Sam

How about a $1,000,000 more in income with a college degree than without? It is a proven fact. Get that degree; get a good career; and pay a lot of FICA!

Nope Avid, but like the other guys I have missed a guide. I have cut the tag line off a lure and watched it disappear in the water as I actually cut the line when I retied. Hey, that's fishing and that's what makes if fun.

I looked at your last 15 posts and all seemed to be OK and no problems. I would think you being banned was a computer glitch. If I was you I would not give it a second thought and keep on posting and sharing your ideas and thoughts with us.

Two reasons. First, bass are all around us. Second, they are smarter than us. That seems to sum it up!

I really do not count casts. I try to hit the same area from different angles and different distances with different presentations. I hit the front of the structure first and then go back to the shore and continue to throw the same bait until the fish tell me they don't want it. I then throw another bait in the same places from the same angles. I usually start with a crankbait, chatterbait, spinnerbait or a buzzbait and then go to a wacky rig Senko, a jig and pig, Kreature bait, lizard, tubes, regular rigged Senko or finesse worm, etc. If nothing hits these baits I move on to the next strucutre or just fish the bank until I find the next structure or drop off. When I do get bit I notice where I was; the bait; the depth; how hard was the hit; the structure and vegetation; retrive speed; and anything else I notice to try to find the pattern. If I miss one in an area and they refuse to take another presentation, I wait about one hour and return to the same spot and give it another try. The bass should still be there. So, as to how many casts do I throw with any one bait? No idea. I throw until I realize they are not interested in the bait and try another one!

Suggest deep diving crankbait in crawfish or shad color thrown about 30 to 40 off the shore and where the drop offs can hold staging bass. Look for any grass you can find, too. Also, throw cranks to the shore and reel back to the boat to find where fish are holding and to formulate a pattern. Spinnerbaits to help locate fish can be helpful, too. Select color based on sun and clouds and blades based on water clarity. Carolina rigged lizzard can also be a fish finder. Don't forget the Chatterbait and jig and pig, too. Black and Blue jig with a black or blue pig with a rattle may work, too. If in shallows, go with your shaky head or wacky worm presentations and consider throwing a lizzard at them while they are in the shallows. Match colors with water clarity and forage. Dip tails in yellow Spike It to add a dash of color to the bait. Check water temperatures as you fish as the water will heat up during the day and as the water heats the fish become more active. Remember to park your boat around structure and wood along the shoreline and fish your cranks and spinnerbaits from all angles. Throw plastics around docks and wood, too. Pay attention when you get bit or land a bass. Look around at your surroundings and the water temperature as that is where they are holding. Create a "milk run" and fish those areas until the fish tell you to try something else. And listen to the other suggestions as the guys know what they are talking about. Let us know how you do.

Ok guys, here is the secret to fishing a wacky rig but don't tell any others as it will be our secret. Purchase at your local hardware store Polyolefin Heat Shrinking Tubing in the sizes of 3/8 and 1/4. Cut off a 1/4 inch section of the tubing and pull the worm through it so that it sits in the middle of the worm. Take a match or a lighter and heat the tubing. It will shrink around the plastic. Then, take your 2/0 or 3/0 wacky worm hook and run it under the tubing, but not into the plastic. There you go! Ready to fish and the tubing is very strong and will not slip and you can use catch about 20 bass on each wacky rig.

Sorry, I meant a baitcaster, not a spinning reel. I am getting old and forgetfull.

KS Bryan, The set ups are all good; however, may I add some suggestions? I have lost more fish on Rat-L-Traps and crankbaits on the original hooks that come with the baits that now I am considering changing all of the hooks on all baits. Kevin VanDam says that he uses the Strike King Diamond Shad for cold water and around grass in early spring and late fall. Fish it fast in the shallows and look for flats and stumps and other cover to hit the bait against it. KVD uses a 7 foot E-Glass rod with a 6:3:1 or 5:1 spinning reel ratio. Slower ratios or slowing reeling for cold water. He addes low stretch line (fluorocarbon) and replaces the hooks with Mustad's Triple Grips. He uses one large number 2 hook on the belly and he removes the rear hook on his lipless crankbaits. He likes the number 2 short shank treble hook on the 1/2 ounce Diamond Shad; number 4's on the 1/4 ounce; and the number 2's on the 3/4 ounce Diamond Shads. To get some different action, try putting a snap on your lipless cranktaits and regular crankbaits to increase the action. The number 3 size snaps are to be hooked directly to the split ring. Do something different to entice those monster bass. And of course, let us know how you did. Good luck.

