Sam

I picked up a bottle of it at the Richmond Bassarama but have never used it. I thought it was only for the spring spawning season. I may give it a try next time out. And thanks for the tip on how to use it. I was just going to put some on a worm and then cast it out.

Sounds like a dream vacation. Post those pics!

Throw a 1/16 ounce round head jib with a white Mr. Twister single tail grub. As the bass start to hit it you can graduate to the tube or finesse worm. Try a small white Rooster Tail and do the same as you did with the single tail grub. If there are bass in the area they will hit the lure. So will the bream if they are around. Don't forget scent, too, on all grubs, Rooster Tails and plastics. You can also throw plastics and small lures but remember that 1/8 ounce pegged bullet weight on a 2/0 hook with a finesse worm sounds good but it may not get the results you want, especially if the fish are more in the center of the lake, suspended. Try a small crankbait or a silver with black back Rat-L-Trap to try to get strikes. Also, don't forget your buzzbaits. In the evening as the sun sets and it gets dark throw a smaller verision of your favorite black buzzbait and see what happens. Then, if no luck go to live bait to try to find where the fish are staging. Minnows, trout worms, nightcrawlers and grasshoppers are excellent live bait. Once you start to catch them on live bait you can learn their habits and where they are staging at what times during the day and when they move to the bank to feed. Let us know how you do.

Super. Do you fish out of a boat or along the shore?

Slim down. Go with a light line, like an 8 pound mono. Add a light bullet sinker like a 1/16 and peg it. Add a 2/0 straight or extra wide gap hook. Add a 4 and a half inch to a 6 inch finesse worm like a red shad, Mocasson blue, green pumpkin or the color you think will do well based on the water clarity. Use a spinning rig and a 6 foot 6 inch medium or medium heavy rod. Also, consider throwing white Rooster Tails with the treble hooks on a 4, 6 or 8 pound line with a swivel to keep it from twisting. Or a white Mr. Twister grub on a 1/16 jig head. Throw to the bank and out into the water and see what happens. I bet you will catch something by going lighter and smaller. Let us know how you do.

Bass are not color blind. They have rods, cones and rhodopsin, just like humans. Dogs are color blind, not bass. Many studies have been done regarding colors and how they look underwater. For more inforation on this subject get Homer Circle's Bass Wisdom and check out chapter 14, What Colors Make Bass Bite? The more you read and view videos the more knowledge you will have and the better bass fisherman you will become.

I suggest you spend a few bucks and purchase both as they are excellent and you can watch them each year during the winter to help you think like a bass. You may also want to purchase "Feeding Habits of Bass" which is full of a lot of interesting information, too. Contact: Wet & Wild Images P.O. Box 480 Silver Springs, Florida 34489 800/661-4286 These three tapes are an excellent investment in your bass fishing expolits and they can form the basis of your future video fishing ibrary.

Outerbanks Bass, Here is the Virginia Bass Associaton's web link. I found it on this site under south west virginia bass clubs. I love bass fishing! Re: any bass clubs in south west virginia Reply #3 - Aug 1st, 2006, 8:11pm Go to this web site and look up your area and then the clubs in that location. http://www.vabass.com/

Yes, there are bass clubs in the Charlottesville/Albemarle County area. Try to find Virginia Bass Association via Google and you can find the listing of the clubs in the greater Charlottesville area. I am at the Jeep dealership waiting for the oil to be changed in the Grand Cherokee so I do not have the association's information at my fingertips. Good luck in locating a local bass club.

Slow tactic fishing plastics is excellent but I have two problems. First, I am type A and my solgan is "Get out of the way 'cause here I come." And second, I keep moving on the water. I go crazy just letting the plastics sit on the bottom. However, if you guys say to do this then I will give it a try this coming Friday on the upper James River. I will have to slow down my friend who likes to cover a lot of water however I promise to give it a try. If you hear that one of the members on this forum was committed to a mental hospital then it was me trying to fish slower. Thanks or the plastic worm tips. I will continue to try them.

The above post by Ouachitabassangler is correct and I would say follow his directions. When I fish rivers I like the 4 inch Senkos and the 5 or 6 inch Zoom plastic worms. When I fish ponds I will throw a 4 or 5 inch Senko and the 5 or 6 inch Zoom plastic worms. On lakes, depending on the time of year and depth, I will go with the 6 inch Senko and 6 inch or longer Zoom plastics. I have found that the bass will take the bait no matter their size since the bass are so agressive when feeding. I have caught a small bream on a crankbait that was about half his size. If you want to have some fun and drive yourself crazy, go with a Gulp! curley tail worm and watch the bream go crazy over it and eat the tail. However, you can catch some nice bass on Gulp! worms so give them a try, too.

Fish will feel the change in barometric pressure as a front moves in and start to feed. So fishing in front of a front is usually good. Durng the rain the fish can also be active. After the rain stops or the front moves through the fish have already eaten and this means the bite is off for at least 24 to 48 hours. You will have to aggravate them into hitting your lures after a front moves through.

I usually do not use a net when fun fishing or tournament fishing. However, the major exception ot this rule is if the bass is a big one then we always use the net just as a safety precaution. So even if the pros do not use a net I suggest you use a net just to make sure the fish does not escape or if your line breaks. I purchased one of those rubber nets so the hooks will not tangled in the netting and it works as advertised. I wish I would give it a greater workout when I go out fishing!

