Sam

If you don't mind, I am going to copy and post your story in my American Legion monthly newsletter. I guess, as they say, a bad day fishing is better than a good day at the office. And yes, we are so fortunate to live in the greatest country in the world and to have the time and resources to go fishing. It is a sorry situation when certain people bash and put down our military and the pursuit of spreading freedom to everyone around the world so one day you and I can enjoy hearing about bass fishing from others all over the globe.

Ethan, I suggest you consider suscribing to the Bassmaster monthly magazine publised by B.A.S.S. and attending the Bassmaster University when it is in your area. Bass Times is also a very good publication. And the guys on this site are the best. Go top www.bassmaster.com for more information and tips, too.

I tried to switch over last year and gave up. The switch felt unnatural and uncomfortable. And the low profile baitcasters allow you to swallow up the entire reel with your right hand so you can get a better feel of the bait. But good luck in trying. I hope you are more successful than I was.

I tried it once and found that it was distracting and you cannot hear other boats as they fly by causing a wake. Plus, I got interested in a football game and missed lots of taps. My concentration went to the radio and not the fishing. Turn on radio only when anchored or tied up and not fishing.

I an going to get in better health and condition by joining a local health club and swimming and doing some light weight lifting. Want to drop about 30 pounds to take the pressure off my back and knees.

Being from Louisiana, when I go out alone I have a feast of a roast beef poboy, chips and Barqs Root Beer. When I tournament fish I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich (2 or 3) and water. I love to go into a tree covered creek, anchor, pull out the newspaper and have a great lunch all by myself.

I fish about 50 days a year, depending on work schedule and the weather. Mostly fish in summer as I hate cold weather, and anything under 70 degrees is cold to me!

I suggest purchasing the three videos, Bigmouth, Bigmouth Forever and Feeding Habits of Bass, which will give you wonderful insight into the fish and its habits. You may find them at either Bass Pro Shops or Cabelas. If not, you can order them from Wet & Wild Images, P. O. Box 480, Silver Springs, Florida 34489, (800) 661-4286. Uncle Homer suggested Bigmouth to me a number of years ago when he autographed his book for me and I then obtained the followup videos. They are very interesting and can help you understand the animal and its habits.

I am going to join a local gym and start swimming and weight lifting to get ready for the season. I also want to lose about 20 pounds. My doctor says by doing this I can help avoid the back pain that occurs during the first two to four hours on the water.

Hi Glenn. The sweatshirt graphics are clean and professional. Nothing over the edge. Just a plain and professional presentation which is eye catching and appealing. I hope the sweatshirt is "heavy" meaning it has between 80% to 92% cotton. I like the "heavy" sweatshirts to keep you warmer than the lighter weight ones.

The James River, south of Hopewell, Virginia, is still polluted with Kepone after 20+ years. The chemical is imbeded in the bottom soil of the river and it is not going away. People are warned about eating the catfish and other fish from of this part of the river, from Hopewell to the Chesapeake Bay. Since people no longer take the catfish home for dinner, the catfish have taken over this part of the river and bass fishing is poor and getting worse. There is a private organization, with the support of the Virginia Fish and Inland Game Commission, that is taking donations to restock this part of the river with largemouth bass. Fishing on the James west of Hopewell is outstanding. The Kepone situation shows us that by polluting a part of our river systems there is colleteral damage caused by Mother Nature as an outgrowth of the pollution, i.e. the catfish taking over the river and destroying the bass population. I am sure you can find more information on the internet about Kepone and its affect on the James River.

The sweatshirt is beautiful. I hope you have the heavy weight sweatshirt with 80% to 92% cotton and not the light weight style.

We return all bass and bream back into the waters. We are strongly considering killing all of the catfish we catch to reduce their population. Since we eat only salt water fish, we are not interested in consuming any type of fresh water fish, other than crawfish. We have an LSU crawfish boil in Richmond where we cook and consume 1,500 pounds of Louisiana mudbugs. Of course, I keep a few for bait to fish with during the next week. Everyone in the greater Richmond, Virginia geographical area is invited to attend the May 14 event. Just let me know! You can take some crawfish with you to use as bait.

I have heard Don Iovino and Mike Auten address sonar at two different Bassmaster Universities and neither mentioned any affect the sonar had on any type of fish or acquatic animals. Don and Mike are the leading experts in the field of sonar so I would expect either or both to address this issue.

No, gasoline prices will not affect the use of my boat and motor. Once on the water I forget the cost of the fuel and associated upkeep items. I then remember them when the Exxon bill arrives the next month! But the memories of being on the water, using various tatics against the fish, the fellowship with my fellow anglers, no telelphones, no wife, no kids, no office, no clients, no televisions, no radios and only beautiful secenry and a fun day on the water will erase all memories of the price of oil and gasoline. I consider the overhead costs as mental health insurance!

I have never heard any discussions about boat colors. I would think the boat and motor noise would have a greater affect on the fish. The boats are usually away from the strike zones, unless you are using the drop shot method. On the other hand, to be more "unseen" by the fish, I purchased a camouflage shirt, hung it in my closet, and now I can't find it. ;D

Nope, you are not crazy. Zell Rowland told the participants at the Richmond, Virginia Bassmaster University this past weekend to test your lures in the bathtub, especillay the suspended ones to make sure they are suspending correctly.

I use Carolina Lunker Sauce for smell and taste. I take some of the plastics I plan to use and put them in a Ziplock sandwhich bag to soak overnight in the Lunker Sauce. The next morning I put the Ziplock bag in my tackle box and I am ready for action. You can smell them in your tackle box, too!

My friend had a largemouth in a fish tank and fed him goldfish of all sizes. Really sharp to watch him eye the gold fish and then...bam! The goldfish was gone. Goldfish come in all sizes and he got the larger goldfish as the bass grew.

Bass Saturdays on ESPN2 are very informative but Saturday is the day I have to run errands, be with my wife, do yard work, go fishing and do other things so I do not have an opportunity to view all of the ESPN2 fishing programs. What I have seen has been excellent. It would be nice to have more "how to" programs on ESPN2 than some of the programs they are now running. On a scale of 1 to 10, ESPN2 Saturdays are about a 6 or 7. However, it is wonderful to have bass fishing programs on television on Saturdays and I hope the ratings are high enough to keep the fishing programs on the docket into the future.

Excellent articles. I print them so I can keep them for future reference. Can't wait to try some of your suggested tatics.

I caught a 5 pound largemouth on a Berkly Gulp! worm fishing in a brushpile around 2:30 in the afternoon a of a beautuful clear day.

Richmond, Virginia. Lots of places to bass fish around here. The James River is not what it once was and we are hopeful we can raise money to restock the river.