They need to hear your bait or feel its vibration so what the guys have told you is what you need to do. You can try a dark spinnerbait with two painted Colorado blades for the vibration. You may want to swim a black and blue jig with a black or blue pig pig, too. Also, let the fish tell you where they are. Are they still in their staging areas in 5 to 7 feet of water along the dropoffs and ridges or have they moved into shallow water to start their bedding? Think about every strike you get or fish you catch as to where you caught it (points, flats, shoreline, structure, shallows, etc.); how far off the bank you got hit; and what bait were you throwing. You will need to find the magic pattern and fish it until it changes during the day. Also, remember that rocks hold heat so if the water temperature is in the 50s they will seek the heat. And the wind blows the baitfish along the shoreline and the sun heats up one of the shorelines faster than the other so see where the sun shines and heats the water the fastest. And muddy water heats up faster than clear water. So you may not have a problem finding active fish even if the water is dirty. Good luck and let us know how you did.

I would think you would have more responses if you posted your query in the General Bass Fishing sectiion of the forum. I have used white bread to catch minnows in my minnow trap. I put the minnow on a small hook, like a number 6, hooked through the lips, and put a bobber about 18 inches up the line and cast it into the water. I have also hooked the minnow through the back but that can kill them. I use 4 pound test mono and a 6 foot rod set with a light weight spinning reel. You will catch bream (lots of bream); crappie if they are in the waters; a catfish every now and then; and bass. The bass were not large. I don't think any go over a pound at best. Give it a try. It is a lot of fun and you may land that large one. Be sure to have pliers to remove the hook without hurting the fish as they can inhale the minnow. Let us know how you do.

May I suggest calling B.A.S.S.; or sending them an e-mail; or contacting your B.A.S.S. state representative; or see if Hillybilly Hooker answeres your querty? Hillybilly Hooker...you out there?

Some obsrvations. Blacks call blacks the "N" word all the time and it is OK. Blacks call whites "Crackers" and that is OK. Blacks can listen to their rap music as loud as they want and it is OK. Blacks, when they are in the majority at work or have managment frightend of them, do all sorts of things that would get others fired and nothing happens to them. Mexicans and others from South and Central America are taking the good jobs as they work hard; are not problem employees; do not have negitive attitudes; and are family people who take care of their families and do not abandon their families or have children to prove how manly they are. The word "Ho" is from rap music. You can say what you want in the USA but you will pay a price if it is offensive to a group. And we all know that whatever we say about anything, including bass fishing, can be offensive to someone or group. Like PETA. I think the entire issue will backfire on the music industry. I think you will see a backlash against the rapper style of nasty words, phrases and subjects in rap music. Then again, in our country we forget these things as soon as the talking heads on radio and TV go to some other topic. After all, how else can our politicians continue to be re-elected after doing what they do all the time? Am I offended at what Imus said? No, but I can see the Rutgers' team point of view and all other young ladies who play sports. I watch more women's basketball because it is pure and the women play a "team" game which is what basketball is all about. But this is what Imus does and it is not out of character for him to do so. And where were all the Catholics when Imus made fun of the Pope and Catholic church? That was almost as bad as saying what he said about Rutgers. I do not listen to him as he is just plain awful. I am sure a number of you guys love him but for me, he is a waste of time. Maybe this is what he needs to get his ratings higher. Frankly, I could care less if he ever returns to either radio or TV.

We had some copperheads at our house last summer and my wife is deathly afraid of all snakes so I went to Wal-Mart to get some Moth Balls to sprinkle around the front yard to keep the snakes away. I could not find any boxes of Moth Balls at Wal-Mart so I asked one of the Wal-Mart lady staffers if she knew where they were. She said she had never heard of Moth Balls so I told her it was the only part of the moth that was edible. You should have seen her face as she processed that statement. I just thanked her and went to my local grocery store and picked up two boxes.

Glad you had fun at your BPS. It is an adventure and a lot of fun to visit the store. They have some great discounted stuff for Christmas and even my wife likes to go and get things for the family and friends for Christmas. In Richmond, both BPS and Gander Mountain have plans to build new stores. The Richmond-Times Dispatch reported that Cabella's is also considering Richmond as a site for one of their new stores. A guy could have a nervous breakdown with all three stores in his area. Which one to go to first? Who has the best sale? Decisions, decisions and decisions!

