Sam

Hey Anthony, Don't be down about not having any tackle. Go out and buy some! It is a lot of fun, as you know, and there are new baits and lines available now that were not around a few years ago. As you know, this site can give you info on which lures work best, etc. My only suggestion is to purchase Dr. Keith Jones' book, Catching Bass - The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish. This book will help bring you up to date on the latest research into the fish itself, and give you some great advice on hunting the bass and catching it. A must read for all serious bass fishermen. Gald you joined us.

How about upgrading your grammer, spelling and typing skills? No sponsor wants a good ole boy hawking their products, unless you do it for free. You have to articulate in a professional manner using correct English. If I was a sponsor I would not contact you due to your post and the poor grammer and spelling. I would want a polished person who can present themselves in the best light and make a favorable impression. A college degree would be a BIG asset, too. I also suggest speaking to your marketing professors and obtaining their input about your web site and how to present yourself so you will be considered as a candidate to represent the company.

OK, so you play sports in high school or college. Big deal when it come to fishing unless you are an All American in your sport and you have name recognition. I do not know what various sponsors are seeking in their pros but it does not hurt to show the sponsors you are a fully rounded person with excellent grammer and speaking skills; dress nice; have no tatoos showing; nice haircut; polished shoes; and can handle yourself in an acceptable manner when meeting with them or hawking their products. I don't think Ike, Denny, Jimmy, Hank, Kevin, Zell and others were major names in high school or college athletics but look at their fishing careers and how they conduct themselves to get an idea of what sponsors are seeking. Its all about the money: what you can bring in and how much will it cost the sponsor to sponsor you to generate the added income. Show me the money!

Continued... 1. Do not put anything in writing. 2. Call one of the Federation officers and make an appointment to visit with him, personally, to discuss your concerns. 3. Be careful as the Federation people may know the guys in your club and you may shoot yourself in the foot if this is the case and make more enemies. 4. If you get no relieif from the state Federation, try the B.A.S.S. or FLW, TBF, etc. and see what they have to say. My suggestion is to speak with the old goat and see if you can join the club. If not, then forget the guys and fish as you wish. Remember, it is a private club and each state or jurisdiction has its own laws regarding membership so you may not have a legal leg to stand on. Discrimination is against public policy in this country but private clubs can be protected under specific laws so you may want to check this out before you decide to bring a legal action agianst the club. After what you said about the old goat and his family I cannot understand why you would want to be affiliated with him and his ilk in any manner? You may be much better off just fishing for fun or starting your own club or private tournaments with friends. Just be careful as you do not need any problems from the club or its members.

Bass fishing clubs, like all other organizations, have their "cliques" and it is very difficult to break into them. At most clubs the clique has private tournaments that you will be not invited to fish; they make large purchases of oil and baits and tell no one; they socialize with each other outside of the club and exclude others; and they do not share valuable fishing information with many of the members. So should you be upset? Nope. These guys are probably fantastic fishermen and you will learn a lot from them. So just shrug it off and go fishing with as many of these guys you can; learn their secrets and places to fish; and have a good time. As far as reporting them to your local Federation, may I suggest: 1

LSU and anybody who is playing Alabama. Shouldn't your handle on this site be Florida21Tennessee14???? ;D Geaux Tigers!

OK, here is another suggestion. Using a push pole, go about 5 yards into the weeds and using the pole make a hole. In fact, make a few holes in the weeds about 10 yards apart. Wait one hour. Go back and pitch your bait into the holes. See what happens.

I caught a 4 pound female on a Texas rigged Senko last week. I caught more on a Wacky Rigged Senko in the past. I think both work and have their places in your personal technique folder. When fishing in a tournament, I fish Wacky. When fishing for fun, I fish Texas rigged. Either way, you will get bites.

