Sam

Submit that photo to your State Fair and you may be a winner! A Blue Ribbon boot!

Some of the guys in my fishing club attend the local NHRA meet south of Richmond, Virginia and I may go with them this year. I go to the NASCAR and Indy 500 and the Indy Race in Richmond so I like the speed, but they tell me that the speed, noise and fire are spectacular at the NHRA races and make NASCAR look like a kids game. One of the guys at my church is the manager of the NHRA track so I will try to get us pit passes, if they have such a thing, or a tour. Thanks for your information. I appreciate hearing that you enjoyed the event and it is worth the money.

I can't believe anyone would break into someone's boat. That is worse than breaking into a home or a car or an office. I have removed everyrthing from my boat and have unlocked the compartments so if any low life tries to get into the craft they will not have a difficult time and they can see that there is no gear on board. I am really sorry for you and I hope you can get some insurance money and restock your box. If you have a homeowners policy you may be able to make a claim under that contract. Give it some thought. If you do not have a homeowners or renters policy, think about getting one. I bet you are thinking of getting those lock bars I have seen in magazines to put over the compartment covers. That may be a good investment. Hey, at least you get to buy all of your stuff over again. The Bait Monkey awaits you.

Try a Rooster Tail in white or white/gray. All fish will usually attack a Rooster Tail. Be sure to have a pliers with you to remove the treble hooks. Have you thrown a buzzbait in the early AM or right at dark? Try a black one and see what happens. And you can pull the buzzbait on top of the grass and pads, too. Have you thrown any topwaters such as a Spook or a Pop-R type bait? They should attack plastic worms with no problem, too. Chatterbaits and frogs may produce good results. Remember to "size down" for your pond as some of the larger bait sizes will not be successful. Smaller baits may produce more strikes than their larger cousins. And don't forget to try finesse fishing with your wacky worm, drop shot, shakey worm and Mojo rigs. Let us know how you do. Good luck.

This has happened to me, too. I agree that the best course of action is to throw what the guy working the trolling motor is throwing, but in a different color or bait style. Or exactly the same lure or color. When I do pitch a plastic worm from the back of the boat, I do it fast and at specific targets. if the guy in the front of the boat is throwing a crankbait or spinner bait, etc. I have asked guys to slow down and they usually do unless we are hunting for fish and then we want to cover a lot of water. Ifyou all are trying to locate fish then throw a fish-finding type of bait, such as a crankbait and find out where the fish are and talk about your presentations to coordinate your efforts. This situation is frustrating but it is part of bass fishing so just do your best.

JF Bass, Just read the posts on this forum and you will learn a lot. Then, get some videos about specific baits and techniques. Read, read and read. Suscribe to Bassin, Bassmaster Magazine and Bass Times. Join B.A.S.S. and FLW and read their publications. Uncle Homer Circle has some very good books. Consider Bass Wisdom by Homer Circle. The Lau videos on Bigmouth and Bigmouth Forever are excellent. The Feeding Habits of Bass is also a winner. Anything Ike or VanDam are excellent. Woo Daves collection is also very informative. And rember, ask questions and read the posts on this site and you will be in the Classic in no time.

Body of ex-LSU star found in Lake Pontchartrain 03:06 PM CDT on Monday, May 28, 2007 WWLTV.com The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said Monday afternoon it had found the body of former LSU star Marquise Hill near the area where he was last seen Sunday night following a jet skiing incident. Hill was jet skiing with a female friend in Lake Pontchartrain when they both went into the water for an as yet undetermined reason. Eyewitnesses said the two were drifting apart in a strong current but that the woman was able to grab hold of a piling until she could be rescued. Attempts to get to Hill while he was still visible were unsuccessful. According to Coast Guard officials, a call came in around 9:30 Sunday evening about a woman floating in the water, hanging on to a piling. Elias said the woman was rescued and rushed to the hospital where she told them that Hill had tried to keep her calm even as the two were drifting away from each other. Elias said neither Hill nor the woman was wearing a life preserver. Friends told Eyewitness News reporter Jill Hezeau that Hill was in for the holiday weekend and had gone to Lake Pontchartrain to jet ski. I'd never seen him as happy as he was yesterday, said his uncle Aaron Hill. A graduate of De La Salle High, Elias said that Hill has spent much of his time since Katrina helping family members rebuild their homes. Hill played on LSU's National Championship team and was drafted in the second round by New England in 2004. MORAL OF STORY - WEAR YOUR LIFE VEST AT ALL TIMES. HILL WAS A MONSTOR AND VERY STRONG BUT YOU CAN'T CONTROL WATER AND ELECTRICITY. ANOTHER LIFE GONE THAT SHOULD STILL BE AROUND, PLAYING IN THE NFL AND ENJOYING LIFE.

