Sam

Ben, Congrats and the best of luck (and skill) to you in the tournament. Please be sure to fill us in on your success and what happened in the tournament. I think we are all interested in how you do and we will be pulling for you. Have a safe trip and we all look forward to seeing your photo in Bassmaster Magazine and Bass Times.

I have never seen Mark's photo or read anything about him fishing any pro tournaments. I had no idea how he got the ESPN gig but he does an excellent job and I enjoy his commentary. He has a very pleasing voice and I agree he would be outstanding at the Classic. Thanks for letting us know how the got the ESPN job.

So you are telling us that there are cameras focused on the roads and they snap your photo when you speed or run a red light? In Virginia the General Assembly has had bills introduced to do the same but so far they have not passed. I can understand your feelings as I would be very upset to receive a ticket in the mail, too.

Yes, there are differences for the four seasons and pre and post spawn. Check out the fishing tips on this site for spring and pre and post spawn. Check out what the pros have to say on their web sites. Do you get any fishing e-mails about different techniques, baits, etc.? If not, sign up for some and read, read and read about how to fish each season. And I suggest you consider purchasing some books on fishing that discusses the four seasons and how to fish each. Also, suscribe to Bassmaster Magazine, Bass Times and FLW Magazine plus Bassin and you can read about lures and techniques for each season of the year. Remember, water temperature! Read about water temperature. Good luck and be sure to post the photos of your big bass when you get them this spring.

Check out how to pitch and flip. You will find all types of information about it on this site and in books and magazines. You can fish lilly pads on top or sink your baits into the pads. There are many techniques and baits to use that they are too numerous to mention in this post. Fishing pads is fun. Try a buzzbait; spinnerbait; Texas rigged weedless plastic; wacky worm; shakey head; jigs. Also, get a push pole and go up into the pads and take the pole and make a hole in the pads. Then come back and fish the hole in about an hour. See what happens. Good luck and read, read and read about fishing the pads and grass.

She was only 39 years old. Anyone who dies at 39 is a tragic event. As for the TV talking heads, they have to talk and speculate about something. Remember the coverage that horse got last week? It is sick. Just sick.

All of us are proud of your son. Please tell him that after I got back from Viet Nam, I have never discussed my tour nor do I watch war movies anymore. And I returned home in 1970 so it has been almost 37 years since I have been back in the states. God Bless him and may he have a long and prosprous life.

Yes, I receive Bass Times and it is excellent. No, I have not received my latest copy which I hope arrives soon. Yes, you will receive many replies to your post but it may take some time as the guys get back on-line and read your topic. No, I don't have my last issue as I cut out the articles I want to save, file them in my fishing folders by topic, and then throw the remaining pages away. If you have any Bass Times laying around check the mailing lable so note your expiration date. Should we look for your name or photo in the next issue?

Now Avid, let me get this straight. You were on the water in beautiful Florida doing what you love while I was in the car driving all over Virginia seeing clients; gettng stuck in a traffic jam on Route 460 due to a fatal auto/tractor-trailer accident; fighting for my clients on the cell phone regarding their insurance claims and other problems; freezing my fanny off in 20 degree weather; and you are complaning? I know we love you and enjoy your posts but don't go nuts on us. All I can do is come home and pat my boat a few times; speak to it and the motor; go upstairs and look at all of my fishing gear and tackle just sitting there; and watch fishing videos and DVDs on TV. So please go out and do some fishing for me and the rest of the guys who are "locked inside" this time of the year. Have fun and post pictures!

I always watch my line. And when you least expect it, the line will just start moving, slowly, to either the right or left. It may take a second or two to realize what is happening, but once you do you set the hook. Remember, a bass can suck up your lure by opening its mouth and then just hold it in their mouth as they slowly swim away. So please watch your line while you keep a finger on it as well so you can double your chances of a successful cast and put a fish in your boat.