Great story, Avid. Sorry you lost her. Closest I have come to your situation was when a stripper hit my crankbait and took off for deep water. No jumping. Just goodbye. Line poped and I lost one of my favorite crankbaits. Hope you can go after her again and bring her in. If so, send pictures.

Bryant, Tell us more. Water temperature. Type of structure you were fishing. Do you think braid is the best line to use for swimbaits? How deep were you fishing? Type and weight of sinker, if any. Details, details, details. Thanks P.S. You did really good. Dream come true type fishing.

Fivebasslimit, The water temperature was between 51 and 56 degrees where ever we went. Never got above 60. But this was the third day of the cold front so they had accumulated to the water temperature and started to move and feed again. They were mostly grey in color, not bright green, so they were coming up from their stageing areas. I will take your advice and change out some of the treble hooks before we go to Lake Chesdin in May. Thanks for the feedback.

Wife has been on my case to get the garden in. Gald I was lazy. We would have lost everything.

The Beatles. Ain't nobody going to top the Beatles.

First, personal message Extreme1018 as he knows the area and how to fish the ponds. Second, go out and purchase some samll Rooster Tails in off white. Get the ones with the treble hook. Put a small swivel about 10 inches from the Rooster Tail on light line, about 4 to 6 pounds. For some reason, bass, bream and crappie, plus any catfish in the pond, will hit a Rooster Tail. With this set up you can find where the fish are staging or going to bed. Good luck.

On Saturday, April 7, we blasted off at 7 AM from the Popular Creek ramp. The the snow was falling and a light wind limited visability to about 1.4 mile. We decided to remain in Popular Creek as the wind and snow picked up right after we left the ramp and it was too dangerous to go out in the lake. This was the best decision we made. We fished the mouth of Popular and found the bass in about 5 to 7 feet of water where there were dropoffs and on points. We decided to throw a crawfish Bandit 300 to get down to the fish and we made the right choice. The snow and wind picked up and we could not see more than 100 feet. So we stayed at the mouth of Popular, fishing both sides and in some of the coves. My buddy caught four, one over 4.5 pounds, and I caught two. We met two guys who were fishing another tourney and the one fishing the C-rig was doing nothing while the guy throwing his crankbait had four. So it looked like they were holding at the mouth of the creek in about 7 feet of water and were starting to move and feed. Around 1:30 we decided to go down the lake towards Gaston Dam and fish another creek mouth and we also changed to a shad color Bandit 300 just to see if they would hit it. Yes, they hit it harder than they did the crawfish color. I had already lost one at the boat and my friend lost one, too, on the crawfish color plus when we pulled them into the boat two of them fell off the crankbait and landed in the boat's bottom. We found some grass along the shoreline of a creek mouth and my buddy caught his fifth keeper and I nailed two more. I also lost two plus something took my shad crawfish and headed to deep watetr and never turned back. It must have been a striper or a pickrel. It was big and it was fast. It hit the lure and ran right under the boat and popped my line. We caught well over ten; with eight nice keepers. My buddy won our club tourney with 16 pounds and I came in 7th. Had I not lost those fish I would have been third. I really need to change out those hooks that come with crankbaits. I think larger hooks would have allowed me to land the ones I missed. Oh well, live and learn. Overall, even with one inch of snow in the boat, it was a great day on the lake.

Hey Jr16 and welcome. There is so much information and opinions out there that you can drive yourself crazy. May I suggest the following? 1. Purchase DVDs or videos on baits and techniques. They simplify everything. 2. Suscribe to Bassin magazine. 3. Ask questions on this forum. 4. Get out on the water as much as you can. Ike I. and Kevin VanDam have some outstanding productions as do Jimmy Houston and Hank Parker. The Woo Daves series is excellent, too. You cannot go wrong with any DVDs or videos from the bass pros. Just fish. And fish some more.

Drag a worm over the pads and let it sink in the holes. Try a buzzbait in the morning if the water temperature is in the high 50s or 60s. Try a frog. Try a Kreature bait and drag it over the pads and let it fall in the holes. Be sure to let your bait "sit awhile" on the pad. It is amazing to see the bass jump clear out of the water and hit your bait on the way down. The guys will have other suggestions so do what they say, too. Good luck.

Mudbugs are outstanding. And they are happy, too. Know why? They are the only animal that gets their tails pinched and their heads sucked. Yum, yum!