$1,700+ for my two Lowrance units, the WASP unit and installation. It was fantastic!!!!

May I suggest you consider the following suggestions? 1. If the water is clear use a 3/4 ounce with silver willow leaf blades; stained water use gold blades; cloudy or breezy consider painted blades such as a glimmer shad skirt with white blades. 2. If the bass are on the "smaller" size, downsize your spinner to a 1/4 ounce and give it a try. 3. You can use lead split-shot sinkers weighing between 1/8 and 1/2 ounce to reduce lift. Use a total of 3/8 ounces as a maximum weight if necessary to get deeper. Attach the sinkers close to the knot. 4. You can solder around the lenght of the hook. You do this for deeper water or for slow rolling or to fish it fast near the surface. 5. Always use a trailer hook. A 2/0 about half the length of the standard trailer hook works very well. A shorter trailer hook does better in vegetation. 6. You can close the gap between the blade wire and the shaft by squeezing down on the blade arm and up on the body for fast fishing in clear or deep water. Or, make the gap wider to slow down your presentation or for muddy water. 7. If the water is muddy you can use a bukly trailer with an active tail such as a grub. Also, the weight of your line will have an impact on the depth of the spinnerbait. Are you using 17 pound or 10 pound test? Mono does extremely well with a spinnerbait as it is abraision resistant and has low stretch. Use green in clear water. Good luck and let us know how you do.

Hey Avid, See you have not lost your touch. Keep on truck'in!

Here is what I do when I launch and trailer by myself. First, I prepare the boat to be launched and tie a line to the dock before going into the water. I tie the line to the dock with enough line to allow the boat to float off the trailer. Make sure the line is properly tied and secure to the dock. Then back up; hit the brakes, and the boat floats into the water, secured to the dock. When trailering, I back the trailer into the water and drive the boat onto the trailer. I then climb out of the boat and hook the boat to the wrench line and reel her in. If I can't drive the boat on the trailer, I tie the boat to the dock close to the shore and back the trailer into the water. I then throw another line to the car and walk to the line, pick it up, and pull the boat to the trailer as close as possible. Then I get wet. I walk into the water with the wrench line, hook it to the boat, walk back and wrench the boat onto the trailer. I have had many people help me at the dock when I am by myself so don't be bashful and ask for help. One time I had three guys pick up the front of my boat and actually place it on the front of the trailer when it got ****-eyed in the Rapahannock River due to the current. Problems? Yes. If there is current then getting the boat to sit on the trailer properly can be difficult. If your dock line comes untied you can watch the boat float away. Never happened to me but it did to one of my friends. Another boater took him out to get his boat. Just take your time and be patient. And do not overdo it to avoid injuring yourself. Good luck.

You get a ticket in Virginia. Sometimes just a warning; but you can receive a ticket. I hope you purchase your license to help support the state's efforts to keep fishing a top notch sport. I purchased a lifetime license so I am set for both fresh and saltwater fishing until I go to the big pond in the sky.

Opps! I got them fropm Cabela's. They are the Dabela's Master Guide wading shoes. Check out pages 358 and 359 of the 11th edition of Cabela's 2007 Master Fishing catalog. As for fishing the James River, I fish from Bosher's Dam up to Watkins Landing; around the Pony Pasture; and east of Richmond towards and past Hopewell. There is a catfish school at the Pony Pasture in August so contact the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, or go to their web site, for details. Really great program and a lot of fun.

It is always upsetting to read or hear about a young person losing their life in an avoidable accident. Males do not mature as fast as females as part of the male brain does not mature until the mid to late 20s. Sometimes it is in the 30s when a male finally "grows up" and realizes the dangers of his actions. An entire life gone in a flash due to a dumb act. It is vey sad. Thanks for sharing with us. Our hearts go out to the families of all involved in the event.

Our club helps out with the yute events in the greater Richmond area. We are having the Yute Fishing Day at Hanover County Park on June 2nd and then taking about 40 kids in the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades, along with the six teachers, fishing later this summer. The smile on a kid's face when he catches something is priceless. You did good, Burley. Keep up the good work.

I have my trailer serviced each year. I also installed a spare tire on the trailer. Now, to remember to take the jack with me!

Same thing happened to me. Who would have thought the fish were that powerful? I do not have any solution but I have been thinking about it. I thought about putting a piece of wood on hte sides to help keep it in place. Or, glue weights onto the bottom of the white divider to keep it from moving. When you figure it out PM me so I can give it a try, too. And by the way, I have updated my ProTracker 185 with Lowrance electronics; circuit breakers replacing the fuses; a stainless steel prop; upgraded the trolling motor to a 24 volt, 67 thrust system which really moves the boat; and have installed a spare tire on the trailer. And I just had the local boat shop use electric "glue" to keep the trolling motor wires together in the bow. Isn't boating fun????

