Sam

Thanks guys. I try to think like a bass but in the Army I learned to think like your enemy and the bass is the baitfish's enemy. I am going to try to research the question and I will let you all know what I find out. Thanks again.

First, get the 2003 National Champions; then Mike the Tiger; followed by Under Stately Oaks; and end with Greatest Moments in LSU Football History. After that check out Bass Wisdom by Homer Circle and the Bass Angler's Almanac. And don't forget your publications like Tiger Rag, Bass Times, Bassmaster Magazine and Bassin. Then, be sure you are home for all of the LSU games on TV! Welcome to the forum. You will be hearing from Cajun, too. Check out the tips on this site and just read, read and read the posts. The guys are great, even the ones who like Bama!

We try to use our various lures to minic the baitfish and crawfish the bass eat. I have viewed Bigmouth, Bigmouth Forever and the Feeding Habits of Bass plus many other videos/DVDs and have read a lot of publications and articles, but I never thought about viewing bream videos/DVDs to see how the bream and other baitfish act. Do you all think it is worth the investment to view the videos and DVDs of how to fish other types of fish that the bass eat and also research how crawfish move around, etc.? Thanks.

NJ Bassman, Many articles say that the rain will wash food for the bait fish into the water thus allowing the bass to follow the baitfish into the area where the particles are washed into the water. Many articles say that the wind will push the baitfish to the shore which it is blowing towards and the bass will follow. This is true for all places but New Jersey. Although many bodies are put into the ocean you need to follow the floating bodies in your pond to find the bass. Only kidding, but I could not help myself. Try fishing along the bank where the wind is blowing the water onto the shoreline and I just fish the banks after a rain knowing tha somewhere there is a 10 pound lady just waiting for me. So far she has not taken my bait but I know she is there. Let us know how you do.

Dabnis, Here is the Woo e-mail address: http://www.woodaves.com/ Give him a shout.

Portage, No, a gravel pit is an area usullay found on rivers that is dug out for the sand, rock or gravel. Many are closed to the public but there are some that are open for business, like on the James River jsut east of Richmond. I have never ventured into a gravel pit since there are so many other better places to fish on the James River. However, Woo Daves discusses them in his videos. I can't remember if they are in his River Fishing or Tidal River Fishing productions, both of which are excellent. So, how about contacting Woo and asking him for his info. I am going to post this post and get Woo's address and post in next. Woo is a great guy and he will answer your questions. And now, here is Woo's e-mail info:

May I suggest removing the claws, too? And be patient. Move the live cawfish around some every 30 or 45 seconds to make sure it does not bury into the mud or hide under a rock or in the decay leaves, etc on the bottom. Just let it sit there as the more you cast it the shorter it will live. Let us know how you do.

It's great to have you join us. You will receive many replies to your query with many suggestions. Try them all! Can you get the same types of baits we have in the US in your area? Plus the fact that we need a little more information, such as: How big is the pond? Any cover along the shore? Have you loated any underwrater structure that would hold fish? Can you walk the entire pond or just a few areas? What tackle do you use? Ever try plastic worms or Senkos? Do you throw a crankbait or lipless crankbait? Do you fish "Texas" or "Carolnia" rigs? Do you fish "Shakey Head" plastics? Do you use "buzzbaits" or other topwaters? Let us know. And the photo is beautiful. Good luck.

Bigmouth, the history of the life of a bass, is 50 minutes long on video. Bigmouth Forever, the followup that is even better, is 45 minutes long. The Feeding Habits of Bass, which is outstanding, is 30 minutes long. To speak to Mrs. Lau and order your videos please call 800/661-4286. Her husband, Glen, filmed the videos. Good luck.

Any wood along the shoreline? If so, try your baits in the wood. Try them all before moving from one spot to another and start out from the bank and work towards the bank slowly with your baits finishing with a 4 or 5 inch Senko wacky worm rig. Have you tried a Carolina rig? Give it a shot. What about a shakey head setup? Can you locate any humps or hole with your sonar? They can hang around these areas out from the shore. I hope these help plus the ones the guys will give you. Good luck.

Welcome to the fourm. You will be hearing from a bunch of wonderful guys who can give you many suggestions. We hope you can share some information with us, too.

Hey Cajun Caster, Welcome to the forum. It is an outstanding place with wonderful guys willing to share their knowledge. Also on this site are Cajun and me, both from Louisiana. I am from New Orelans and I grew up fishing the Biloxi Marsh, Mississippi Sound and the Gulf plus many fresh water locations including the Atchafalaya Basin where I remember some fun times but lots of water mocassins. As an LSU alumni I follow the Fighting Tigers and this weekend it is the Big Coonasses playing the Little Coonasses in a 92,400 seat stadium filled with Cajuns and Want-To-Be Cajuns. It should be a fun game. Be sure to let us have your two cents about bass fishing. And I know the difference between a "Needle Nose Gar" and an "Alligator Gar" which many people do not. So thanks for the clarification. We see the Needle Nose Gars all the time. And I thank God that we do not have those mean and ugly Alligator Gars in Virginia although I will say that while I was growing up in Louisiana it was fun "hooking" them until they broke the line. Geaux Tigers!

