Sam

Boat, buy the cap and if you can make it to a Bassmaster Classic one year take the cap with you and he will autograph it for you. A great keepsake for you and your grandchildren.

Koz, on page 397 of the new 2019 Bass Pro Shops catalog there are Aqua-Vu and Marcum underwater viewing systems you can read about and consider purchasing. You can also go on the Internet to locate other manufacturers' underwater camera viewing systems. The prices range from $150 to $700. I am sure you can find other alternatives in the marketplace and hopefully some in the $100 price range. I have never used one but I bet it would be of great help to you to locate bottom structure and maybe, fish. Check them out

The unwashed. We have to convince the unwashed about SEC team speed.

Agree or not agree:

Yes. And that is why Bama will win as they will create havoc for Clemson's freshman quarterback. I will agree that this kid will be a first round draft choice in the future but for now he is still learning how to read defenses. I don't think Clemson has seen the type of speed Alabama posses on defense. If you think Devin White of LSU is fast, wait until you see the Bama defense. As said many times by my old coaches, it is all about speed. As you move from Pee-Wee to middle school, to high school, to college and then to the pros, it is all about speed. Go to an SEC game and sit about five rows from the field and you will see the speed and force behind each play. And the running backs and defensive players do not slow down when they hit each other. It is full speed ahead. I did this for an LSU-Alabama football game in Tiger Stadium when Mike Shula was the Bama coach (LSU won) and my best friend and I were amazed at the collisions we were witnessing. This is what Clemson will be facing. Should be a fun game to sit back and enjoy.

Maybe, but Clemson has a freshman quarterback and that could spell the difference in the game.

Hey guys and gals, let's all chime in on who you pick to win the College Football National Championship between Alabama and Clemson and why. I pick Alabama based on their quarterback and team speed. Clemson has a freshman quarterback, and although he can really throw that football, he does not have the experience of reading defenses and making changes at the line. And Coach Saban and his defensive staff do an outstanding job of hiding defenses and making last minute changes to confuse their opponent. If you want, you can also pick the winner between Eastern Washington and North Dakota State. I have no idea about either team. This one should be a good game, too. So I will pick North Dakota State. You say what????????

Watch for alligators that populate the South Carolina lagoons and ponds. Have a safe and fun time and let us know how you did. Good luck.

Also, to note the various baby brush hog color options (along with all the Zoom color options and styles) check out this web site. Look up #42. http://virginiaguidebaitco.com/

Interesting points of view and all are valid. Will be interesting to see what happens to the playoffs in the near future. And now to targeting. The rule has to change. Too many refs have their own interpretation and some are way off base. For the moment, we all can sit back and watch Alabama knock off Clemson. Then the fans can start to call the sports talk shows to politic for more playoff teams and rules changes. Of course, any changes will have to be supported by the school presidents and athletic directors. Just follow the money. Should be fun.

Attractants may or may not improve your hooking success. In Dr. Keith Jones' book, Knowing Bass, Dr. Jones tells us that bass do hold onto baits that have positive scents: Number of Strikes Bait Without Scent With Scent Crankbait 22 44 Lure Retention Time Bait Without Scent With Scent Crankbait 0.4 Seconds 0.9 Seconds Scents on Softbait Retention Most strikes on soft baits were held onto for 6 seconds with scent on the plastic. Dr. Jones discusses molecule size and that some scents have molecules too large to pass through the bass' receptors. It does not matter what Dr. Jones found out or what others say. It boils down to confidence in your technique, bait, and if you believe scent will help the bass locate your bait and then hold onto it longer so you can feel they have it and can set the hook. Give scent a try and you decide if it makes any difference.

What are my thoughts? I think you just let the cat out of the bag. Questions for Reggie: Are the tails dyed chartreuse? Did you put any JJ's Magic or MegaStrike on your baby brush hogs? These baits are outstanding in many conditions and I use them exclusively on a local river where they really produce a lot of strikes. I throw them on 1/16 or 1/8 Provider jig heads. Oh well, the secret has been told and that is why we come to this Forum to learn from each other. Now everyone go out and get some Zoom Baby Brush Hogs with the chartreuse tails and have some fun. Thanks for sharing, Reggie.

I have noticed that you can overthink your baits in a tournament and have way too many to select among in your boat. This produces stress and confusion with your selection of what to throw, where, and when. I won our club tournament on the Potomac River with very few baits on hand as I had confidence in the KVD 1.5 Sexy Shad Square Bill. I also came in third on the Historic James River as I took way too many baits with me and my head was rolling all day long. I also did not give the baits proper time to produce strikes. And I came in first on the Chickahominy River by throwing a Zoom Junebug trick worm on a shaky head. Tried a 1.5 without any luck so I stuck with a confidence presentation that I have faith will produce strikes. I know, you want your arsenal to be as large as it can be just in case you need one special bait. But I have wondered if having all those baits in your boat can cause you to lose confidence and get frustrated. Too confusing. Too many options. Subscribe to KISS and you will do OK as long as you have confidence in your presentation, bait, line, rod and reel Just my thoughts.