One of life's little joys, a baseball game. Sitting back, relaxed, enjoying the game and eating and drinking without a worry in the world. Other than for fishing, it just doesn't get better than this. Glad you had a good time.

Yes, you can fish a Carolina rig on a river. You can use it when they are spawning or during the pre and post spawn periods. You can fish a worm or a fluke or a creature bait or any type of plasic you want, even during the summer months. Of course, throwing the crankbait, chatterbait or worm may be a better selection, when the bite goes away try anything. Check out my post in "Fishing Alone" and look at one of the reasons I like to fish alone...I can fish anyway I want, be it dumb or brilliant!

I carry a copy of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Freshwater Fishing Guide that has color photos of all of the freshwater fish in Virginia waters, even the Snakehead. I have had to pull out the publication to try to match what we were catching with the photos in the publication so we would know what they were and if they were baitfish for bass. (Turned out to be white perch.) So please contact your state's Fish and Game Department and find out if they have any type of fish indentification chart. I have also seen these types of charts in Wal-Mart so check you your local Wal-Mart store, too. And I have a big poster of the "Common Fish of Virginia" mounted on poster board (by Ben Franklin Craft shop in Richmond) hanging in my home office which I look at before and after going fishing. It is great poster and I suggest all guys in Virignia get a copy and have it mounted and hung in your room or office. What I really want to do is get a small fake shark and take it to Lake Anna and start to fish with it already attached to my hook near where some kids have anchored their parents boat and are swimming in a cove and yell and hold up the shark so they can see it. I wonder if they would get out of the water? ;D

Fishing alone is great unless you do not have a camera on the boat when you catch that monster bass. I always leave a Float Plan with my wife so she will know where I will be. She also calls me or I call her on the cell phone during the day so she knows where I am and that I am alive and well. Be sure to be double careful and always use your safety laynard when underway. There is no other person to throw you a seat cushion if you fall out of the boat when you are by yourself. Now, for the reasons to fish alone. 1. You can go to the bathroom off any part of the boat any time you want. 2. You can eat what you want, including candy and potato chips, etc., without sharing. 3. You can drink any type of soft drink or flavored water that you want. 4. You can fish anyway you want, even with a Rooster Tail, and not be embarrassed. 5. You can take a nap. 6. You can read the newspaper or a book and enjoy the breeze and shade and not have to keep moving all day long. 7. You can mess up launching the boat and no one knows. 8. You can mess up trailoring the boat and no one knows. 9. You can get lost and then find your way back to the ramp and no one will know. 10. You can get hung up in the bushes, trees, docks, piers, etc. and no one will know. Maybe the guys will add to this list. I love fishing by myself. It is relaxing and you can do what you want, when you want and how you want.

May I suggest considering the "felt sole" water shoes and boots? I got mine from BPS and they are fantastic. I wear them when wading in the Historic James River which is full of rocks and bolders. I have a weak right knee (two surgeries and two rounds of chicken greese injections) so I am not a great "walker" in water but those felt soles are fantastic and they keep me from falling the vast majority of the time. Good luck.

To get the Virginia Safe Boating course requirement out of the way, I was at the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries from 8:00 to 4:30 today. Glad to say I scored a 92 on the test; missing two questions regarding jet skis and two more on general boating safety. I was not interested in the jet skis portion of the course so that is why I missed two of their questions. I could have waited until 2015 to take the safety course but I thought I would take the class before I totally lost my mind and memory and get it out of the way. Here is some of the information they gave us for you guys living in Virginia. Enjoy! You will need to have successfully passed a NASBLA approved Virginia Safe Boating Course to operate a watercraft of 10 horsepower or more in the Commonwealth based on the following age chart. You will have to carry proof of the successful completion of an approved safety course on your person if you are operating a motor craft in the future. If you have already successfully completed an approved safe boating course and your information is on file with DGIF you can obtain your safe boating card at this time. AGE BY JULY 1 YEAR YOU MUST HAVE THE SAFETY CARD 20 2011 30 2012 40 2013 45 2014 50 2015 Everyone 2016 And don't stand behind any jet skis because when they start their motors the water pressure will drive the water up your fanny! I thought that was an interesting piece of information.

You are in New Jersey. The foilage is brown. I think it is growing out of dead bodies. ;D

The only time I have heard that you should remove the fish from the water is when the lake or pond is overrun with small bass and there is not enough food for the rest of the population. Otherwise, ALL freshwater fish are thrown back. I only eat saltwater fish. Leading the list is redfish, then speckled trout, bluefish, gaftop catfish and salmon. If you want to catch them again, you just got to throw them back.