Sam

1. Bass Wisdom by Homer Circle. 2. Largemouth Bass by In-Fishermen. 3. Smallmouth Bass by In-Fishermen. 4. Denny Brauer's Jig Fishing Secrets. 5. Fishing on the Edge by Mike Iaconelli. 6. Baits for Bass - A Complete Guide to Fishing Bass Lures from B.A.S.S. 7. Finesse Bass Fishing and The Sonar Connection by Don Iovino. However, I mostly watch DVDs and Videos. Bass Wisdom by Uncle Homer is excellent. And I enjoyed Ike's book, too. Ike's "Taking Luck Out of the Equation" DVD is the best one I have. I suggest you get it. Woo Daves tapes are excellent. You will learn a lot from Woo. And don't forget the videos of Bigmouth; Bigmouth Forever; and Feeding Habits of Bass. These are extremely informative and you will learn about the animal and its habits.

Flashlights. Sounding device such as an air horn. Matches and/or cigerette lighter in a waterproof container. List of emergency telephone numbers in a plastic waterproof bag, like a Baggie. VHF radio if going into open water. Tools for the boat. Extra prop with prop wrench. Extra engine oil. 3-In-One Oil. Electrical tape and electrical tools for repairs. Extra fuses. In cold weather bring an extra set of clothes and a towel if case you go overboard. Tow rope. Paddles. Anchor. Spotlight. Binoculars. Am I missing anything to add to everyone's list? And of course, if you are from Louisiana, something good to eat!

Visit your banker or credit union and ask complete a financial statement and they will tell you how much they will lend you on a boat and/or car. You can then use this amount to set your benchmark for your boat. You can also obtain an idea of your monthly payments if you want to take out a loan on the boat. But remember, used boats and autos have higher interest rates than new boats and autos. Of course, you don't have to get a loan but you will find out what a financial institution thinks of your solvency.

For largemouth try Senkos or Zoom plastics. Cast parallel to the front of the dock and then up and down the sides. Don't forget to go under the boats or rafts and close to the shore. Be patient and work all angles of the dock area. Look for grass or brush piles. Look for fishing equipment as this means the people who own the dock do fish and they may have a hidden brush pile or other structure near the dock to attract the fish. Bounce the lure off the dockand into the water adjacent to the pilings. Be ready to go to the dock to retrieve your baits when you get snagged.

Don't know about this model. I just installed the Lowrance LMS-332 and love it. If the GlobalMap 3600C GPS is anything like the LMS-332 then you have a great unit.

I have the 2003 Tracker Pro-185 Silver Anniversary Edition with a 50 HP Merc outboard and love it. This is what I have done to upgrade the boat. 1. Upgraded the original prop to a nice stainless steel model adding 10% more speed. 2. Put in a circuit breaker in place of the glass fuse for the trolling motor. 3. Updated the Motor Guide trolling motor from the 12 volt 47 pounds to a 24 volt 62 pound system. 4. Added a third battery to get trolling motor up to a 24 volt system. 5. Upgraded electronics from Hummingbird to Lowrance. 6. Added a front trolling motor Lowrance sonar unit. 7. Installed a hangar system to hang baits in two compartments for storage. 8. Installed Kwik-Drop seat pedistals to raise and lower the seats. 9. Purchased and installed the Gator Mount original protype from the inventor for the Motor Guide trolling motor. If you do anything, please consider installing the circuit breaker for the trolling motor. To change the fuse while fishing is not an easy task and you can get very upset if the fuse blows while fishing. I know. It happened to me and the next week I changed the fuse set up for a circuit breaker. Have fun boating!

I call mine "The Goose." No reason, just like the name. I have not had the name painted on the boat as it would clash with all of my LSU decals and confuse people since they get confused enough when they see the big ALABAMA decal on the windshield that my son placed there and all the LSU decals. What can I say? We love SEC football!

Bassin is by far the best. It is better than Bassmaster and Bass Times. I suggest getting a copy at Wal-Mart and considering Bassin. I read most of the articles and it has some great tips on the back pages.

And one more thing... Guys, can you give us the formula for fishing tides. I thought it is two hours after high tide and one hour before low tide. Thanks.

Try to purchase a copy of Woo Daves' "River Fishing Techniques: Tidal Rivers with Woo Daves" from Bass Pro Shops. This video discusses tide charts, maps, feeder creeks, weeds, trees and has lots of graphs. It is an excellent production with a lot of valuable information. You have to be up to date on the incoming and outgoing tide times when you fish tidal rivers. Especially the outgoing tide and its strength. Some outgoing tides rush out like water down a sink drain and you can be left high and dry. High water hides the stumps, mud flats and rocks so be careful on your first visit to a tidal river. It is always a good move to scout the river first and ask the locals at your bait shop or boat launch where the hazards are that you should avoid. As for fishing tidal rivers, look for wood along the shore and the mouths of creeks. Grasses are good, too as are boat docks and bridges. Baits? Anything works from spinner baits to your favorite plastics. Buzzbaits and topwaters can do well, too. Crankbaits are also a choice. Good luck and let us know how you did.