A pond with a lot of algae on its surface is very difficult to fish. No matter what you throw you will be removing slop and slime from your baits after every cast. You can try to throw into the open spaces with a Senko or any Zoom worm and understand that yo will still have to remove the junk from your bait each time you reel in. Or, you can try to use a buzzbaitand hope for the best as you drag it over the algae. The same is true if the pond is overloaded with weeds. You will have to remove the foilage each time you retrieve your bait no matter what it is. As long as you understand what is going to happen and that it is a ritual you will be doing as long as you fish the pond then you will have a good time. I fished a friend's farm pond and it was loaded with algae and weeds but I managed to catch a beautiful 3 pound largemouth bass on a Senko dropped into an open spot. I also used a small white Rooster Tail in the open areas and nailed some beautiful bream and a small largemouth. If there is no shore cover the fish will stay under the algae or in the weeds so it can be difficult to find them. But once you get your bait in front of them they will take it and run. Let us know how you do.

Yes, dumb, dumb and dumb. I missed a beauty because I had my drag set too tight. I just forgot to reset it after I respooled the reel She took the lizzard and headed west and never looked back. The line popped and all I had were some fantastic memories of 5 seconds worth of a fun fish. I also forgot to put the plug in the boat; cut the main line instead of the tag line and watched the lure sink to the bottom when I threw it overboard; broke my pole when I pulled real hard on a snag (and I know better); had the Motor Guide trolling motor prop fall off because I forgot to check to make sure it was tight; and had my cranking battery go dead at the dock because my on board charger had died and I did not check the voltage (with my voltage meter) before leaving home. So, we all do dumb things so be prepared to learn from your mistakes.

Shade, via a tree, bush, grass, pads, docks, boats, sticks, logs, brush pile, duck blinds,wood or whatever is where the bass will go on a sunny day. Remember, fish do not have eyelids so they can't shut their eyes. Also, the water temperature is cooler in the shade. I like to fish 1) In the shade or 2) where the shade ends and the sunshine begins. This is a change in the environment and the bass like changes, such as a drop off, lilly pads to open bottom or grass, etc. So try your luck in the shady areas like under trees and bushes; in the shade of the trees; the shade of a dock; or a the shade of a boat boat. Good luck.

I carry one rig with a Rooster Tail rigged for action in my car and as I drive around Virginia on business I look for ponds. If I see a promising pond I will consider knocking on the home's door and asking for permission to fish their pond. I usually will have a pie or some Hubbs peanuts with me to offer as a peace offering. I keep a small tackle box with some extra lures; a pliers; a sissors; and my fishing license. I also have been known to park the car and fish some ponds alongside the road. I use the Rooster Tails as they produce bites from bass and bream. Small white jigs on a 1/64 or 1/8 jighead is also a good lure to have available. No line twist with the jigs.

When looking at the Bass pros I don't think sports. I think fishing ability. Look at Hackney. I doubt he could walk a mile! Look at Ike. He could run 10 miles. Check out Kevin Van Dam. He looks like he could swim a few laps in the pool but thats about it. I think your personality and accomplishments plus whats in your heart would go a lot farther than if you played high school or college sports. And what if the college you attended is not liked by the sponsors' advertising people. Can you imagine an Ohio State jock trying to get a Michigan grad to sponsor him? Tulane and LSU? Texas and Texas A&M. Notre Dame and everybody! So be yourself and present yourself as a worth candidate for the sponsor's support.

Go to this web site and look up your area and then the clubs in that location. http://www.vabass.com/ Good luck.

The Palomor knot is very simple. Just practice and you will get it in no time. I use it on all of my lures, even big spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. You can't lose with a Palomar. Of course, I will admit that sometimes I get it all screwed up and have to start over but please don't forgo this special knot. As for drop shottiing, I make sure I have a lot of line sticking out of the loop on the sinker. This way I have a better chance of saving the sinker.

Great question but I don't have a good answer. This is also true with any other type of plastic fished over heavy pads or grass. I hope you receive so interesting solutions so we all can learn.

Try a small black buzzbait with a trailer hook. For some reason they seem to it the buzzbait.

Sorry...I left out the "white" for blue skies. Use a white buzzbait for blue skies.

Rooster Tails. To catch crappie, brem and smaller size bass use a white Rooster Tail with a trebel hook. For some reason the fish always go after a Rooster Tail. I have caught catfish and white perch on a Rooster Tail, too. Then, practice with plastic worms. And remember, the buzzbait is always fun to throw. Use a 1/4 ounce black for overcast and a 1/4 ounce for blue skies. Then, you can graduate to the 1/2 or 3/8 ounce models. This is a great forum and the guys are willing to help you with any questions you have.

When the bite gets slow I go to a crankbait, spinnerbait or a buzzbait just for a change of pace and to do something different before going back to the slower type of fishing. Although I know that the odds of making a hookset can be much lower using these presentations it reviatilizes me so I am able to go back to fishing slow. This happens when you are a "Type A" behavior person and it is difficult to fish s-l-o-w.