Yes, it happened again. Another John Curtis High School football player, this time Joe McKnight, was sent out of state by his coach and did not sign with LSU. McKnight, the top running back as rated by a number of sports ranking entities, chose Southern Cal over LSU. McKnight said he wanted to be a sports announcer and USC had a great communications school. Opps! LSU's Mass Communications School is one of the nations public university's top rated programs. So that excuse holds no water. This is not not the first time this has happened to a John Curtis player. Highly touted quarterback Josh Booty went to play pro baseball where he was a disaster after graduating from Cutris and then returned to LSU for a lackluster career. He could have been a Heisman Trophy candidate had he atttended LSU right out of high school. But, things happen for a reason. LSU will be in the top 10 for high school recruiting this year and has met its needs at the critical positions. So LSU should be in good shape to challenge for an SEC Championship and the Natiional Title for a few more years. As for USC, we will see if the NCAA has the guts to hit the school with sanctions over the Reggie Bush scandal. Like three years of probation; no bowl games; no shot at the National Championship. According to McKnight, Carroll and Bush spoke to McKnight about the Bush situation and assured McKnight that there are no problems and that USC is in the clear. Yes, and Iran will be terminating its nuclear program, too. Hey, at least McKnight did not select either Florida or Alabama. And that's good news in itself.

By the way, there is no such thing as an "illegal" apartment in the world of insurance. The area you lease is your "home" and it does not matter if it meets the local building codes. You should have protected your assets and not been concerned with the apartment owners. If the apartment is "illegal" that is there problem. Now, you have to deal with people who may not make you whole. I sincerely hope no fishing stuff was damaged.

You did not mention if you had "Renters" insurance, or the HO-4 Homeowners form. If so, the damage is covered, less your deductible. Should you have decided to "assume" the risk of a pure risk loss, then your only recourse to become whole is to bring legal actiion against the property owner or property managment company. You will have to prove they are "negligent" in causing the loss to prevail. So, a suggestion to everyone: Do not risk a lot for a little. Pay the premium and purchase a Renters Insurance policy to protect you from both direct and indirect losses in addition to having personal liability insurance. And I am so sorry about your loss. I tell people that there are two things you can't control: water and electricity. Both can cause a lot of damage to your real and personal property.

I do academic recruiting for LSU and the average time to complete college is four and a half to five years, depending on your major. For instance, LSU's architect school can take up to 6 years to complete the requirements for graduation while the business school can be accomplished in four years if you take 18 hours a semester a few times. And if you change your major you can extend your college life by two years. I graduated from LSU in four years but that was a long time ago. Today, standards are higher; the students better prepared; and the course work more challenging. In fact, we tell the students that college will be the best five or six years of their lives. And it is. Going away to college teaches students how to take care of themselves and to be responsible. The ones who cannot adapt or cannot be away from mommy and daddy will fail and return home to attend a local school while they live at home. My son took five years to get his degree between the University of Alabama and Campbell University. We told him he had to graduate as the Bank of Dad was closing. So don't worry how long it will take you to complete your course work. Just graduate and pay a lot of F.I.C.A. And I mean a lot of F.I.C.A. Double your contribution to F.I.C.A. And from one Babby Boomer to you young guys, thanks for getting educated and paying a lot in taxes.

Man, am I glad to read that someone has had some good results with the Chatterbait. I have done well with the bait and it is refreshing to read something positive about the presentation. Line tie #1 is correct, as per the manufacturer. Keep up the good work and remember to bump the Chatterbait on various structure to entice bites. Or just throw it out and reel it in. It works both ways but don't tell anyone or everyone will be using them and having some good success!

May I suggest going to your local public library and look at the back issue of Consumer's Reports for their articles on cameras. You will find the information very valuable and CU ranks the cameras in order of performance. CU also notes which cameras are "best buys" which can save you some money. Just don' drop it overboard! I take a disposalable camera on the boat and leave my good cameras home.

Do you guys remember the movie, The Bad News Bears, where they were sponsored by a bail bonds company? I still think that was a great sponsor and I wanted to pay for my son's soccer team's shirts if we could put a fictious bail bonds company on them as their sponsor. But the team turned me down. It seems most of them already knew bail bondsmen or attorneys!

