Sam

Glad your mom is doing better and she will follow the doctor's orders about exercise and nutrition. Nicotine is a very strong drug and it can be very difficult for someone to quit "cold turkey." So stopping smoking is not an easy thing to do. Also, if your TP53 gene is not working to kill any cells that go crazy causing cancer then there is nothing you can do other than to hope that the chemo, radiation and surgery will remove the cancer. Not a fun thing to think about. Here is a link to a short review of the TP53 gene and how toxic chemicals (like the ones from smoking) have an impact on cells that go crazy: https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/TP53 Once we discover how to repair or replace the TP53 gene we can start to eliminate cancers of all types. At least you have your first Christmas present: your mom is home. Merry Christmas!

I want to try that new Sufix 832 braid but will get it after Christmas during the sales.

And the LSU fans that go to the College World Series each year have no problem driving in Omaha so the hills must not be a problem. And Louisiana is not only flat but it is under the water table.

Uninsured Motorist will not count against you as would a collision claim. And I believe there is a no deductible if you know who hit you and a $200 deductible if you don't. I would surmise the company owner has minimum Virginia statutory auto limits. it is a shame you may have to get an attorney or you will have to go to court to get an summary judgement. Either way, it is money out of your pocket. Let us know what happens.

Hopefully this is a reputable company that has business auto insurance in force. If so, have fun with their adjuster. If they give you the "run around" about their insurance company you may have a problem. If they do not have valid and collectable business auto insurance you have to decide to sue the tree trimming company for the damages to your vehicle and the pain and suffering of your wife and daughter and you will find out if they have business auto insurance or not real fast. Even if they have an auto insurance ID in the vehicle, no guarantee they paid the premium and there is coverage in force. If they have business auto insurance you can make a claim, including all medical bills and physical therapy at their undiscounted provider level pricing. If the company does not have business auto insurance there is nothing you can do other than make an Uninsured Motorist claim against your own personal auto policy and use any Medical Payments limits for any medical bills. Could have been much worse and I am glad that your wife and daughter came out of the accident without any major injuries. Keep us posted. This could happen to any of us at any time. Let's hope this tree trimming company has its business auto insurance in place and all goes well with your claim.

Yep, saw the end of the game and it did have a happy ending for us SEC fans. Add to the Volunteer victory that Kensucky lost and LSU won you have a great weekend of college basketball. The Tennessee vs. Kensucky matchup this year should be a good one in mid February.

Yes, I have had it happen to me but only once. Hooked a one-pounder and while fighting him a larger bass showed up and attached the smaller bass. This occurred as I was fighting the smaller bass and I believe the larger bass thought the smaller one was in trouble and it made an easy meal. Bigger bass did not get the smaller one and swam off after I boated the smaller one. The smaller bass was not injured and swam away after I released him.

14+ inches at my home in Richmond. Waiting for snow plows to arrive and save us.

We have Castaways and Dance's in Chester and Hopewell areas, respectfully. Hopkins is in Mechanicsville as is Surfside. Pope's is in Sandston. Green Top is a large regional tackle shop that specializes in guns, which keeps them in business plus they have a very nice fishing department. Dick's closed their Stony Point Fashion Park store due to lack of business. But this is not Dick's fault. The shopping center was doomed the day it was open. Richmond's mayor and city council wanted it so bad that they did not believe the economic forecasts that were negative about the location and the high end shops it was suppose to include. Sports Authority was there first and when they pulled out Dick's took their place. We have a number of Dick's in Richmond area, but their fishing section is nothing to get excited about. Walmart carries a limited amount of fresh water tackle, depending on the store's location and what the store's buyer believes will sell fast. It's all about product turnover. If it doesn't sell, it is gone at Walmart. We also have a Cabela's in Short Pump and a Bass Pro Shop just south of Ashland off I-95. Hookers is in Toano towards Williamsburg and is a great shop, like Surfside. Bass guys work there and are very helpful. If you need anything that these retailers do not carry then it is off to the Internet to find and make the purchase. Don't think the large box stores are the only outlet for our bass tackle. Ordering from the Internet suppliers has put a dent in the large box stores sales and when these box stores note what sells and what doesn't they will adjust their inventory meaning that they could have a great selection of KVD baits today and then a smaller selection tomorrow. An example is the Walmart on Sheila Lane off Forest Hill Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. They have a lot of catfish gear and tackle since there are a lot of people who fish for catfish in the Historic James River. They still carry some nice, but limited, bass tackle and baits that go on sale from time to time. Dick's did report that when they decided to no longer sell guns they really hurt their retail business. Dance's sells guns and hunting equipment which brings in a lot of people into their store. Cabela's has an average gun department. Green Top is the best gun and hunting outlet followed by BPS. At Green Top you will speak with a specialist in the gun department and they are very helpful. Green Top also has bass guys in their fishing department who you can speak with about bass fishing. BPS has Conner, Mike and Michael who know bass fishing and they are bass tournament guys. So when you walk into a tackle shop and expect some knowledgeable assistance you are throwing the dice. We want tackle shops with people who know bass fishing in your area and can be of great help when deciding on what to purchase and some of the larger box stores don't have bass guys and gals in their fishing departments so you are on your own. The smaller tackle shops cannot economically keep up with the box stores and the financial investment to open or purchase an existing tackle shop is a challenge. So when we lose a small tackle shop the odds are that no one will continue the business. Sometimes things do not change for the better.

Sometimes I am Dumb and Dumber when I refuse to change my technique.

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Brendan, you have asked another $64,000 question. Easy question - difficult answer. Why difficult? Because every one of us 64,000+ guys and gals on this site have their own opinion. Here is my two-cents added to muddy the waters!!!! I know of a pro who tells me that some of the pros are not using leaders on their braid. Yes, braid. Seems the pros are starting to use braid more and more as it lasts longer than mono or fluorocarbon, has no memory, and they do not see any difference in their strike ratios. Others say that you need a leader to hide the line from the bass and they only fish with a fluorocarbon leader. Personal preference and confidence drive their decision. As for me? I do not use a leader since the pro I fished with showed me how straight braid can catch them without any problem on a spinning rig. I throw green 8 pound test braid and have not seen any difference in my hook up ratio than when I used a leader when using my spinning rigs. I don't use a leader to avoid a weak link in the line via the knot. Sufix has a new braid color that Sufix claims cannot be seen by the bass. I will be getting some of this line, which you can see easily see out of the water, and use it next year without a leader. It is the Sufix 832 Advanced Braid Superline in Camo. So far the pros are saying it may be the best new line out in years and without a leader it eliminates the weak spot in the line where the leader would be attached and saves time and money retying the leader. I will be using the new Sufix on both my baitcasters and spinning rigs. I am interested in how the braid will perform on a baitcaster setup. Will be another "adventure in bass fishing" for me. So....bottom line is confidence. You do what you have confidence when fishing. Read all the posts for this thread and then experiment. And let us have your input next year as to what you did and the results. Merry Christmas.

Crank, Gulp! attracts all fish other than bass, in my experience. If you use Gulp! you will get lots of pecks from the bluegills, bream, minnows, and some good hits from catfish, and some interest from dinks if they are around. Try MegaStrike or JJ's Magic in place of Gulp! on this set up: Spinning reel Medium heavy spinning rod 8 pound fluorocarbon line 1/8 ounce jig head with a 2/0 or 3/0 strong hook Zoom green pumpkin with black flake or Junebug trick worm rigged straight on jig head Smear MegaStrike on the trick worm (or your favorite scent other than Gulp!) You can cast it out far; flip it; pitch it; or skip it to your targets One other suggestion: what is the bass population in the place where you fish? Do you know? If not, this is what you do. 1. Take a few slices of white or wheat bread with you to your favorite place to fish and tear up the bread into small pieces and throw them into the water. If you want, you can set up a bream rig with a small gold hook and round dough balls from the bread along with a bobber and see what you can catch to find out the forage in the water. 2. See what hits the bread - bream, bluegill, minnows, turtles, beavers, otters, Jaws, the Monster from the Black Lagoon, etc. 3. You will then know what forage is in the water that the bass are eating. 4. Match the hatch. Try to get a glimpse of what is hitting the bread and put on a bluish Junebug trick worm if you see bluegills. Otherwise, stay with your green pumpkin with black flake. 5. Take a swimming pool thermometer with you, add a long string, throw it into the water, and see the water temperature. Fish accordingly. 6. Fish the north and west banks as they receive the most heat from the sun and the water may be a few degrees warmer. The bass will come into these shallow areas for the warmer water to sun themselves and to feed. 7. Cast out as far as you can and let the trick worm (or finesse worm if you don't have a trick worm) sit on the bottom for a full five minutes. Don't touch it. Let it sit. Will drive you crazy but let it just sit there. Keep finger on line at all times. 8. Move the trick worm a little after five minutes and let it sit again, for a shorter time period, such as three minutes. Work the plastic back to you very, very, very slowly. This is the "dead sticking" technique. 9. Using a fan pattern from left to right and right to left, repeating the dead sticking technique. 10. If you don't get any strikes, the bass are not in the area or may not be in the water. They could be farther out and deeper where you can't reach them. You just have to try your best to cast as far as you can and keep a finger on the line at all times to feel for any tap-tap-tap's. If you can feel any drop-offs fish those areas. Bass will use the drop offs as their highways to and from deeper water. Yes, dead sticking will drive you crazy. But it is one of the best techniques to use for winter fishing. And as a backup, have you ever thrown the "Ned Rig"? If not, look it up on the Forum and give it a try, too. Let us know if you catch anything.

So I’ve been fishing for about a year now and have caught nothing but a few bluegill. - HEY, THAT'S BETTER THAN NOT CATCHING ANYTHING BUT IT DOES TELL US A LOT ABOUT YOUR FISHING HABITS. i feel demoralized at this point.- ONLY NORMAL. ALWAYS FEEL DOWN WHEN I DON'T CATCH ANYTHING. i use a rugby shakey head with a watermelon or a green pumpkin senko and a 5:2:1 ratio’d reel -NEED ZOON TRICK WORMS ON A PROVIDER JIG HEAD ON 8 POUND FLOUROCARBON LINE ON A SPINNING RIG. GREEN PUMPKIN SENKOS ARE GREAT. FISH THEM "WACKY STYLE." THE REEL IS A SLOW 5:2:1. NEXT TIME BUY A 6:1 OR 7:1 BAITCASTER OR A NICE SIZE 2000 OR 2500 SPINNING REEL THAT CAN ACCOMODATE 6 OR 8 POUND TEST LINE. 7’ pole ugly stik and i primarily jig fish. - TOO HEAVY. GO WITH A MEDIUM OR MEDIUM HEAVY ROD. SEVEN FEET IS FINE FOR FLIPPING AND PITCHING A SPINNING RIG. CHECK OUT THE BPS RODS THAT WILL BE ON SALE AFTER THE FIRST OF THE YEAR OR AT THE END OF JANUARY. ive used a crankbait, spinnerbait, Texan rig, drop shot, and a ned rig. - CRANKBAITS, SPINNERBAITS, TEXAS RIGS, DROP SHOTS AND NED RIGS ARE GREAT. BUT THERE ARE SO MANY TO SELECT AMONG THAT JUST SAYING THEIR NAMES MEANS NOTHING. NO IDEA WHERE YOU LIVE AND YOU NEED TO ADD YOUR PHYSICAL LOCATION TO YOUR AVATAR. AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF IN THE INTRODUCTIONS SECTION, TOO. BY DOING THIS WE CAN LASER INTO YOUR QUERY AND BASE OUR RESPONSES TO YOUR LOCATION. LOTS OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TEXAS AND MINNESSOTA. i primarily fish 2:30 - 5:30 or 2:30 to sun down. - GOOD TIMES BUT ANY WAY YOU CAN SQUEEZE IN SUNRISE? 2:30 TO SUNDOWN IS OK. DEPENDS WHAT PART OF THE WORLD YOU ARE FISHING. Right now the weather is pretty cold and i know it makes for bad fishing but even in fall i couldn’t even muster a bite. - BECAUSE THE BASS MAY BE HIBERNATING ALREADY. WHAT IS THE WATER TEMPERATURE? IN THE 50'S OR HIGH 40'S? EVER HEARD OF "DEAD STICKING"? FISHING A LAKE, POND, RIVER, CREEK? WE NEED TO KNOW. Ive never wanted anything more at this point than a bass if there’s anything to know tell me! - WE CAN TELL YOU LOTS BUT IT IS ALSO UP TO YOU TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND RECON. READ, READ AND READ SOME MORE. LOOK AT THE YOUTUBE VIDEOS. READ ALL YOU CAN ON THIS SITE ABOUT RODS, REELS, LINE, BAITS, TECHNIQUES AND BASS HABITAT. BASS FISHING IS A LOT LIKE BASEBALL.YOU JUST CAN'T GET ALL DRESSED OUT LOOKING NICE AND NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH A BAT TO GET A GOOD HIT. YOU NEED TO READ, STUDY, GO ON THE WATER AND ASK US SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. NOW GO INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND ADD YOUR PHYSICAL LOCATION SO WE CAN GIVE YOU MORE HELP. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Four things to remember when storing plastics in plastic bags: 1. Be sure not to mix the different plastics just in case they leach their colors onto the other plastics in the bag. In other words, keep all 294 Senkos together, all Zoom Junebug Trick Worms together; all Zoom or YUM green pumpkin finesse worms together by manufacturer, etc. 2. Write the names and types of the baits on each plastic bag so you can easily see what is in the bag and not rely on your memory that can be foggy in a few months. Do not write anything on an index card or piece of paper and put it in the bag as it will suck up the chemicals in the plastics. 3. If possible, keep all new baits in their original packaging. Do not add any plastics that you have thrown and are saving for your next fishing adventure. 4. Keep any used plastics you wish to retain in their own bags, separate from the other baits as stated in 3 above. You can then store your plastics by name, color or type so you can take inventory next year and then take the Bait Monkey with you to the tackle shop to buy or order replacements. And it is fun to do this and realize how many different types of plastics you have. Merry Christmas!

My Virginia chart has the same pictures. Very interesting that we have the same species in Virginia as you do in Michigan.

LOL! No one gets drunk at a crawfish boil. Too busy eating and socializing. And a cold Barq's (It's Good) is much better than beer, unless it is Abita Purple Haze. Abita Purple Haze is one really great beer. You have got to attend a real Louisiana crawfish boil. Put it on your bucket list. Visit Louisiana and do some fishing this winter. Big redfish; big sheepsheads; big drum; really big catfish; big Sac-a-Lait; and tremendous largemouth bass. And visit the French Quarter for some real fun. You will have a blast fishing and eating you way through the state.

We may be spared. Hope so. I hate snow.

Tom, many years ago I got a poster from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries titled "Crayfish of Virginia." Of course, us crawfish connoisseurs spell the name "crawfish" without the "y" but that is not a big deal. We all know what we are talking about. The poster shows 33 of the 34 different species in the Commonwealth and USA along with the following information. I think you and everyone else will enjoy what was penned about our lovely crustaceans. "Crayfish - also known as crawfish, crawdads, and mudbugs - are a diverse and important group of freshwater invertebrates. Worldwide, approximately 530 species have been identified, with over 400 species found in North America. These 10-legged relatives of the lobster live in a variety of habitats including springs, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, swamps, and caves. Some specifies live exclusively in burrows - underground networks of tunnels market by a hole or mud chimney. Normally living 2-4 years, crayfish typically range between 1 and 6 inches in length, though the largest species, the Tasmanian Crayfish, can reach 2 feet in length and exceed 10 pounds in weight (my dream crawfish). While most people think of them as bait or menu items, crayfish serve critical roles in the aquatic environment including consuming and ingestion of vegetation and decaying matter, movement of sediment, and as a food source for many wildlife species. In addition, crayfish aquaculture is big business, contributing over $120 million annually to Louisiana's economy. At least 29 crayfish species can be found in Virginia, including 25 native species and 4 exotics, ranking the Commonwealth in the top 25% nationally for diversity. This number will likely climb as more attention is paid to these crustaceans and previously undescribed species are discovered. While no crayfish currently are listed as Threatened or Endangered in the Commonwealth, 14 species are listed in the state's Wildlife Action Plan as needing significant conservation action. Pollution and habitat loss are the major factors in crayfish declines, with introduction of exotic species emerging as primary concern. To help prevent introduction of exotic species, the sale of live crayfish as bait in pet shops is prohibited in Virginia. Please help preserve our native crayfish by conserving the Commonwealth's aquatic resources and by preventing the introduction of exotic species." As you can read above, there are over 400 different types of crawfish in North America. It is really amazing to realize that we have so many different types of crawfish in the world.

X2

Makes me hungry! Merry Christmas!

We are on the snow/rain line. Depending on how strong the low becomes between today and Sunday will determine if we get a 2 to 3 inch dusting or 8 to 12 inch clobbering. All we can do is sit back and wait and watch some football, basketball and ice hockey on TV as long as we have power. Let's hope for the best outcome in our favor.

I used to be a big Flyers fan but have lost interest when the Flyers failed to have good teams.

Same thing. You would love crawfish. Try to find an LSU or other Louisiana college alumni chapter crawfish boil in your area this summer and go and have a blast.

Great news. Thanks for sharing. When our P53 gene goes haywire and fails to destroy any faulty genes in our DNA that go crazy reproducing we have a very serious battle on our hands. I am so glad you beat the beast. Keep getting your checkups to make sure you are squeaky clean and hit the water hard. The bass have been waiting for your return.