Sam

Burley, come on! We have people from Virginia, Virginia Tech, Tulane, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, VCU, North Carolina, La Tech, Ole Miss and more schools at the boil. Everyone has a great time. Wear your colors! Be proud to be a Vol. Even if the colors are what convicts wear. ;D However, the ride to Richmond is a l-o-n-g for you so I will eat your 6+ pounds for you and enjoy every one! Go Vols. Beat Rutgers tonight. Sam

Think about adding some structure to the pond if you can do it without getting into trouble. Some cinder blocks; tree limbs; Christmas trees after Christmas (make them Spruce if possible); and anything you can sink that the bass will use as cover. Make a map of the pond and mark where you sunk the structure. I lost a lure on the Christmas tree I put in the pond by my house this afternoon but at least I know it is still there. I went out this afternoon just to see if the fish were moving and their condition. I caught 6 big and plump redbreast; one very healthy bream; 5 bass and they all had good color; and one Crappie that had been caught before by the condition of his mouth. And try a Rooster Tail. All fish hit Rooster Tails for some unknown reason. I use all sizes and usually in off white. And they are cheap, too. Be sure to put a swivel on your line about 10 inches from the lure to avoid line twist. And keep posting those pics.

Remember to yell, "get the net, get the net" in the labor room! Congrats to you and your wife.

The Central Virginia LSU Alumni Club will be having its annual crawfish boil on Saturday, May 19th at the American Legion Post 354 on the James River in Midlothian, off Robious Road and at the rear of the Tarrington subdivision. Please go to www.lsuva.freeservers.com for details. We have been asked by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries not to use any live Red River crawfish as bait in any Virginia waters. The Red River crawfish are very agressive and do not mix well with our Virginia species. But they sure are good when cooked by a bunch of Cajuns!

On spinnerbaits they are a must when tournament fishing. Otherwise, when you fish for fun, they are optional.

My right inside elbow started hurting at the end of last year's fishing season (November) and continued to hurt though the winter. A trainer at my health club told me that when you have pain on the inside of your elbow it is golfer's elbow while any pain on the outside of the elbow is tennis elbow. Take Aleve; put heat on it one or two times a day; and wear an elbow support to put presure on the area when fishing or if the pain continues during the day; and stretch before fishing. I also started lifting weights which has helped relieve the pain. When I went fishing last Thursday I had no problems throwing a baitcaster all day. My right elbow continues to be sore at times but so far it is doing very well and it feels 100% better. Check out www.mayoclinic.com/health/golfers-elbow for more information. If this web address does not work then go to www.mayoclinic.com and search for golfers elbow. The same is probably true for tennis elbow, too. Also, try UPMC Sports Medicine, sportsmedicine.upmc.com/injuriesgolferselbowrehab.htm Good luck.

I used it a few weeks ago and found a pond about a block south of my American Legion Post which no one at the Post knew exisited. I will have to find and fish it. Google Earth is an outstanding tool to locate hidden creeks, etc. and it is a lot cheaper than hiring a private plane to fly over the areas where you fish.

Here is what Ken Cook said at the January 10, 2004 Bassmaster University in Richmond, Virginia regardng your query. Speed of Metabolism in Largemouth Bass Based on Water Temperature WATER TEMPERATURE TIME TO DIGEST MINNOW 40 Degrees 8 Days 50 Degrees 7 Days 60 Degrees 2.5 Days 70 Degrees 24 Hours 80 Degrees 18 Hours 80 Plus Degrees 18 Hours Between 73 and 75 degrees the bass' metabolism is the most efficient. Water temperature is critical to fishing plans since you will have better success when the water temperature reaches 60 degrees and higher. Personally, I would think that it would take a longer time to digest a bream or bluegill or shad. I hope this helps.

Fivebasslimit is correct. Set the hook when fishing a jig so hard that if you miss the fish you go backwards, out of the boat and into the water. Keep the line tight with your rod tip pointed towards the water to help keep the fish from jumping. Remember, sometimes the bass will swim towards your boat so it is imperative that you have a tight line and you are using a baitcaster that can reel-in the line fast to keep the line tight. And think about the type of line you are using. If it is a braid then there is no stretch and you pile drive the hook into the bass' mouth. If it is mono or fluorocarbon you have some give and you need to set the hook strongly or else the fish can throw it. One more thing, check out your trailer. I have seen trailers get turned around and interfere with your hook-set. So make sure the trailer is on the hook properly by visually checking it every few casts. Are you using a strong backbone with a fast action tip rod? You need that fast action tip to set the hook and a strong backbone to get the fish out of the structure. Now, go out and practice every afternoon and all day Saturday!

