JCrzy4Bass

The ones at Walmart aren't really built to last and the swivel is indeed very cheap, however I have caught a handful on these $1.00 spinners this year, mainly the black and red headed ones with black skirts, and then the chat colored ones with bits of red mixed in. If your in for better ones, buy a strike king, but invest in a trailer hook (gamakatsu) or buy a sharpener as most of the spinners don't come with very sharp hooks. Trust me, I've lost waaaayyyy to many fish on spinners to know this fact.

You ever watch that movie There's Something About Mary ? Enough said lol.... But on a serious note. I don't think we are hurting the bass at all, I figure we are just helping them remove that hook that somehow mysteriously got into their mouths. Now who would do such a thing???

Good stuff. Seems like the past week has been a very reflective week on this forum. Lots of posts like this one lurking around, including the one about George Carlin who wrote a very serious piece. I've noticed a couple others two. It's good to have people remind us of this every once in a while as we get so wrapped up in life because of how fast paced it is (especially around here near DC). Traffic and commutting, work, cleaning, keeping up to date on bills and your car maintenance, making time for friends, and most importantly spending time with those you love. No matter how much we try and keep on top of everything, things get jumbled every now and then and we sometimes forget where our priorities lie. These are the types of threads that really put things into focus and make you take a second to see if you have everything straight in your life. Nice post Catt.

Past three experiences I can recall from this summer: 1) Caught two off the same lay down at Lake Accotink 2) Caught three off the same dock, same pillar actually at the Occoquan River (hours apart though) 3) Caught two off the same wooden boat launch by tossing a worm directly under it again at the Occoquan River. I know there were a few other places I've caught some from the same spot. But yea I normally stay a while and really work it to see if it was an isolated bass (unlikely) or a schooling bass. Where there is one, there normally is more close by. They are all looking for the same thing, cover and forage.

Let's crack some beers and celebrate (except for hookemdown), still got a couple years there bud. Haha. But seriously, I hope all of ya'll have a great birthday. Now I know theres gonna be some trying out new equipment during this special day right? I already told my family and friends this year... all I want is gift cards to Bass Pro lol. I'm too picky about my gear for people to buy it for me lol. Have a great day guys.

Nice little pond you got there fivepound. Where are you located? Florida? I'd love to have an open pond like that not covered by algae (only ones we have around here). We don't have many open ponds with a lot of shoreline access unless I feel like driving 30-40 minutes north or south just to fish a pond... rather go to the river or lake though.

Well said. While you didn't wanna sit and poke fun at these guys, you will look back at all the fun times you had together soon enough and be happy knowing you were able to make such a great impact on that one persons life. Don't cancel that trip, go by yourself... he'll be there in heart. While it's hard to move on I'm sure he'd want you to be out there doin' what you guys do best. Just don't forget to reel one in for him too.

The steady retrieve half a foot from the top is always good. Keep in mind water clarity and water temps. When water is hot or warm you want a slower approach unless you are trying to draw a reaction type strike around cover, in which case you want to rip it past or drag it by the cover rather quickly past the object to get the bass to aggressively strike. In cooler water you can speed up the approach. If the water is clearer you don't want to give the bass a good look at it so you want to be moving it fairly quickly. The general rule is the clearer the water the further out you want to cast and the deeper you probably want to work it (though you always want to cast cranks and spinners farin order to maximize time in the strike zone). I don't know how to really explain the slow roll, though I'm sure someone will give you the technical aspect here shortly. Hoped this helped some. You want to apply the same considerations as far as color based off your water conditions. Dark water = darker colors, slightly stained to clear = natural to light colored baits,

Well said. I totally agree. There are definately patterns that work on one body of water that might not ever work somewhere else. It depends on how much the place is fished, what the fish normally see, and of course the air and water conditions. But I know there is one pond I go to where 4" wenkos and Chat spinners kill. But there is a lake down south I fish where I seem to have decent success with floating rapalas near brush. Then I go to a local lake around here and red strike king twist tail worms with black flecks produce (which unfortunately I didn't have on me the last two times out there). It's cool being able to solve the puzzles of these bodies of water. That's why fishing never seems to get old, not even when you don't catch anything. Because you know next time you go out there you are gonna throw different stuff and probably haul one or two in.

