Tpayneful

I am fishing fluorocarbon line on everything that bounces on the bottom regardless of the water clarity. The sensitivity is so much better than mono. I am going to use braid for frogs and mono for crankbaits.

The Gander Mountain in Fredericksburg, VA does a terrible job restocking throughout the year. They stock up the fresh water department over winter and they forget about it the rest of the year. When lures go out of stock they move existing stock around to fill in blank pegs. From June on you have to find another place to buy stuff because they will be out of stock.

My wife dodges the bullets at VCU every day as well. She watched too much CSI and is now working on her Forensic Science Degree! I can't wait to see her put on her makeup a sexy outfit and 3 inch heels to got to work like all the women on CSI! Radford had the advantage of a high girl to guy ratio which made it a great place to go. Of course you know what ODU stands for.....OverDose University! Have fun in college guys because it beats going to work everyday!

I use 15lb Pline and it is fantastic!

Raul, Those Tiger Fish in Africa may be one of the most aggressive fish in the world. They attack their prey at full speed WHAM! It is awesome. An ESPN Film crew got to see me catch this one.

I bought a 4 pack of the 4" Money Minnow for $9.99 this weekend at a fishing show.

I bought some of the Money Minnows which look like a knock off. Tin is right, the Basstrix is hollow and the Money Minnows are solid. I hope they work and aren't all hype. This will probably be the year of the swimbait for the general public after the success that the Elite series had with them.

I bought a chatterbait two years ago and have fished it in a number of areas and I would say that it works the best in areas that have submerged aquatic vegetation. Last summer I was getting skunked on the Potomac River by my partner on a spinnerbait. He had put 4 dinks in the livewell. I switched to the chatterbait and caught a 4lber on the first cast. I fish it in the same conditions that you fish a spinnerbait. It comes through grass well but I tend to get it hung up brush. I caught my last two fish in December on the chatterbait in a pond. I would pop it off the bottom and let it sit for 30 seconds after it landed. I caught two in a half hour. I leave the stock skirt on and use a super fluke jr for the trailer. Sam, I am surprised that you had to sharpen the hooks. The first 3 that I purchased were extremely sharp. Maybe they changed hooks.

I don't think Catt and I are even contest that Tungsten is more expensive. If you don't think it isn't worth the cost....good for you. I was at a Fishing Seminar yesterday and Shaw Grigsby said that he only uses Tungsten. He had three reasons. 1. Smaller profile 2. It is harder thus transmitted vibrations better 3. The weight doesn't get hung in the bass' mouth when you set the hook therefore it will not interfere with the hookset. I started using Tungsten weights last year and I have only one reason that I use it. I can feel the bottom, cover and a fish bite better than with lead which I believe helps me catch more fish. A. I want to catch more fish and B. I can afford the weights. Also, I have a lure retreiver which has a 100% retrieval rate when it has been used.

Dominion Dan, Do you go to ODU? I dodged bullets around ODU for a few years before I graduated in 1994

Bassnajr, I fished mono until last year. I tried fluorocarbon and really like it. I am going to add braid this year. This is my plan for line for the year. Baitcasters Mono - crankbaits Fluorocarbon - jigs, t-rigs, spinnerbaits Braid - frogs and swimbaits Spinning All Mono But I will try fluorocarbon on one this year and see what I think.

I have a Hustler 15" pitch prop for my 1977 70HP Evinrude. I believe it required a number 33 hub kit. It is no problem to install. I believe the hub kit requires no tools if I remember correctly. The whole reason for the hub kit is......that they can make one propellor which is the big cost and make hub kits for specific brand which is the smaller cost. Once you get the hub kit you only have to buy a new prop if you want to change sizes. I hope this helps.