In his book, Knowing Bass - The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish, Dr. Keith A. Jones relates this information on pages 132 and 133 in the Hearing and Virbraton Detection chapter: I quote, "Not only are bass equipped to instinctively avoid certain sounds, they also quickly learn to avoid sounds associated with unpleasant consequences. Chapter 2 describes how bass readily remember experineces with past lures. In that vein, a habit of overusing acoustic lures can haunt the anger. One of the drawbacks of sound-generating lures is that they tend to stand out like sore thumbs, especially in quiet waters. Because their sound makes them easy to identify, these lures make it easy for bass to associate a past trauma with the memory of being hooked. A bass caught on a rattling crankbait and then relased remembers its ill experience well. The likelihood that the bass will ever respond again to a similar bait is now measurably reduced. Many a story is told of rattling baits being initially effective on naive bass populations, only to quickly lose their edge after the bass catch on to the game. Buzzbaits are known to suffer the same short-term usefullness. In nature, older, experienced bass may learn to simply avoid the distinctive sounds of anglers altogether. Glen Lau, a photographer renowned for his underwater video work relates that while diving one day, he observed the response of a very large female bass to passing boats. Boats motored by, their passengers systematically working the shoreline, ignorant of the hugh prize right beneath them, and the female would effect a casual retreat into the safety of the surrounding cover. After the anglers left the vicinity, the bass would ease her way back out into the open until the next boat came." This is why I throw Senkos and Zooms one day; a Chatterbait the next; and then back to the spinning and crank baits when I fish a pond. I also try to use different rattling baits and buzzbaits just to be different from the sounds made by my coanglers. Just food for thought.

Airborne, You will receive some great advice about fishing weeds. I have never fished weeds that deep but I do have some suggestions for you to consider. Use a heavy bullet sinker (3.4 ounce or 1 ounce) , pegged, and fish the weeds Texas rigged using your favorite worm, lizzard, creature bait or brush hog. You may consider using a heavy 3/0 hook on braided line (30, 40 or 50 pound) and "jigging" the bait up and down through the weeds. Have you considered throwing a frog on top of the weeds? Horney Toad, Ribbit, Scum Frog, etc.? Thrown any topwaters like the Chuggbug, RICO, Pop-R, Spook? Give 'em a try plus what the other guys on this site suggest. You can't go wrong.

One of my clients has a pond on their farm that has been neglected for years. About four years ago they had a fish kill due to the lack of oxygen in the pond so they gave it up for dead. So what do I do? I go there just to see if the pond is holding any fish and catch 8 catfish in a row and then a beautiful 4 pound female. I caught her on a Senko. With her was a smaller male, about 2.5 pounds. I had two 2 pounders follow my crankbait but did not hit it. I do not think they knew what a crankbait is. I know they never have seen one before. So yes, fish the pond. Who knows how the fish got in the pond but they must be there. Enjoy!

Your adventure sounds like a scene in a comedy movie, starring Adam Sandler. Although they spoiled your day, the story is funny and your description of the woman is priceless. Sorry you had a bad day but you have to admit, it was a funny adventure. Glad it happened to you and not to me!!!! ;D

Check your personal messages. PM me if you get a chance or give me a call. I leave the cell phone in the car so I can call you in the evenings or during the day. Thanks, Sam

#1 - Mega Strike #2 - Carolina Lunker Sauce Pro-Gel in Crawfish #3 - Jacks Juice in Crawfish or Garlic #4 - Spike-It and maybe a new #1, JJ's, after I try it next week!

Knowing Bass - The Scientific Approach to Catch More Fish by Dr. Keith A. Jones Bass Wisdom by Homer Circle Secrets of a Champion by Kevin VanDam

The lure is the Bagley Small Fry Bream. I went to Green Top today to see what it is and they had only three left in Bream with the Baby Crappie, Largemouth Bass and Shad totally sold out. This is a beautiful replica of a bream. You may want to consider adding this to your arsnal.