Bassin is excellent. I strongly suggest if you get only one magazine it be Bassin. Bassmaster is OK with some good tips. FLW's magazine, FLW Outdoors, is not all that good. Example: This last issue's cover yelled out loud in big letters that the FLW champion was going to give us his tips. So what were his tips? "Don't give up." A false cover ad if there was ever one. Last on my list of suggested publications. Bass Times is very good. Great articles and tips. Couple Bass Times with Bassin and you have two excellent bass fishing publications. In-Fisherman is OK but it deals with other than bass fishing. There are some excellent books available that you may enjoy reading. Bass Wisdom by Homer Circle is outstanding and The Bass Anglers Almanac is also excellent. Both are easy to read and they are loaded with a lot of tips and information to help you become a stronger fisherman.

Good question. Frustration usually gets me to try other types of baits fished in different manners. Like slow rolling a spinnerbait; throwing a Chatterbait; going Wacky Worm deep; going with a deep crankbait in shallow water to stir up the bottom; trying a Carolina rig with a plastic lizzard; trying a frog or a topwater; throwing a spoon; going to a buzzbait during the day; and anything else I think will work. I also will go deep off the bank with a drop shot rig when I was fishing shallow; fish deep with a crankbait, Rat-L-Trap or spinnerbait when I was fishing shallow; or even try a plastic worm, especially a Gulp! product either deep or shallow. I like using the Gulp! products as they attract bream and I think if the bream are in the area then there is a possibilty a bass is swimming with them or thinking about eating them. Do these changes work? Usually, no. But it is something different to do before I go back to the baits I like to use and the methods that have proven to catch fish in the past.

Do you know how to roll your rod tip underhand to cast? You have the bait hang about 6 inches from the tip of the pole and then make a circle using your wrist and having the rod tip wasit high sending the bait out into the water. Practice it at home before trying it at the pond. The underhand roll cast is great to use to get under brush and trees. Just a little flick of your wrist works wonders.

Yes, yes and yes. I have learned so much for these guys about bass fishing and boating that no formal classes could ever offer. I have been helped fishing specific bodies of water; made a great friend and we fish together; met Cajun for Louisiana who shares his love of fishing and LSU with me; and have had dialog with some of the nicest people you will ever meet. So yes, this site has helped me. Thanks to Glen for getting it started.

Only time I won't go after a lure is 1) if it is in poison ivy or oak or 2) it is up in a tree. Otherwise, I am right in there trying my best to recover it. Especially if it is a Lucky Craft or one of my favorites.

It depends on the attitude of the fish. If they are agressive then a splash is no problem. If they are resting then a splash can spook them and have them swim away from your lure. As for how close to fish? We fish in the same direction all the time. We even cross lines. It does not matter that much unless you are in a tournament and you want to control and protect your territority. To find out more about how fish feed and what the bait can do I suggest getting the Bigmouth series of videos, Bigmouth, Bigmouth Forever and the Feeding Habits of Bass. You can order them by calling 800/661-4286. After viewing these videos you will have a strong grasp on how the fish look at your bait, etc.

We hit rough water in my friend's Bass Cat on Smith Mountain Lake and all I could do was to try to hold on as we bounced all around. I got bounced up and fell back on one of my spinning reels and broke the bail. I had to support myself with my hand (know what I mean?) as the ride was like a roller coaster hitting a concrete base. Man, was I glad to get into a creek where it was calm.

Do you think it was a dead body? Just kidding. This is a great site and you will learn a lot. Welcome aboard and have fun.

Bigmouth is an excellent video of the life of a largemouth bass from birth to death. You may want to get this video and watch it a few times. Also, Bigmouth Forever is a follow up that is outstanding and the How Bass Feed video is also excellent. All three videos have film footage that will blow you away. You can probable find them on the web. I have the ordering address so if you want to PM me I can send it to you. These three videos need to be viewed by all bass fishermen.

I would think that it would be caused by a lot of fishing pressure by other fishermen other than your self. I fish a local pond and I am usually the only person fishing it on a regular basis so there is very little pressure. You can usually tell if jerks are fishing it if there is a lot of trash left behind at certain places where you can fish the bank. If you do not see other fishermen or trash then it is a good bet you are the only one fishing the pond so there is very little pressure. Have fun.

I also remeber that the guys selling the stuff had a small plastic vile that you could put the fluid in and it would be released very slowly. Dumb me did not buy it as I did not know better. However, from reading whay you all say, I think you could put the vile on your line a foot or two from the bait to attract the fish. I am going to try it this Thursday on the upper James River where there is a good smallmouth population. I hope it works.

The small switch on the right side of the trolling motor pedestal that you press down with your foot to turn the Motor Guide trolling motor on and off went "flat" yesterday and stopped working. Do you think I could fix it or do you all suggest taking it to 1) a local guy who specializes in Motor Guide trolling motors or 2) driving 80 miles to Bass Pro Shop to have them fix it as the Lowrance trolling motor sonar unit was installed by the BPS service center and I don't want to be damaged? Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

In the Virginia tidal rivers the carp make big splashes which gets the friends I take fishing all excited. They want to go and catch them. As for the underwater stuff you felt, I agree that it was probably trash. It may have been some decaying vegatation with a few sticks in it, too. Don't get all excited about the carp, especially during mating season when they really make a racket. However, it you want to try to catch one, try a big Nightcrawler.