I used to use my Hurricane glass from Pat O'Brian's in the French Quarter to save quarters but my son kept taking them and leaving IOUs. So we (wife and me) started using a large plastic container hidden in my closed to save pennies. We had about 20 pounds of pennies and when we cashed them in we got around $15.00. Now we save dimes. They are smaller and add up a lot faster then pennies. I guess we have over $200 in dimes now and the pot is still growing.

Dabnis, Let me tell you what I have done to get ready to hit the water in Virginia. 1. Attended two seminars. 2. Organized by tackle which took two and a half days. But it was a lot of fun. 3. Started working out and lost 7 pounds so far with 13 more to go. 4. Read two books on bass fishing techniques and tips. Interesting tips, too. 5. Cleaned rods and oiled reels. Reels are going to Reel Tech at the end of this season for maintenance. 6. Removed all old line from reels and respooled baitcasters. Will do the same to spinning reels this week as I have a tournament next weekend. 7. Attended Bassarama in Richmond and purchased some beautiful minnows. They look real and they have great action for my drop shot rigs. 8. Watched some videos and DVDs on techniques. So, yes, there are things you can do during the winter months to get ready to go fishing. I plan to attack the boat today by putting the equipment back on board and get the boat organized.

You are not in a slump. You are in cold water. I am sure you will be nailing them just as soon as the water temperature starts to rise. But keep on trying. That big 8 pound lunker is just sitting there waiting for you!

Audubon park Lagoon in New Orleans. Age, around 10. Cane pole and used rolled white bread balls for bait on a small hook. Caught bluegill and bream. Had a blast and I didn't fall in!

Suggestion to consider: If you see the bass suspended off the bank, consider throwing a suspended jerkbait over or through them at or above their depth. They may be suspended 5 to 8 feet in 10 to 15 feet of water so consider throwing a suspended jerkbait around 4 to 6 feet. They may come up and hit it out of aggravation. Check out your sonar to pinpoint where and how deep they are suspending. When the sun comes out and warms the water you could always consider the Rat-L-Trap, spinnerbait (color depending on water clarity and two gold Colorado blades) or jig and pig thrown from the shoreline and back to the boat. Let us know how you do and also try some of the ther suggestions the guys will give you.

George, Thanks for the input. When I used to raise mcaws we had them in their own shed where we controlled the light so they would mate. So I know birds use the numbers of hours of light to reproduce and I guess fish do so, too. Later, Sam

Jomatty, Great question. Difficult answer. I have thrown jigs and plastics so they will have a fast fall and a slow fall. You just have to let the bass tell you what they want. Then kick yourself in the fanny when you realize all the time you lost trying to figure it out.

Hey George. Glad you are back on the forum. All I know is what I have been told; have read in books and magazines; watched videos; and seen on the water. The bass, and other fish, will start their spawning rituals depending on the water temperatures. So if Mother Nature has the bass starting their courtships when the water temperature hits the low 50s, I would think that would be the case from the mid-Atlantic states to the Northern and Mid-America areas and heading west to the Rockies. Of course, where the water temperatures never hit the 50s, like southern Florida and Texas and places out west, then, as I have been told, is another situation totally different from the waters that do have their winter temperatures lower than 50 degrees. While fishing Kerr Lake-Buggs Island yesterday we saw many bass staging off-shore. The water temperature started out at 46 degrees and increased to 53 degrees in the creek coves when the sun came out. All the bass wanted to do were suspend and watch the baitfish and our baits swim by. I would think that they would start their rituals after the first full moon in April and when the water temperatures reach into the 50s. And yes, one of my friends who is a guide says we have to wait for the first full moon in April before they start the hunt for beds and begin moving into the shallows. I hope some of the guys can shed more light on this topic.

Exellent photography. Take your camera with you when fishing and send us some more shots of the water, shore, wildlife and of course, any bass you may happen to catch!