I fish a local pond around my house and try out different lures to see how they perform, tune them, etc. Today I finally decided to throw a beautiful replica of a bluegill that I bought in February but never had tied on. First cast and wham! a one pound bass hit it. Now, in this pond we have a few large bass but most of the critters are from 1 to 2.5 pounds so catching a one pounder is nothing unusual. What was unusual is that he hit it on my first cast, totally unexpected. I called my friend who went with me to Green Top to find the lure and purchase one or two so I could share the name and manufacturer with you guys but he was not home. I will call him this weekend and if anyone is interested I will share the info with you.

Red Torpedo, I fish my friend's local pond and although I like to throw artificial baits he catches and uses bluegills all the time. There is a lot of hydrilla in the pond but the bass seem to locate his bluegills all the time. He uses a 2/0 hook and pushes it through the meaty area just in front of the bluegill's tail. He lets the bait swim all by itself and he watches his line. He will also throw some artiticials as he waits for something to take his bluegill or bream. As for me, I use bluegill to fish for catfish in the Historic James River and I hook them with either a 3/0 or 4/0 octopus circle hook through the meaty section in front of the tail. Works all the time and the catfish nail the bream or bluegills without any problems. My best fun live bait are nightcrawlers. Everything eats a nightcrawler.

OK, now you are opening another can of worms: line. May I suggest throwing either 8 or 10 pound Extra Smooth Trileen on your spinning rig, and no higher for a pond? 6 pound test can work well, too, but always check your drag as if it is too tight the line will break and if it is too loose you will not get a good hookset. 4 pound is great for bream but it tangles easily and can drive you crazy. I use braid when there is a lot of grass or rocks. Otherwise, it is either mono or fluorocarbon. Be sure to spool your spinning reel with the line coming off the spool in a counter clockwise manner and spray pure silicone or Van Dam's Line and Reel Condition on a face cloth, getting one square inch wet, and running your line through it as you spool your spinning reel or baitcaster. You may also consider using a swivel when throwing twisting baits. A small swivel. It will help control line twist if your bait is a twister. And ask your line question in the Tackle area of this forum and hold on for all the respons you will receive. Today I fished a pond I have seen since 1972 for the first time. Nailed one on my trusty firetiger crank bait and a second on the chartruse and white spinnerbait. Had a baby bass jump clear out of the water and try to eat my blue/black Senko. I think the Senko was almost as long as the baby bass. The wind was too strong today so I left but it was fun and I finally got to fish that pond.

Insurance consultant - no sales. Commercial, industrial, manufacturing, retail, schools and municipals are my clients. I try to help my clients screw the insurance companies before the insurance companies screw them. I have to dress like a banker for business meetings so it is great to go fishing like a normal person and wear fun clothes and relax from all of the stress of fighting underwriters, agents and claims adjusters. A number of my clients told me that they can't imagine me in a Big Johnson tee shirt, cut offs, tennis shoes and going fishing or to a NASCAR race. Fishing is my "You Only Live Twice" life and I keep it totally separate from my career.

One other item to add to the equation. Four guides I know have told me that they fish one or two bodies of water, only. By doing this they can study and know the structure and contours of the water and be their best when guiding. So if you want to be a guide, please consider selecting one body of water to guide so you do not dulute your self. Also, there is a lot of time when not guiding that you have to be on the water fishing to learn how the fish react in that particular body of water. So George, add to your list the time and money spent learning the waters where you want to guide even before you start your day. And don't forgot those people who don't show up for the trip or are late or expect to catch a bass on every cast.

I had enough of work so Monday afternoon I went to the local pond to try my luck and get away from the phone calls and meetings. Threw a firetiger crankbait along the weed line to my left off the dock and wham!, landed a nice two pounder on the third cast. Changed to a 1/4 ounce chartruse and white spinnerbait with two silver willow leaf blades and threw to the weeds to the right of the dock and wham! I landed a two and a half pounder. I nailed a few smaller ones, probably from last year's spawn, around 6 to 8 inches and caught one bream on a Rooster Tail just for the fun of it. So the guys have told you exactly what to do. Throw along the bank or weed lines or into the grass. Senkos are dynamite; crankbaits and spinnerbaits can produce good results; a Chatterbait is a different presentation that can be a good tool to use; and always throw a Rooster Tail just for the fun of it. But always remember two rules for fishing ponds. First, since the fish can hear and see you, walk at least 50 to 100 feet from the bank when you move from location to location; and second, don't fall in! I almost fell in on Monday but caught my balance and avoided the tradegy. Now I leave my car keys and cell phone in the tackle box!