Jason, The following was posted by Jim earlier this month. There are a lot of articles on lure colors so search the internet. Also, you may find more about lure colors in the forums by searching the topic. Good luck. Keeping it simple, in clear water I use natural colors. The bait needs to appear perfect, as bass get a very good look at them. White or pearl belly since most fish have those belly colors. Fancy patterns on the backs are mostly to hook anglers unless using a suspending bait where bass get a good look all around it. Retrieving fast and erratic behavior helps cut that scrutiny time. In stained water I like some chartreuse and feathers, fdark green. In dirty water I prefer wild colors like firetiger and lots of yellow or strawberry with yellow. In muddy water I like high contrast colors like bubblegum, white, black, purple. The idea is to go with whatever shows best through colored water. Test a bait out by the boat and make sure it can be seen in 2 feet of water. Wind relates to choppy water which cuts light penetration, so you need contrast, no white belly since all a bass sees looking up is white. A dark belly like gold or black works better. Noise that is louder than water chop is good to help a bass detect and home in on a bait. Fishing shallow in chop requires more noise, while fishing deep below chop requires less noise. But the deeper you fish it the harder it is to see, so increase contrast deeper. Jim

I have the Rapala $16 pliers. I will continue to mess around with them. Thanks for your help.

Thanks. I got the split ring open but there is not much room to sew the hook on it and it cumbersome to attach to a crankbait. Any other secrets??? Thanks again. I sincerely appreciate your help.

OK guys, how do I use the splitring pliers? I find them awkard and difficult to use. Can anyone share the secrets of using this device? Thanks a milliion.

I have had some excellent results with concrete blocks. I have dropped a few in one spot and the bass seem to gratitate to them. Of course, be prepared to lose a lure or two if you get hung up and double check your line for knicks and abrasions, but I have found that cinder blocks work wonders. Try them along with your brushpiles.

We have our LSU crawfish boil in May of each year and we check with Obie Watts in Plaquemine, Louisiana (south of Baton Rouge on the other side of the river), a crawfish farmer, beginning in January to see how his crawfish are doing. They were moving around in February in Louisiana and they are very nice this year so they are on the move! I think the 55 degree temperature is an outstanding measure but of course it depends on other factors, too. I have not seen them on the move in central Virginia as of April 1 but with the warmer temperatures they will be out and about, soon. They are great when you cook them with some onions, potatoes and Cajun spices. I can eat at least 5 pounds at one sitting. And the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries asked me not to fish with them as they are the Red River variety and they are more agressive then the Virginia species. But they still taste good!

CounsleB, That's a good question. I have never seen a video on casting techniques, only. I do have many videos from the pros on fishing various lures and types of water where they give you some casting pointers, but not one on just casting. May I suggest that you consider attending a Bassmaster University in your area? I learned so much about casting secrets from the pros at previous Bassmaster Universities that I use and I also modify their instructions. You may want to contact Bassin or Bassmaster Magazine to find out if they have any casting articles in their archives and if so, try to obtain a copy. The latest FLW Outdoors (March, 2006) has a fun article for kids on how to flip and pitch (page 5 in the kids section) but it can't compare to having personal instruction from Jimmy Houston, Denny Brauer, Kevin VanDam, Zell Rowland, Woo Daves, Hank Parker, Ike and other pros at Bassmaster University where they give the attendees personal instructions. Skipping the lures under docks drives me crazy but I am getting better. So check out the various fishing videos and go to Bassmaster University and you will be very proficient with your casting methods. You may not catch any fish, but you will look like you know what you are doing!!!

Bassin, by far. I receive a number of fishing publications and Bassin is superior to all.

Hey Guys, I want to modifying lures and am interested in a good tackle making book. I noticed C. Boyd Pfeiffer's Complete Book of Tackle Making on e-bay and was wondering if anyone has this publication and what do you think of it. Also, do you all have any suggestions as to what books to consider as I will be starting to change lures, etc. for the first time. And my friend showed me how to use a split ring pliers and I am still not too swift with the thing and have to do some practicing so I am a complete novice when it come to modifying tackle. Thanks to all for your input and suggestions.

Glen, sorry if I posted this on the wrong post so please move it as necessary. We had a tradegy in Richmond as two 13 year old boys went canoeing and drowned when they fell out of the canoe. There were high winds on the reservoir that day which caused the canoe to captize. The boys were about 1,000 feet from shore but with the water temperatures in the 40s the police said they probably lasted about 5 to 10 minutes in the water. Neither boy was wearing a life vest. So please wear your personal safety devices at all times while in the boat and have those seat cushions ready to throw overboard. We all understand how important it is to avoid falling out of the boat (which is always funny in the summer when it happens to your fishing partner). We also need to have an extra set of warm clothes, blankets, matches and a paper log to start a fire on shore when you go out in cold water. Cold water will take us away faster than we can imagine and we don't want to lose anyone to hypothermia.

Hey guys, you all are right. I put in the second trolling motor to get to 24 volts as I upgraded my trolling motor from 12 to 24 volts. Sorry for any confusion I created.

That's Chigger from Bass Tech and he did an excellent job with the video. That boat is dynamite. It is beautiful. Sorry he could not get that big bass off the bottom!

Just read, read and read some more. You will note the good guys and the guys with some mental problems but everyone is great and very helpful.

I put in a second trolling motor in my Tracker and Billy Wells of Wells, Inc., the leading trolling motor repair shop in the greater Richmond, Virginia area, told me to cross wire the two batteries. That is... positive to negative and then negative back to positive. Cross wire them. So far, it works! I suggest calling a boat service or repair shop just to make sure.

There is no such thing as a bad day on the water. Just look around at the beauty of nature. Then realize that the fish are smarter than you!