I don't understand the Ol timers comment unless it was completely tongue in cheek. Ol timers didn't have Senkos, Brush Hogs, Lucky Craft crankbaits, chatterbaits, fluorocarbon lines, graphite rods, depthfinders, baitcasters with 10 ball bearings and thousands of other things that technology and ingenuity have provided us over the last 40 years. I will try some of these new gadgets, lures and tungsten weights and if they work I will continue to use them. Tungsten is expensive but I get a better feel for the bottom, the cover and the bite using it. On highly pressured lakes and rivers this may make me a better angler. Of course if the whole comment was made in jest I am just being serious for nothing ;D

Wayne, I will stop by as I have done for the last few years. I know Jason Moon's Grandfather Jim and his son Chris. Jim runs the Wednesday night fishing tournaments on Lake Caroline. I will definitely buy a raffle ticket too. I want to get there in time for the 11 AM seminar. I like looking around at the boats and the lures that are available but I usually come away empty handed. Thanks to everyone else for the heads up on what to expect. I think I am going to have to invite Sam out for a day of fishing to finally meet him!

It is going to be quite some time before I am excited about the Redskins again after this catastrophe.

Did anyone go to the Richmond Fishing Expo yesterday? How was it? Bassarama last year was a huge disapointment. I hope this years show is better. Family obligations kept me at home yesterday and today but I plan on going Sunday morning. Hopefully I will be able to see the seminars.

I would buy 10 Strike King Bitsy Flip jigs. 5 Black and Blue 1/4oz and 5 Olive Green 1/4oz ones. They are $1.59 from ***.com so you will not go broke on them. I prefer to use them with a 2.5" craw chunk from Gander mountain. They have a black and blue swirl color and a green swirl color as well. It is a fantastic bait to learn how to fish a jig and it catches a ton of fish! Fish the green one in clear water and the black and blue one any where.

Redneck, My number has come up on the Redskins Season ticket waitlist. It only took 7 years to get the opportunity to buy season tickets. If Gregg Williams doesn't get the job, I am not buying season tickets, hats, jerseys or anything else. I am so ANGRY with Snyder that my head is going to explode! All of the teamwork at the end of the season looks like it is going to be tossed out the window!

January 11th, 2008. It also marked the first time that I had caught a fish in 12 consecutive months! Now that the ponds and lakes that I fish are iced over February might be tough to continue the streak.

All of the reasons that you mentioned regarding why things cost less from foreign countries (cheep labor, lax environmental regulations, etc.) confirm the laws of supply and demand. We as Americans live in the one country of unlimited opportunity. In this country, you are the only one that limits your ultimate success. If you work hard and overcome obsticles you can be successful and make a good living.

I have heard that closing the bail with your hand, not the handle will solve line twist but it hasn't for me. The only thing that I have found that solves line twist is a swivel between the reel and the lure. The wide spools from US reel and Extreme, Johnny Morris at BPS are supposed to solve some line twist issues. I plan to buy one this year and find out.

Sam is 100% correct on this one! You feel a lot more with the tungsten weight! I have tried excaliber, some other brand from Gander Mountain and Tru-tungsten. I only buy the Tru-tungsten weights now. Some brands put an insert into the weight to keep the tungsten from cutting the line. The other brands insert comes out sometimes and the line gets cut and you lose the weight. I wish the paint on my truck was as hard and durable as the paint on the Tru-tungsten weights. It just doesn't chip off. I am totally on the tungsten bandwagon and specifically Tru-Tungsten.

I am waiting for *** to get 50 packs of Watermellon Seed *** and 50 packs of June Bug Baby Bush Bugs to come back in stock so I can make a big purchase! I am also waiting for my first trip to Stick Marsh in March

It is $600 for me, $600 for my wife, $300 for first child and $300 for second child for a total of $1800! It took them a week to get the deal done but for some reason checks will not go out until June. The first thing that jumped into my mind was GIANT FLAT SCREEN TV! The second thing was Humminbird 919si....SIDE IMAGING sonar! More than likely it will go into the savings account to pay for my wife's college tuition :'(

I only buy Ford Trucks and will not buy a foreign vehicle. I liked my first Ranger, Second Ranger, First Explorer, Second Explorer and my F150. My truck was built in a plant in Virginia Beach that is scheduled to be closed. That is about as far as I take my made in America purchasing. Simple economics dictates that foreign products that are cheeper and have good quality will be purchased by more people than higher priced American goods of equal quality. This is not about people, countires, or companies it is about supply and demand. Americans have the ability to move on from a manufacturing job to something else because most of us can learn new skills and find bigger and better jobs. The cheeper goods with good quality allow poorer people to buy many more products than before.