I stumbled on the book at Bass Pro Shops after someone on this site suggested it in their post. BPS did not have many left so I grabbed one when I saw it. I suppose you could go to Lyons Press on the web, or call 800.962.0973, extensiion 4551, or Amazon.com or your local bookstore and order it if they do not have it in stock. This above telephne number is for corporate or incentives but they should be able to direct you to the right person. Also, the book lists an e-mail, premiums@globalpequot.com, for corporate orders. The book explains how the fish senses food and baits and its environment, etc. For example, in the Chemoreception chapter, here is what they say about using scents on crankbaits: Effects of Adding Scent to Crankbaits Average Number of Strikes Without Scent - 23 With Scent - 45 Average Lure Retention Time for Crankbaits Without Scent - Less than 0.4 seconds With Scent - 0.9 Seconds Dr. Jones goes into the types of scents and how the fish smells them and that some are a waste of money as the molecules cannot be picked up by the bass's senses. One of the many subjects that blew me away was the Vision chapter where studies at Pure Fishing and Berkley Fish Research showed that a plastic crawfish without any claws or wiskers had more strikes two and a half times higher than the original whole crawfish. Plastic craws without claws scored second. Also, in the Senses of the Skin chapter they show the texture effects on bait retention. Here is what the book says: "Using their sense of touch, bass easily discern hard and soft materials, heavily favoring the latter. Research shows that roughly half of all attacks on hard plastic lures end with the bait being rejected in 0.25 seconds or less. Wooden baits fare no better, in fact scoring virtually the same as hard plastics. By coimparison, unscented soft plastic PVC-type baits are tetained rughly six times longer." The book says that the fish is a sight feeder so our baits can attract them towards us but they like to view the baits and then make up their mind if it is food before they strike. However, blind bass can hunt by vibratiion and do quite well. Scents, vibrations and flash attract the fish but they feel with their mouth and after being attracted to our baits they take a good look at it to decide to attack the bait and if they do decide to test the bait they do so with their mouths. Thus the time they hold onto hard wood or plastic baits and plastic baits. And they can remember different baits and to stay away from them plus various sounds that mean we are around. The older bass will retreat under cover when they hear trolling motors or other sounds associated with being caught. The book is a must read if you want to understand how the fish senses our lures, remembers them, and also debate someone if the fish feels pain. The pain chapter is extremely interesting. Good luck with your search.

For all you guys who fish tournaments and want to be a bass pro, I suggest purchasing the book, Knowing Bass - The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish by Kieth A. Jones, Ph.D., Lyons Press, 2002. It is fantastic. You will learn all about the fish and what works and does not work to catch them. I could not put the book down once I started reading it. You can glaze over the technical stuff that supports the practical application suggested but even the technical information is valuable. Best bass book I have ever read and a great $17 investment.

Hye John, Great to have you. Hopefully another Flyers fan! I lived in the suburbs of Philly when the Flyers won their Stanley Cups and even went to one of the playoff games. That Kate Smith was great. I still hope that the Flyers would play God Bless America at their games. We lived in Landsdale, Norristown and Conshohocken (Whitemarsh Township). So where do you fish? Is the Sure-Kill any good? Any good places in Bucks County or the Main Line areas? I bet some of those Main Line golf courses have some nice fish in them. Be sure to ask questions and we will give you a lot of answers on this site. And let us know how you do and what baits and techniques you use. Now, if the Phillies will just start winning... ;D Sam