I was sitting in class at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va (Mth 185) when the dean of the math department walked into our trailer, whispered to the professor and left. The professor told us what had happend (the first plane hitting) and told us to go home to our loved ones. I walked over to the JC after calling my mom, dad, sister, and girl friend and checking to see if everyone heard the news and was ok. As I got in there, people were lined up on the second floor in the news center shoulder to shoulder glued to the tvs. Dead silence... all you could hear was the news caster doing the report. We watched the second plane hit... I thought to myself, this is going to start world war 3. It was such a crazy day. Wasn't able to get through tomy parents for hours because of all the cell phones and signal problems that day. May all those who lost loved ones, and all those who know others who lost loved ones rest secured today that we are more prepared than ever and fighting to keep our country safe. While we may not all agree with the way it is being done, we all stand behind the troops who fight each day to keep our people at home free and safe. We all still stand more united than ever, and if this event did anything, it showed how we as a people can come together in the presence of adversity and be strong. They may have damaged buildings, destroyed a couple of airliners, and caused us an immense amount of pain... but they never... ever... for a second took our dignity, pride, and character.

I've been following this since it happend and just caught that article about 30 minutes ago after I did all my fantasy football updates. It's amazing the difference a day can make when god is looking down on you and knows you don't deserve to have your life taken away at 25 years old. I am so glad he's progressing the way he is. It truly is a miracle. Hopefully there are no complications over the next few days, but it looks like he will be ok. What a close call. I bet the mother is so happy. The doctors and staff did a great job with this guy from the moment of impact through the moments after surgery. God bless Kevin Everett.

Hey George, Glad everything went well. My fiancee just had an extensive surgery for her sleep apnea and I was out of the game for a couple of weeks caring for her. You need to lay back and enjoy the comfort of having others wait on you hand and foot. From what I hear... its FUN lol. Anyway, take your time with your recovery, that way when you get out you start to see the fall colors and the shallow fish!!! Woo Hoo. Glad to see your doin' alright boss.

It wasn't the offense. Yes there run defense looked solid for once.. and I regret starting duece instead of julius jones in my fantasy this week. But it was Jason David who got beat on all three long touchdowns. His adjusting to the man to man defense isnt working so well, he was two steps behind wayne and harrison all night. As soon as they made their cut and ran up field he was done. Drew Brees was forcing stuff against their pass defense. But what do you expect when the other team is up by 3 or more scores? The colts only gave him underneath and made him try and force stuff in. Not the game I expected, except for the first half which actually seemed like a good matchup. Not the Drew Brees I know though as far as decision making skills. Crazy man.

Based off what you said already I can give you only one pointer. Early in the summer and even recently I have lost MULTIPLE fish on spinners (mainly strike king) this summer. I fiancee being the sweet girl she is went out and bought me a hook sharpener after I got some advice here on obtaining one to make sure that the hooks I have are constantly sharp and hook set effective. Gamas come pretty sharp, but after casting and running into weeds, wood, stone, rock, etc, the point can get beat up. Make it a point to sharpen yours every now and then (maybe every couple trips out), I do now. Or every time I put a new spinner on or new hook I run it through it a couple times to get it lookin' nice and sharp. Other than that another tip guys gave me on here when I was losing fish is to make sure you are keeping the rod tip high and to play the fish quickly, but in the direction he wants to go after making your hook set. Hope some of this info helps. The vets will be by shortly. Ps: I love those hooks for my plastics, same size even depending on my bait. I like to use the wide gap as opposed to striaght shank.

Ahhh more success on the senko! A great bait for all ages lol. Easy to use, a "do nothing" bait, that will "do everything" for you. Yes while some question it's durability and many other companies mimic, none can compare to the almighty senko! Nice fish guys. Awesome to see the kids pulling in bucketmouths like that with smiles on their faces. Those moments are priceless. Way to create a memory there fellas!

Chris, good choice as far as a bag. I was gonna get the Browing book bag type tackle box but it was out of my price range that day as I only had 80 dollars to spend and the bait monkey was pulling my arm haha. But yea, the Browning is much nicer and I wish I could have picked that up, but if your in a bind and need a quick fix, the BPS bag is definately worth 20-25 bucks by far.

I own this bag and it's money. Holds 5 compartments, plus one more if you wanna add one on top of those five before you zip. It has two side pockets, I use one for my fishing line and towels, the other for all my tools and such. It has gotten wet a couple times and if you have anything in there that you don't want wet if your fishing in the rain, it can create a mess (just like any other soft material). It did not shrink nor destroy the very good material though. I love the shoulder strap as it makes for easy handling if your shorefishing. It also has the optional handle to carry it an alternate way if your shoulder gets tired. There is a nice compartment in the front of the bag that has about 10-12 plastic ziplock bag type holders. I use this to store info such as regulations, citation sizes, boating rules, logs, etc. It is also a great place to store extra things that may not fit in your boxes (that don't have hooks). I love this bag, got it on sale at BPS for $22 at the beginning of the summer. I highly recommend this tackle box.

