worked for me. Now, for repairing the bail...may I suggest you have it done professionally? You can try but with reels costing a lot of money why take the chance of damaging the reel with an incorrect repair.

Stick with the name brands and you cannot go wrong. Guys on this site will give you more details as to which individual reels they like; but the truth is that all of the name brand rees are excellent and you can't go wrong. Be sure the reel can operate with 10 pound test. If you want to use a higher test or braid then you may have to go over $100 for a really reilable reel. I like the Shimano reels. My friend, a retired bass guide loves the Abu Garcia. Others on this site swear by Pfluger (spelling) and I know Daiwa reels are very, very good. May I suggest you consider the ratios and if you want a reel to go fast (6:1 or 7:1) or slow (5:1). And consider how you will be fishing. If plastics, jigs and tubes and doing lots of pitching and flipping, you need a reel that will allow you to set that hook hard and then have a good drag to get the fish to the shore or boat. If you throw a lot of spinnerbaits or crankbaits or Chatterbaits you may want a higher ratio so that you do not tire yourself out reeling in the bait all day. Take the advice of the other guys on this site and then go out and get that reel. The Bait Monkey awits you.

It's a Gulp! and I fish it finesse style Texas rigged. Works great. May I suggest that the most reliable way to compare Senko type baits is to buy a package (or open it up in the store if possible) and FEEL IT. The Senko is soft and pliable to the touch. So now you know how a Senko feels so you can compare the feel of the other Senko type baits. When I was at LSU our marketing class was given four or five cigarette packages (packs) to feel. Yes, feel. With our finger tips. The cigarette manufacturer wanted the class to feel the cigarette packages and then vote on which ones felt the best to the touch. And as I recall one of them was nice and soft and it actually felt good to have it in your hands. It was a marketing tool to get the buyers of cigerettes to enjoy the feel of the pack. The same goes with the Senkos and their take-offs. If the Gulp! (you can't open the package in the store) or Yum or other baits feel like the Senko then fish them like a Senko. (I like the Yum Mardi Gras forked tail Senko knock-off). The bass really don't care and they don't know the difference. As long as the baits feel good when the bass feels them with their mouths then the bait will be successful. Just rig them up; throw them out; and set that hook hard.

Yes, I have seen mostly one bass chase baitfish on and to the shore and last summer I saw two bass go after the bream along the shoreline and actually chase one of the bream out of the water. I caught one of the two on a Chatterbait. Today at my pond I saw it occur again with a big splash and lots of mud being stirred up. So I threw the Senko in the area and caught him. What is strange is that when I have seen this occur and have thrown a topwater the bass are not interested in the presentation. But throw a finesse worm or a Senko and they will hit it.

Nope, do not hunt anymore. Too boring and cold. I would rather hunt largemouth bass.

I fished my friend's pond in Page County, Virginia and his cows use the pond for cooling off and drinking. Talk about some beautiful bass in a pond. I remember fishing and hearing a splash and at the other end of the pond three cows were entering the pond to cool off. They paid no attention to me although they seemed to be watchful of what I was doing. Did it stop the fish from biting? Nope. No impact on the bass or bream whatsoever. I wonder if those cows were potty trained?

We put scent on our baits for two reasons. First, to hide our human scent and second, to give us confidence. Scents that are in an oil base that is not water soluable means that the fish cannot smell or taste it since it cannot disolve into molecules for the bass to smell. On the other hand, water based scents spread fast (liquids) and disperse fast and far and can reach bass, alert them to the presence of food and make them more agressive. Scent only lasts several minutes so you will have to rescent your lures. With that said, I use Carolina Lunker Sauce, Mega Strike and Jack's Juice. For dips, its JJ's Magic and Spike-It with JJs being much stronger. JJs also has a clear mixture that is very good. As for flavors, the bass do not care for garlic, sugar, anise, salt or prey salt mix. But I like garlic just the same. I also use shad flavors. A bass will use its sense of taste after it has taken the bait in its mouth and if it does not like the taste it will spit it out. Remember, it is almost impossible for the scent to leave a trail in the water. Too much water and not enough scent that is water soluable. Now, with all that said, the studies at Pure Fishing have shown that bass will strike more times at lures with scent and will hold on longer. Seems to be some conficting information. For general purposes I put scent on everything. Even buzzbaits and topwaters. I know what the bass can smell and will be working on my formula in the near future to soak my plastics. It should be interesting to see if it works better than the commercial scents. The only problem I have with scents is that I wipe my hands on my shirt and shorts and smell really bad when I get home so I have to wash my clothes every day. Otherwise, no matter what the scientists say, I will still use scent and hope my own formula works.

I only sharpen the Chatterbait hooks as they are not as sharp as I want them when they come from the manufacturer. I have a three step system using coarse, medium and then fine sharpening files with baby oil on them. Otherwise, I do not sharpen the hooks. I do use a trailer hook when possible on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits which doubles my chances of keeping the fish hooked.

A bass is a sight hunter. Vibrations, sound and flash stimulate the skin and vision senses and tell the fish that something is out there that needs to be investigated. But the bass has to see the object to close in on it although blind bass can survive by using their other senses to capture prey. Depending on water clarity and light (even moon light at night) I would suspect a bass can see a buzzbait from about 10 to 15 feet. Bass's eyes look upwards from 20 to 40 degrees so that is another part of the formula to consider. I don't think the overall depth of the water column is that important; I think the depth of the bass is the critical part of the equation. I have only caught bass in shallow water, 5 feet or less, on buzzbaits. Of course, I don't throw buzzbaits in deep water as I beleive most bass like to feed in the shallow waters in the early morning and late evening. I have caught 6 + pound bass early AM (5:50 AM today) and in the evening (after 9 PM at night) on a buzzbait thrown close to the shore. This is a great post and I am very interested in everyone's response.

Bandit Firetiger and Blue and Chartreuse. For some reason those Firetigers do great on Virginia rivers. Shad color for Virginia lakes.

Those new reels are beautiful. I bought a Stradic 2500 MgFa this summer and love it. What a reel. I also just broke the bail on my little Spirex 2000 after two years of use and catching so many fish with it including big bass and catfish. I am having it repaired. That Sustain and the Stella look great. Maybe I will get the Stella for Christmas in lieu of the electric spooling equipment. Maybe I will get both! I am getting to like the Shimano 2500 models for bass fishing. What models do you guys like the best?

Auburn is a great school and the girls are beautiful, too. Just get that degree and then you can market yourself to the fishing industry companies in an entry level position. Remember, the farther south you go the prettier are the coeds. And the better fishing, too!