Sam

Winter Projects: 1. Organize crankbaits. 2. Organize spinnerbaits. 3. Study a number of body of waters that I will fish next year. 4. Organize plastics, again. 5. Replaced batteries in flashlights. 6. Organize items for boat such as towing rope, first aid stuff, anchors, etc. 7. Have tires, trailer abd trailer lights checked out and wheels greased on trailer. 8. Organize everything else while watching football games. I can't wait for it to snow so I can stay home and get some of this done during the week.

Thanks a million, Way2Slow. I am going to save this thread and then use it to purchase the onboard charger. I will also purchase regular batteries and not the gel type. You guys are the best.

I know what I am getting. First, a new onboard battery charger. Second, the new Biosonix BSX Fish Activator that can now be installed on your boat. If possible, a new G. Loomis flipping and pitching stick. But I can only get so many presents from my wife this year so I'll probably get the G. Loomis fishing stick later this year. The Baitmonkey will be very happy.

Ponds? Any local ponds around that you can fish from the bank? Be like Ike and "Never Give Up!"

I am going to be getting an onboard battery charger for Christmas so I went to BPS and viewed their options. I need a three (3) bank charger and the BPS charger is a 5/5/5 amps model. The BPS two (2) bank charger is a 10/10 amp option. I will be using the "gel" type batteries when I replace the trolling motor batteries this summer so please include the "gel" trolling motor batteries in the equation. I need your input on: 1. Bypass these two chargers and go with another brand? 2. Go with the 10 amps per each of the two banks for the two trolling motor batteries and continue to use my marine charger for the cranking battery? Thanks to all for your input and experience with onboard battery chargers.

I wondered where you went. Glad to hear your wife is doing better. Take her fishing to brighten her day!!!! Welcome back. Looking forward to your wisdom, insight and comments once again.

Jaws. Best horror movie ever made. And since I used to fish in saltwater where you can't see what sees you it scared the begezzies out of me. And me and my cousins used to go swimming in the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi Sound when we wre out there fishing and it got hot so we jumped out of the skiff and into the water. I won't do that anymore.

Hey Basspro, I thought you meant Bill Dance. And shouldn't you be doing your homework or viewing bass fishing videos instead of watching You Tube? But I must admit, my friends have sent me or told me where to go for some really funny You Tube videos. They are classics!

One of my friends is a "retired" pro bass fisherman and he now guides in Virginia. He always wears his red and white Berkley shirt and always takes photos of what he and I catch. The photos always have a Berkley bait plus something Berkley in the background. Get the picture?????? He sends the photos to Berkley and others at the end of each month. Now, what does he get in return? Discounts. That's all. Discounts on fishing products. Every once in a while he will recieve something to try (like the new Abu Garcia baitcaster) and then keep or the sponsors will send him a few lures or a new lure to try. But he has been in the business for over 20 years and is a known quanity by the manufacturers so he can command the respect of the sponsors. And he is grateful for everything he receives, including the discounted equipment. P.S. He is a fish magnet. It drives me crazy when I go fishing with him. And if I catch a bass before him or if my bass is bigger than his bass he gets upset. I just love it!

I agree with your Spring suggestion. It would be awful if one of our members got sick or injured trying to win the members challenge onor in cold water. Plus the fact that I will only be fishing the hot side of Lake Anna this winter, where the fishing is just like in the summer thanks to the nuclear plant. My vote is to wait until Spring when we all are itching to get back to our usual fishing grounds.

Just to clarify the statement about what Ike did at the Classic he won in Louisiana, it was ESPN that asked him to break dance for the cameras. Ike told us this at the Virginia Bassmaster University after he won the Classic. And yes, Bass Saturday is on ESPN2 on Saturday mornings. It is my humble opinion (IMHO) that B.A.S.S. is in the process of reinventing itself. My only hope is that the ESPN and B.A.S.S. executives understand what we are seeking and need and not put something together to suit their "city slicker" needs and not for bass fishermen. All we can do is stay tuned and see what happens.

Houston Ike Parker Brauer Menendez Zell Clunn VanDam Daves Auten Heck, I like 'em all. They are all fantastic!

I sent an e-mail to B.A.S.S. asking about the 2007 Bassmaster University schedule and received an e-mail back stating that the 2007 Bassmaster University will not be held as B.A.S.S. is in the process of redesigning the program. I sincerely hope B.A.S.S. continues the program later in 2007 or 2008. For those of you who have been fortunate to have attended one of the past seminars you know how good they are and that you can learn a lot, even if you are a seasoned bass fisherman. All I can say is that ESPN has really changed the B.A.S.S. program and I sincerely hope it will be for the better. Especially when Bassmaster University starts again, if it does.