Sponsors want to make sure you will make a good impression; stay out of trouble; and help the company sponsoring you to sell their products to the targeted market. Your elocution; vocabulary; physical apperance; maturity; and making a strong presence in a sales environment are some of the variables that are noticed. In addition, regarding your grades, most universities have a minimum high school GPA of 3.0 to qualify for admission. And sponsors want smart guys with a lot of potential; not some average person who is not going anywhere, other than to flip burgers or is a low level blue color worker. The SAT and ACT scores differ among the various institutions, but a 1030 SAT and a 22 ACT are usually the minimum scores to grant admission to a university. If you have taken your SAT's or ACT's, and they are within "admission acceptance" range, then you may be acceptable to potential sponsors. Recruiters, like the ones at VMI, told my son, who had very high SAT's but a C average in high school that he was a "goof-off." And yes, my kid is very smart and he was a goof-off in high school. But he has an excellent vocabulary; presents himself beautifully in public; has outstanding manners (thanks Mom); drives like a civilized person; lectures us (Mom and Dad) on how to drive safely; and is now the top IT guy at a company and he is making over $45,000 a year. And he is 30 years old! He is also a college graduate now (Campbell University) and his fiancee holds a masters degree so they will do very well, financially. So...get a big mirror and practice for your appointments when you meet your potential sponsors. Yes, go and meet them. Practice how you sit, stand, dress, talk, and please, please, please have some knowledge of their company and their products. It is embarrassing not to know about any products you want to promote or have incorrect information about the company. Remember, your grades are important as they reflect a level of maturity and intelligence; but what is most important is how you carry yourself; how you present yourself; your marketing plan for their products; and IF THEY LIKE YOU. Good luck and let us know how you do attracting and retaining sponsors.

Shrimp. That's it. Shrimp and sauce to dip them in. Let's see...First there was Archie who did not win any championships. Then it was Cooper at Ole Miss who got hurt but Ole Miss has never won any champships since Johnny Vaught left coaching. Along comes Peyton and he managed one SEC Championship at Tennessee. Now, we have Eli in the mix and he has never won any championships. So...maybe Peyton will break the Manning curse and win the "big one." However, I think Da Bears will take this one home with them, leaving Archie, Cooper, Peyton and Eli still trying to win the "big one."

Congratulations on your advanced degree. You did "good." Now, to start making those big bucks in the education field and start your pro fishing career. May I suggest taking a few hours and scroll down the topics in this section and read the questions and answers. You will find so much information and answers to questions you have not thought of answering that you could have a college level semester class. I know you started your own bass club, but are you a member of the FLW, B.A.S.S. or the Maryland Federation? Does your club allow you to move up in the rankings and fish the six (6) man tournaments and then move up to the state finals? Then, of course, you wil need sponsors to help finance your efforts. By fishing in the state tournaments you can show businesses that you are a very strong bass fisherman and you can help them advertise and sell their products, both related to and unrelated to fishing. This will be your challenge unless you have a lot of money. Good luck to you and hopefully you will move up the fishing ladder of success in both FLW and B.A.S.S. and we can follow your career in Bassmaster Magazine, Bass Times and the FLW Magazine.

Catt, Fantastic article. Thanks for sharing it with us. I have seen baby bass in the late summer from a late spawn. I would not have belieived it had I not actually seen the babies jump out of the water. It was on the Mattopani River in Virginia where I saw the late summer bass fingerlings. My friend, a very successful tournament fisherman, told me that he has seen the late spawn babies before and he was not surprised at seeing them again last year. Nature works in wonderous ways.

Glad you are up and moving around this Sunday morning. Yes, we are learning more and more about the fish each year. I think we will have more information on the bass's senses as the years progress and more and more universities allow their fisheries biology majors to conduct experiments, along with the lure manufacturers studies. As you know, bass use sight, sound and vibration to seek their prey. But not to take any chances, do you think we all need to start using red hooks?????

Fishing for fun, no, I do not usually use a trailer hook. Fishing in a tournament, yes, on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. Always. No exceptions.

Dogs do not have cones and rods so they do not see in color. Cats do see in color. Bass have rods and cones and therefore are suppossed to see colors. But until we can talk to a bass and ask him/her we really will not know. Finding out if bass do see in color would be a wonderful study for a fisheries biology major at a university, be it on the undergraduate or graduate level.

Bluegills. Catfish love bluegills.