I guess this means you are ready for some basketball? Nice game against UK. It drove 10-Loss Tubby to Minnessota. Being from LSU it is nice to see UK in the toilet and lose once again in the NCAA Tournament. Of course, I can't say much because the Fighting Tigers were so bad this year under Puffy Cheeks that they did not even get the opportunity to lose in the first round of the NIT and Big Baby decided to jump to the NBA. However, football is right around the corner. Can't wait!

I have fished Congressional Country Club's ponds in Bethesda, Maryland. I was allowed to fish it because they are one of my clients and I could only fish until the first tee time, around 8 AM. I managed to extend the time to around 9 AM as I could fish the pond by the 15th green on the Blue Course before the players arrived. I have been denied fishing all other golf course ponds. So, if you want to fish the ponds I would think you could do so early in the morning before the golfers start to play the course.

I know the guys will give you some good insight into the history of B.A.S.S. and how some of the pros started off as guides. I had a conversation about B.A.S.S. and ESPN and FLW with a guide and he told me how some of today's pros and stars started out as guides. He also said that you cannot be both a guide and a pro. Each career takes a lot of time and you cannot do both and be successful at both. He also said that to be a successful guide you must limit yourself to one or two bodies of water. Any more and you just don't have the time to study and fish the other bodies to get to know them to be successful. It would be very interesting to find out which bass pros and stars started out as guides. Anyone???????

Really funny. Thanks for sharing. Hillery is on the path of self-destruction. Any more "light bulb" comments and she is a gonner.

Went to Kerr Lake - Buggs Island today, Thursday, March 22nd, and had a great time although the fishing was not that good. We left the Eastland Creek Ramp aroun 7:00 AM and stayed in Eastland Creek to around 2:30 PM. The water was very high, around 305, and is in the bushes and trees. The water temperature started out at 46 degrees when we left the ramp and the fishing was s-l-o-w. The water was very stained. The greenish and dirtiest water color I have ever seen in Kerr. And I was surprised as I knew the upper lake was dirty but I thought the lower end would be either clear or slightly stained. The clouds rolled in in the morning but when they finally broke up around Noon and the sun came out to warm the water it looked like the bass were starting to move. Of course it was time for us to go home so we could not fish the bushes and trees in the warm 53 degree water. That's right. We started out at 46 degrees; got up to around 48 degrees under the clouds; and when the sun poked out the water temperature soared to 53 degrees in the coves. My buddy caught a 14 incher on a pumpkin jig and pig and he lost one on a blue and black jig and pig set up before noon. As the water became warmer and we went into one of the coves, my buddy caught another 14 incher on a Yamamoto Kreature Bait and I lost one right at the boat on a chrome with black back Rat-L-Trap. I hate when that happens. Later in the day my buddy lost another one on the Kreature Bait and I nailed mine on a white and chartruse 3/8 spinner bait with two gold Colorado blades. My bass was also about 14 inches. It seems that the bass were holding off shore and were sacked over the original bank. Had we thought to bring any suspending jerkbaits baits we could have thrown over the bass in hopes of getting a reaction strike. The sonar showed lots of baitfish and bass staging off shore. With warmer temperatures on their way this weekend, Kerr should be a super fishery. Good luck to any of you guys who are heading out to Kerr or Gaston this weekend.

PHILADELPHIA - Thousands of weary travelers faced a third day waiting to reach their destinations Sunday as US Airways struggled to recover from the ice and snow storm that paralyzed airports in the Northeast. The airline was still trying to find seats for 100,000 passengers systemwide whose flights were grounded by Friday's storm, spokesman Andrew Christie said. Many of the passengers were diverted to US Airways' hub in Charlotte, N.C., on Friday. Computer problems, airline staffing rules and other problems slowed US Airways' attempts to clear the backlog. In addition, the airline's flights on Sunday were already nearly sold out with 275,000 passengers booked, the airline said. "Now we are in the process of repositioning our crew, our planes and we are trying to re-accommodate roughly 100,000 customers who didn't make their final destinations on Friday," Christie said. "I can tell you the outlook for tonight looks good. We have the flight crews available and the weather is holding up pretty well," Christie said.

Thanks for the input. I had heard of this before a few years ago and am sorry to see it is back. I hope they get it corrected. A good pet is a member of the family and I don't want anything to happen to anyone's pets.