X2

Mel Leonor, a Richmond Times-Dispatch writer, penned an article about how unsafe it is to eat any fish out of the Historic James River due to the Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCB's that are still in the river for over 20 years. There are 22 species of fish that are impacted between the I-95 bridge in Richmond all the way down to the Hampton Roads bridge-tunnel. Here is the article if you would like to read what Ms. Leonor has written. Sad state of affairs for such a beautiful river and its eagles, osprey, and various species of fish and wildlife. https://www.richmond.com/news/plus/state-environmental-officials-are-inching-closer-to-imposing-a-pollution/article_f2732334-f53a-5899-96f0-c880f846d9b0.html

The lake or river?

They probably stayed around the dam and fished the dam, piers, wood, grass and pad lines plus a creek or two. Nice to know there is some clear water up by the dam, which is about 10 miles or so, give and take, from the mouth of the river where it meets the Historic James River.

Joey, getting parts for older Shimano's is a nationwide problem. Just like Lowrance: they stop supporting their older models that got them to where they are today to try to sell you on their new models at higher costs. I suggest you note what Delaware Tackle penned above. They have forgotten more about rods and reels then most of us know. Good luck.

I use the medium heavy rods just in case I luck out and hook a big one. You can catch all sizes of fish on a medium heavy rod from dinks to large catfish and other game fish. You can also use your medium heavy rod for a lot of techniques from pitching and flipping to frogs. Just a suggestion to go with my usual reply: Match the rod's line test and bait weight with your favorite fishing techniques and what the rod's parameters are for line test. Add the high and low line test limits for the rod and divide by two. You now have the perfect line test strength. And take your reel to a tackle shop and put it on some rods to see how the set ups feel and handles. Let us know what you decide to do.

Should be another fun year.

Hoosier, back in the early 1900's to around 1980 or so, Sears was the leading retailer in the country. And there was a soap manufacturer that I can't remember its name but it was the best selling soap in the nation. We studied it in our marketing class at LSU to note the power of advertising and marketing. So what happened? Sears backed off their advertising and stopped sending out their catalogs in the 1990's. Instead of being the new "Amazon.com" that Sears could have been, they stopped a lot of their advertising and lost a lot of customers. And Sears had manufacturers produce a lot of goods with the Sears brand. I remember my Sears basketball was the best one I ever had when growing up in the 60's. Sears had a fantastic sporting goods section and you could dress out for your games in everything Sears. As you know, Sears has closed its doors only to have an investment group save about 80 stores throughout the country. For some reason, you never saw a Sears commercial or ad in the media. Sears just relied on its name to attract and retain customers. This did not work as there are too many competitors out there today that have the merchandise that attract and produce sales, taking Sears market share away from Sears. I know the soap company did the same thing: they stopped their advertising. Sales were so good that management thought they would continue without the expense of advertising. They had advertised on anything they could paint, even boats and sides of buildings. After they stopped their advertising in the 20's they lost sales (a lot to other soap companies who started to advertise) and in the 1930's closed its factory and faded away. I hope Shimano has not made a fatal mistake by pulling out of the advertising marketplace. Today, there are many outstanding rods and reels in the market that give Shimano a run for their money. Personally, I am still a Shimano guy but I must admit that I am liking the Lew's line of reels better and better each year. Wayne Knabe who repairs rods and reels in Powhatan, Virginia, tells me that once upon a time the Shimano reels were the best made reels in the USA. Today, with new Shimano reel introductions and more plastic internal parts, Wayne has trouble locating old Shimano parts to make repairs. Wayne has told me that he is liking Lew's and Abu more and more as their working parts are superior to all others being produced today and he can obtain the parts for repairs much easier. Don't under estimatethe power of advertising. Time will tell. Stay tuned.

KVD 1.5 Square Bill in Sexy Shad on the Potomac River in Virginia.

Fantastic. My wife does not fish so she lays on the back deck or sits in a seat reading her book. Glad your wife enjoys the sport as you do. Happy New Year.

Stephen B, you make some outstanding observations. Here are my three responses to your post: 1. $$$$ The conferences, the NCAA, and the bowl games will take in more money with an 8 team playoff. 2. Smaller schools don't care if they get their brains beat in just as long as they get that check. I know LSU paid one small Group of Five schools $1,000,000 to come to Tiger Stadium for a game. And it is an easy victory to pad their record and have a high national poll ranking. LSU nets around $8 to 9 million a game no matter who the opponent. So from a financial point of view, a patsy is just as good as playing Notre Dame. 3. When the SEC teams lose in bowl games the SEC fans say that their SEC team was playing for nothing while their opponent was playing like they were in the Super Bowl. SEC fans will say that the only post season game that means anything is the National Championship game and if their team is not in it then it is time to party, win or lose. An 8 team playoff will produce a lot more money. And remember, follow the money. SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC