DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only

Welcome to bass resource. It might help to do searches on the website for bodies of water you are familiar with. J-

WoW! Good stuff thanks for sharing! J

I was in that tournament and although we caught a bunch of short fish the right size ones were tough to catch for us. Our better fish came on a blade we finished with five fish for a sad 13 lbs. I will take that 13lbs over a zero any day of the week though. Hope next tournament brings me 20+ lbs. Wish I would have thrown the chatter bait a little more. J

What happen to the old 15" swimbait hanging over the side of the boat? Or telling them I caught them c-rigging a pink hula popper? I love acting like I have a monster on a 15" swimbait ( yelling running back and forth in the boat) and then when I got some attention acting like it got off. Works best when you are in known dead water. Act mad and leave I have seen people sit on the spot for hours after I have left. Good times. J

Fish in the moment. Learn as many spots as you can, learn your water. I have my tournaments in a body of water that is rarely ever the same. I have been set up more times than I can count. The day before the tournament I put together a partner only to get skunked on that pattern the next day. What works best on my body of water is going to all the spots in similar conditions that I have caught fish in the past. I start shallow and end deep depending on time of year. I try bluffs, guts, coves, creeks, points, humps, drop offs, laydowns, little tiny patches of grass (no big grass flats where I fish), flats, etc. not in that order. Once I get a idea where the fish are at and their mood, I jump around fishing all the spots that are the similar. When you put all your eggs in one basket you end up the creek without a paddle. It all starts with knowing your water. The only other tip is fail proof and it's if you don't know your lake well know your electronics very well. It takes the guess work out of it some. I am not good with my cheap electronics so I do the ladder of the two options. J

Virginia is for lovers and fisherman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VA ALL THE WAY! :} J-

The may have less eggs than other fish but they also can reproduce several times a year. That is how they have populated the river so quickly and they protect their offspring more aggressively than most or all other fish. Someone once told me that they will even attack a Grey Heron if they get to close. Last year at this time I was already catching them. Once the buck bass start to get shallow (which is now I have been catching them left and right) the snakeheads are very very very close to follow. J

Traveler I agree they will spread but here is another point. What other native species can grow in numbers as fast as the snakehead? I wonder if they will reduce offspring or their instinct to reproduce when they start to out grow the river? I thinks it's only a matter of time before their impact it truly felt. That all being said it won't be long till we start wacking em again. Mr.Wade is right about one thing, they sure are a good thing for the sport fishermen. J-

Sorry for the short response previously I am not a big fan of sending big messages from my phone. Basically what I gathered from the live interview with Mr. Wade is: He believes that the snakehead will hit its equal Librium in the river and take a slice of the pie chart. I am no so sure I agree. I spoke with he Fort Belvoir biologist and he told me that studies show now that the number of snakeheads in the river have stop expanding and have peaked. I was curious and asked him how that assessment was reached. He said that they had been studying a 100 yard stretch of river by electric fishing and the numbers have leveled out. The numbers may have leveled out for that 100 yard strip of bank along the river but that is a drop in the bucket compared to the size of the river. With all the real-estate on the river there is no need for them to bunch up, YET!!!!! I think about the fact that they were allegedly introduce less than 15 years ago. In that time they have expanded their territory to reach the brackish waters of the bay. I read somewhere that when salt levels are low due to rainfall they will travel further into the bay and as soon as the salt levels raise they retreat into the nearest fresh water creek. What is going to happen when they have no more new real estate to expand too? The studies show the numbers leveling out but in fact they are not they are still expanding. The effects are not going to show up for a long time but I think they will indeed show up. Like I said before, people are going to think that fishing is getting better. They are going to catch bigger fish and more often, and I think that will be because the snakehead will have thinned the population of edible size dinks. I feel that after that happens and once numbers get a lot bigger snakeheads will start eating the bass out of house and home. Then eventually turn on a bigger size fish diet. It may not happen this way just my prospective. J-

Yeah i would think so, but from my experience when they are shallow (this is true for me) spinnerbaits and senkos get the better bites. By better i mean bigger. J-

I will have to be honest my SK s11's look nicer but feel cheaper than my $5 berkley. So far I am not completely sold on my S11 that I bought 3 weeks ago. I will have a better idea after this season is over, I am going to try the s11 for the entire season this year. j-

You can not go wrong with a spinnerbait or weightless sinko. They both produce extremely well when the bass are shallow. Top water early can also produce well when the bass are shallow. J-

I once caught a 22.5 inch bass that made 3 lbs on the scale it was extremely thin and looked sick. From a distance though without looking at the girth my fish looked like a 4-5lber. So, I made sure that the people across the river looking at me only saw the side profile. LOL Maybe its a really bad picture but I am thinking that fish looks 4-5 lbs range. I have seen a lot of people in my day call a 2lb bass a five pounder. J-

To funny I actually heard the interview on the radio while at work! It was very interesting. That being I personally don't 100% agree with it all. The fact remains only time will tell. J-

Correct it was forfeited by wanting to have the privilege to fish. Which brings me back to square one, giving up or as you put it waiving my right just to be able to fish. It's a principal thing. I have given MHO on the topic there isn't any need for me to keep beating a dead horse over it. Just my two cents all take it how you will. Good discussion all thanks for giving me time to vent. J

No the rights you give up are the rights to travel unmolested. Cops are not allowed to walk up to you and search you for no reason at all. But CO/GW can they can search you at will and invade your privacy just because you are in the act of fishing. What makes that right? We might as well be in Germany with our papers in hand ready to show it at will on command. Paying for the license is not the problem its what you are agreeing to by doing so! J

It all started with a mandatory fishing license back in the early 1900's when fishing licenses became required. The state constitution talks nothing about having the right to fish only if you have a fishing license. All those requirements happened after the fact. That is when it became a privilege and not a right. My whole point is actually a question. When is enough, enough? J-

Choporoz, I will take a update after your trip on Saturday..LOL I have a tournament on Sunday but shhhh keep the info on the low, a couple of people on this thread are in the same tournament... Just playing good luck out there! This time of year you cant go wrong with a spinnerbait. J--

Once again they took our "fathers" right to fish and changed it into a privilege... Yeah, I bet our fathers (as you referred to them) would just sit around and except that. I myself have never had any illegal issues with the CO/GW and never plan too. That being said we don't need any more officers because that just means a bigger fines for petty stuff or some other new money making citation, to pay their salaries! We can and should police our own waters and lands, instead of having someone do it for us. I am not saying that CO/GW shouldn't exist but they should change the ways they do things. I am all for calling the authorities when you see something worth reporting, just not being harassed for doing nothing just because they can. We should all be on the same team and most sportsman wants what’s best for the resource. We shouldn’t have to give up rights in order for justice to happen. J-

I am not so sure they are protecting our rights or protecting their own interest. FISHING/Hunting is not and should not be a privilege it should be a right. At one time it was a right. Your words are correct now it is a privilege. One day they will limit how many cast you can make a season. It's amazing how much damage can occur from one little drop of water over a long period of time. Drip by drip they are changing all of our rights into privileges, so what's next. I know the extreme changes are not going to happen probably in my life time but what about my kids, and their kids, and their kids ect. J-

It all comes down to the principle of the whole issue. If we keep on giving a inch before you know it all your rights will be gone. It's all a money making propaganda. I think it is complete bull for a GW or Conservation Officer to just stop you and check you for your papers. If you have done nothing wrong why are they harassing you? What gives them the authority to harass us for no reason? I can tell you this, we give them the authority because we don't challenge them (legally not violently people) enough. He who does not fight for his/her rights will lose them". There is plenty of good work for them to do instead of harassing people to hit their quota on tickets. I know people are going, wait there is no quotas anymore. I call BS, if you are not producing (tickets) then your bosses think you are not doing your job. So you are left fighting tooth and nail to get every ticket you can out of someone or at least one big ticket to show that you are working. I sit back and watch the GW/CO where I fish hiding with binoculars waiting to watch someone cast a line then get all excited (Oh my gosh he is fishing better go check his papers) as they fly over and check them for everything they can think of. It's annoying when you are trying to fish a tournament and have them come check you for all your stuff (fire extinguisher, whistle, life vest, throwable cushion, license, boat registration, and soon boaters safety course certificate). Then the next time you’re out they do it all over again, they get a attitude when you remind them they checked you the last 3 time you been out. As soon as those requirements don't produce they will be looking for the next thing you must carry. I have a idea do some research, observe some people, wait for a crime to be committed, wait for someone to report something. Don't just play the lazy numbers game and get a ticket for every 20 people you harass. We as Americans have RIGHTS. I feel we are just content that we are allowed to fish and don't want to mess that up so we don't question/ or challenge enough. I wonder where all the money from all these license, tickets, permits, and taxes are going? If you factor all that money (and it is a HUGE number) I can guarantee you this it's being spent on some pretty disappointing ish. Sure some of it is going to a wonderful cause but I bet more than half is not. These greedy sons-of-gun are still hungry and thinking of the next great plan to get more. Just my 2 cents IMO J-

I completely understand where you are coming from. However if I can spend some change or a couple dollars and get the part I need, I can fish a couple more months with it. Finances are tight and I take good care of the stuff I do have so for me right now I think the repair might be my best bet. You never know, I am feeling good about this years tournaments. I may upgrade in a couple weeks. =) Thanks for the tip. J-

Does anyone know a place online where someone could by baitcaster parts? I have a Abu Garcia - Black Max actually have a couple of them, and they all have had anti reverse issues. I am looking for somewhere to buy replacement parts or possible upgrades. J-

I have a goal this year to make the classic so once I made the mistake of catching fish I knew I was in for the long hall. I was feeling good early in the morning until I got soaked and started shaking. It was a try learning experience, rubber duck suit hear I come. Even though you didn't go back out you were still a team player since you stuck around for the weigh in, that was pretty awesome of you. Tightlines Quanjig! J-

We kind of picked up on that. We were just picking fun at ya. But really that name is a little rough though. J-