So my fiancee and I are excited as all get out that the season kicks off tonight. While neither of the teams playing are our favorites it's gonna be a great way to bring in the season. She's swinging by Safeway on the way home to pick up some Mikes, Smirnoff, Wine Coolers, and Beer, and we are cooking some money pasta. Gonna be watching Manning get his butt handed to him hopefully. I'll be pulling for Brees to just have a shoot out against that Colts secondary with two new cornerbacks in the picture. Colston is gonna have an awesome game and hopefully Bush will create some magic. On another note, I'm torn in my fantasy. I can either start Julius Jones as my number 2 Rb against the NYG defense on Sunday, or Duece Mccalister tonight against Indy's D. While Indy was ranked last in the run last year they looked strong at the end of the season and pretty strong throughout the playoffs. I know they lost one of the DL to an injury (Mcfarland I think?), but I don't know what to make of their DL as of now. I can start Jones against the Giants D, but with Strahan coming off the holdout and the Giants decent DL I'm not sure. I know Jones was getting a majority of the snaps in the red zone in preseason which tells me that Marion probably won't be so much of a split back, but rather a situational and 3rd down back to add more power to the running game. Equals more carries and attempts for Jones??? All the sources I've read said to put him above barber in your lineup and that he will pick up the points. Parcells normally likes to stick to that one rb role and not go with trends that the nfl has created with this 2 back type running deal most teams in the league have now implemented. One thing is for sure, I will be starting Shaun Alexander against that Tampa Bay D for my number 1 this week. Wish me luck. Hope everyone enjoys the game tonight! Go Saints!!! I would love to see Indy get their butt handed to em' at home after a super bowl win. Ps: I'm not a bitter Denver Broncos fan at all. After Plummer blew two back to back playoff appearances against those guys and I mean BLEW... I kinda have a hatred to the almighty Colts.

As someone pointed out maybe it was the innappropriate word to use in the context "newbs" in my previous post... what I meant to say was: New people fishing an unfamiliar area, as well as people just getting into bass fishing. More than likely... imho I believe that when your in a new body of water sure enough you are going to start broad and narrow down your focus, therefore probably working the most common lures or baits on the market. The bass condition themselves and soon you have to work twice as hard for your catch (not that I mind). While I myself may be a fairly NEW bass fishermen I am just stating what I have read in countless threads on here and information I have gathered from friends who have been fishing a LONG TIME, people on this site, and people I have talked to at some of our OVER pressured bodies of water here in Va (Lake Anna, Potomac River, Burke Lake).

I'll second that. I've caught more bass on senkos than any other lure or plastic by FAR. My pb is also on a senko at a local lake. Weightless, texas rigged, weedless, wacky, you name it, the senko just catches fish. It is an amazing bait that you can use all year long due to the great falling action. You should try the swim senko if your not a patient worm fisher or get tired of just dead sticking or slow fishing. The swim senko adds another element to your fishing as it lets you slowly reel it in like a swimbait. I've had many catches on the twitch or slow reel method with this bait. GO GYCB!!!

I dont understand If I'm reading right, by this guy posting this thread in so many places and posting pictures, everyone and anyone seeking a citation or pig of a bass is headed out to this lagoon to do so. The area gets over fished, many many people visit it. Some of these folks are bound to leave behind trash or litter around the lake (a problem I see WAY TOO OFTEN in Northern Virginia). I don't know if it's just the product of this one guy as I have seen about 4-5 other guys post pictures from this lagoon. But I do think it is unneccesary to post the pic in that many forums if he is doing so. I understand you are proud of a pic like that and it's a moment to capture, but be at least a little vague or hide the spot some so the regulars don't get upset, frustrated, or mad. Eventually if word gets out enough newbs begin to overtake an area, the bass see every lure, color, or bait in existence and therefore become harder to catch or next to impossible. I have a local pond I fish that recieves virtually NO FISHING PRESSURE. Any time I post pics or talk about it, I never reveal the name, take pictures of background, etc just because I wanna keep it as unheard about as possible. However, the person who posted that comment about him ruining the fishery doesn't need to be that bitter... if he does, he needs to take it up with the person who posted.