Outstanding! If you put $2,000 in a savings account for him it will be worth $1,000,000 when he retires. Unless he takes the money out sooner to buy a Ranger! Congrats and best wishes to you and your wife. I am very glad for you both and know you will have a lot of fun raising him and showing him how to fish.

We have a ghost at our house. He is a nice ghost. All he does is smoke pipes and we can smell the pipe smoke. Niether my wife nor I smoke. He does set off the burglar alarm every now and then but that's about it. I have to call ADT and tell them that it was the ghost that set off the alarm. Even the cops don't come around anymore when the alarm goes off. We have never seen him and he leaves us along so we coexist. There is a "white" cemetery in our neighborhood that no one can find. It is left over from the plantation that was here in the 1800's. The found the old slave cemetery but not the "white" cemetery. I really would have liked it if he could give me some good fishing pointers!

"A cold front blew in this morning, and it rained most of the morning, and some of the afternoon too." I think this may have had more of an impact on your fishing success than your baits. The bass may have already finished feeding and were suspended in the middle of the pond, really not interested in your presentation. The smaller bass would then be looking for some tasty morsels after the bigger bass had finished feeding. Just my thought. And glad to know you love your new Fenwick rod. I was thinking of getting another G. Loomis but I will check out the Fenwicks, too.

I was fishing one of my client's golf course ponds with a friend on Tuesday, October 24, when he put down my spinning set up he was using so he could watch me unhook a bass when this old goat comes jogging along and steps on the spinning rod. It broke in half. All the old goat said was "I didn't see it" as he ran away. We were 20 feet from the asphalt golf cart path and he must have veered off the path as he came over the small bridge and ran directly at us. So I now have half of a spinning rod which we continued to fish with. I really could throw a spinnerbait with it and it casted great with a Senko. I will use it when I take the 5 year old neighbor's kid fishing as it is more his size. And how did we do? In an hour and a half we caught 4 bass; 2 crappie (one of which measured from the tip of my middle finger to my elbow); and two bream. My friend lost one big one as he never has bass fished before and he could not get the hang of setting the hook in addition to missing a few hits. I missed two but I told my friend they must have been small bream as I don't miss many bass. So, all in all, it was a fun day at the pond. And now I have an excuse to purchase another rod. Is that great or what?

Let us hear from you when you get home. Good luck with the surgery. Sorry I don't live in your area or I would take you fishing with me.

I have a camera on the boat but do not take any with me when I pond fish as I think "wild" bass are more valuable than "tame" bass in a pond. But of course, a bass is a bass is a bass so everyone counts!

Because they are smarter than me. The water is calm and great to fish. The scenry is beautiful. No noise. No phone calls. No office. No wife. No kids. No dogs. It is a relaxing and wonderful thing to do. And the fellowship is outstanding!

Great question, especially since you will be fishing a very large and powerful body of water. Please discuss fishing on local lakes with local guys who do a lot of fishing on these lakes. Some boats handle very well in rough water while others do not and it is imperative that you find the make of boat that can handle the rough water. One of my friends does not have a windshield on his bass boat as the waves from a tug boat on the James River caused it to blow away when he hit the tug's wake and the water washed over the boat. Another friend got a broken nose on an inland Virginia lake in rough water when a wave came over the bow and smashed into the boat and tore the windshield off its base. We lost two fishermen in Poquoson two weekends ago when they were washed out of their boat and drowned in rough water. They were in coastal waters that can get rough, fast. Two other fishermen were thrown out of their bass boat on the Potomac River last month and it was very fortunate for them that other bass fishermen were around to rescue them. One of the guys was in bad shape. The accident was caused by rough water in a river. Our Virginia lakes and rivers are no match for the Great Lakes for rough water and sever weather conditions. So if all this stuff can happen in Virginia I hate to think what could happen on one of the Great Lakes. So please think of your family when purchasing the boat. A little more money than you would want to pay for a boat balanced with the additional safety of a stronger and higher quality boat is a top priority. Be sure to post a photo of your new boat when you get it so we all can see it.

Avid, You are right. I am enjoying reading the posts. And I had already figured out your handle before you posted. Thanks so much for your input into this site. I value your help and insights very highly. Sam

I was wondering how everyone selected their nickname for this site and their photo or art work. I went with a photo of a crawfish as bass and I love to eat them. My photo is of a crawfish in a defensive position which I believe is what the bass see when they start to attack a crawfish. I took the photo at a friend's crawfish boil while the mudbugs were in their container waiting to be cooked. I used my name as it is simple to spell! Just wondering.

I am glad you caught your Peacock by your home. I saw the show on ESPN yesterday morning (Saturday, October 14) about two guys going to Brazil to fish for Peacock Bass and I would rather catch them in the good ole USA than to do what these guys did in Brazil. Send more pics when they grow up.

Do any clubs hold charity tournaments wiht the proceeds going to a charity? If so, can you give me the details? Thanks.