Sam

Hey guys, I have not been fishing in two years due to various health issues. Seems my last issue, the decompression of levels 3,4, and 5 of my spine will take place on July 11th and after that recovery I should be good to go for the remainder of 2024 and into 2025. Then again.......

Ryan, you never know when life will jump up and bite you. It happened to me. First, I had my right hand operated on. Then, I had my left hand operated on. After that, I had a lower back pinched nerve and I could not walk. Had to learn to walk all over again. Still have leg and knee pain, and I had my right knee replaced ten-years ago so no reason for it to hurt. A pinched nerve in my neck sidelined me for a few months until I got some great physical therapy and now my neck is almost back to 100%. Now, just diagnosed with prostrate cancer in its first stage and will be getting the X-Ray treatments to kill it off. I am a walking medical disaster! Fished in only one tournament for all of 2023 and 2024 as a nonboater, coming in third and I had the big fish. So you go fish and if you feel that you are over fishing, just remember you are fishing for me, and all others with medical problems that limit their time on the water, so please post pics of your catches so we can cheer you on. Have fun; be safe; and give some baits a try and let us know how they do.

Hot Boudin! Great having you join us. Just remember to wear your purple and gold and yell "Geaux Tigers" when you set the hook. For more information on fishing Louisiana, check out Catt on this site. He is a walking encyclopedia of great information.

Terrible. Thanks for sharing. T&P to their families.

I throw a wacky rigged Senko about 15 to 20 feet from where the hut hits the water. Keep your concentration at 100% and as soon as you fee a tick or your line moves, set the hook and hope for the best. Also be on the lookout for snakes.

Today, Friday, April 12, 2024, in Richmond, Virginia, my pink dogwood tree bloomed. It is beautiful! Lets go fishing!!!!

Just to let everyone know, in the greater Richmond, Virginia geographical area the dogwoods blossomed this week. Using this date, you can figure out when your dogwoods will start to bloom.

No idea what happened to the gentleman's boat.

No idea.

The North Carolina game wardens know who he is. No idea if any charges were filed against him. Remember, only witnesses were the three guys involved in the accident. The nonboater, never saw the uninsured boater heading his way until impact.

Airshot, thanks for the information. This also illustrates the need for us to have the highest amount of Uninsured/Underinsured auto limits for your vehicles and your watercraft. Thanks to all for responding to this thread. It was not only a close call but a wake up call for us all. Glenn, you must be back from your visit to Japan. Pick up any "special secret" baits???

As far as I know, the at fault boater had no insurance and he "lives off the grid." Legal actions would not be fruitful.

Last year, while my club was fishing on a lake for the first time, there was a boating accident when an uninsured boater turned into one of club member's bass boat, destroying the boat; destroying or throwing overboard the boater's and nonboater's tackle; but no one was injured as the uninsured boat went over the passenger side console and into the bass boat in front of the where the boater was sitting. Had the uninsured boat been 8 to 12 inches to the right, he could have killed both guys. The bass boat was totally destroyed and both guys lost their rods, reels, tackle, etc. either by impact or thrown into the lake. North Carolina game wardens knew the uninsured boater and told us that he was a menace on the water. However, there was nothing they could do to take him off the water as this accident had no witnesses other than for those involved. The boater's insurance paid for the bass boat as a constructive total loss and paid the boater for his lost tackle. The nonboater did not get a cent for his damaged or lost tackle, rods, and reels. I called my boat insurance company, Progressive, and finally got a claims person and asked him if any nonboater in my boat had his tackle damaged or destroyed due to an accident would there be any recovery from Progressive to him? Simple answer; NO! We like to take others fishing in our boats and we as boat owners have the protection for the boat, electronics, our fishing gear, and third-party liability to others. The nonboater has nothing unless his homeowners/renters policy is endorsed to cover his tackle via a Personal Property Off Premises endorsement, if offered by their insurance company. I will now tell all guys who I take out on my boat that my Progressive policy does not cover their tackle, lunch, clothes, rods, reels, baits, iPhones, etc. I also suggest you query your boat insurance company to find out if they offer nonboater tackle and equipment insurance in your policy. Just food for thought. Thanks.

When I took family to Disney World a few years ago, my son and grandson and I made arrangements to fish the Disney lakes, which we did. Check out the fishing excursions that Disney offers. Everyone caught bass, with son nailing a 4.5 pounder on a live shad. Grandson had no idea what was going on but he said he had a good time in the boat. https://www.wdwinfo.com/recreation/fishing.htm

Berkley has released a new jerkbait, the Krej (jerk spelled backwards) and I was wondering if anyone out ther has had the opportunity to give it a try and if so, what were your results? Mike Iaconelli says he had a hand in this bait's creation. The bait's lip is "upside down" to give this jerkbait a totally different presentation. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

X2. And remember, as you approach the 62* spawning WATER temperature, the smaller male bass become more active, preparing the nest for the females so the "dinks" will fight like crazy when hooked to fight off the bait to return to their spawning duties. Also, the bass will start to look for warmer water to make their nests. Just go out and have some fun while the rest of us suffer through low water temperatures. Post some pics of your catches.

If you don't pattern fish, you catch one and then speed away from the location where you caught the fish. Pattern fishing is finding what depth and speed the bass want your bait and fish it until the bite stops and you change your depth and speed. Once you find another depth and speed to get bites you are now on another pattern. Color of bait is not that important; but colors sell baits and we purchase them as we have confidence in the color patterns we fish. As for Rick, if it works for him, then stay with it. Otherwise. just do what you have confidence and have a fun day on the water.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Yes, I know. Only way to draw the circle.

Coach jump started LSU to its third national championship since the last one in1958 and the Les Miles era was born where Les won his Natty with Saban players. It has been great to follow what Saban accomplished at Alabama, but times change and I can understand his frustration at the current situation in college football. Although us LSU fans did not like him, he was always a top level competitor who did not have to cheat to win. Now to bring Coach Eaux out of retirement and take over the Bama program. Wouldn't that be something to see!!! Geaux Tigers!

Most guys will go for the big catfish east of the I-95 fall line in Richmond down to the mouth of the Chickahominy River. Bass fishing is s-l-o-w when the Historic James River is cold. Be careful.

Yes, starts on January 19 and ends on Sunday, January 21st.

Richmond Fishing Expo. BE THERE!!! https://www.richmondfishingexpo.com/

One of my clients was a prestigious golf club outside of Washington, DC. I was allowed to fish their main pond for the beautiful two and three pound largemouth mouth. Running the length of the pond was the golf course sprinkler flexible hose that I was careful not to snag. Did not want to be responsible for damaging the golf course's sprinkler system. Well, I finally snagged my new white spinnerbait on the flexible hose. No way the spinnerbait was going to let go of the hose so I cut the line and chalked it up to experience. Flash forward two months when I returned for another meeting and I snagged the hose again. But was it the hose? My bait had snagged something that was moving slowly over the bottom and then it happened! What I was pulling towards me was the white, and dirty, spinnerbait that was hooked to the sprinkler system hose and I had snagged. But the spinnerbait was not hooked on the hose. It was either pulled off by the bass or bluegills and left on the bottom or it fell off onto the bottom by itself and I managed to snag it. Yes, I snagged the actual spinnerbait with the 12-pound fluorocarbon line attached. The sprinkler system hose was not involved or damaged what-so-ever. Still have that spinnerbait and it works fine.