Hey Matt, I know you said you caught some nice ones on Shakey Heads. I started finesse fishing with those not too long ago. Caught one in Neabsco Creek doin' that. In the 18'-30' of water, you aren't hitting bottom with those things right? Just kinda casting out let it sink and keep wiggling the rod tip in one area, then reel in after a while recast and try another? Any help would be appreciated. I know in tough conditions like these that catch rates can go up quite a bit if the person knows how to finesse fish with a jig deep or with tubes or shakey heads deep. I can't wait for mid-late fall fishing when water levels begin to rise up (pending if we get any rain). This heat, the dry weather, and the low water all combine for poor fishing conditions. I need to get a summer home up north in Jersey, Penn, Mass, or NH for these summer months!

Don't know bout' you guys but I finished Mason with a Comm Degree in 2005. I got a 2.67, not listed on my resume. Landed a job at Cox Communications as an internet tech support specialist after not even a month of job searching. Was there six months and they wouldn't accomodate my night schedule to some days so I switched. Landed a job at the NVCC campus in Annandale and I now work for the state and have great benefits and am making in the mid 30's. The average Comm major out of Mason only makes 28.5 starting salary. To me and from what I've heard employers say (I've had bosses actually tell me) that the number one thing they look for is good interviewing skills, if the person HAS OBTAINED a degree, and if the degree fits the field they are going into. Most don't even worry about job experience. This is just my experience, I know the real world is different for everyone. But all I'm saying is I wasn't a hardcore studier, I applied myself, did great in most of my classes, had some harder ones that I didn't do so well in... but I pushed through it all and I'm making it here just fine. Northern Virginia, Maryland, Dc and so forth have the one of the greatest job markets in the country despite 9-11 and the fall of the tech industry thereafter (all the layoffs in the industry). Do your best, succeed, graduate... then think real world. Don't have a heart attack over the gpa if it falls under a 3.0. Sure shoot for that or higher, but don't think it's your only ticket into a job market. Practice your interview skills throughout college with friends, family, etc. Take a University clasws, probably the best class I ever took at Mason and it was 1 credit. It explained how to create great resumes, how to go about doing great presentations, building confidence in speaking and interview skills, and how to conduct reserach in an organized fashion. It helped me more than any of my major courses ever did. Most importantly, pick a major you really think you will enjoy, I swicthed halfway through college and still graduated on time because all the main courses I took applied to both majors. Make sure you will like being a part of that field or industry and will not be bored with the things you are going to learn. The first couple of years you won't really get into your major much so don't be alarmed or worried if what you are learning doen't seem like it's where you want to go. Other than that... good luck. You will do great if college is where you picture yourself for the next 4-5 years.

We don't have incredibly clear water around here. Mostly stained. But Burke Lake, a couple ponds I fish, and the Occoquan River can be fairly clear with visibility from 2-3 and a half feet sometimes. I like fishing this as I can anaylze the cover and see how far out it may go out. Generally in this type of water I look for long laydowns that go out a ways in the water, and structure near deep water with quick drop offs and ledges. I normally have to work deeper in these situations since the old saying goes, if you can see the fish, the fish can see you. I like slightly stained water as I find it allows reaction baits to work a little better. Especially in these warm months when you are tugging in spinners or cranks at a quick pace and the bass only get a split second to anaylze the bait. The only thing I dislike about stained water and darker water is I find if your working a new area where you do not know the cover or the bottom structure it's much much easier to get hung up. I recently had this happen to me in the Occoquan Rez.

Sweet guitar. Pummels my old beat up ovation celebrity deluxe model lol. I like my elec guitar though 50th Anniversary custom fender strat. All blue body, black pickguard and grover machine heads with matching color hardware. Black Seymour Duncan Hot Rail pickups in the bridge and neck. I mainly play old Metallica ranging from Master of Puppets to Black, I play a lot of Tremonti licks back from his days in Creed (he's my fav axe wielder). Next to that I'm into anything heavy riff wise like Papa Roach or Avenged Sevenfold. Mainly metal, some screamo stuff, heavy rock. Anyone into screamo or heavy metal check out my old band: www.myspace.com/5daysfromdecember Had to quit because my job did not allow enough practice time and concert time. Fun times though. I warn you the singing... or screaming for that matter is a little much (another reason I didn't wanna continue). The guitars and drums rock though. I played mainly Rhythm but have some licks mixed in there. Recorded our demo in Front Royal at a low key recording studio called "Green Room Productions". For those into soft rock check out our soft song "Darkened Room Called Home".