everythingthatswims

Why is it dead?

What were you using for gar?

Not saying it should be done, but I can comfortably cast a weightless trick worm 15-20 yards on my cheap abu garcia silver max reel spooled with 12lb mono. You just have to learn how to thumb the spool, when you cast a baitcaster, you should have to thumb the spool a little bit during the cast, it shouldn't just be a release and stop the line when it hits the water. Loading the rod on the back swing before casting also helps a lot with a baitcaster.

Most big saltwater fish have sea lice on them, this fish obviously doesn't have sea lice but they look very similar. I have eaten many big stripers that had sea lice on them the size of small shrimp, and I'm still here! If you ever have eaten wild caught salmon, those fish probably had sea lice on them. I only get freaked out when the parasites are inside the meat, but we keep an amberjack every now and then when we are at the beach to eat fresh (they are horrible after they are frozen) and many of them have "worms" in the meat. We just cut out the chunks of meat with the worms in them and again, I have never gotten sick from it, and have eaten plenty of it.

Anything 2-5" long with a straight tail (and it doesn't necessarily have to have a straight tail, some people drop shot with little swimbaits) 3-4" is the most common size though.

Isn't a RICO like a $25 popper? I think I saw one at bass pro one time. What's the difference between that and a $3 rebel pop-r besides a fancy paint job and better hooks (which can be replaced anyways)?

He was only 30" long...Scary? I know it sure would be confusing to see one as far north as you are! I caught a tropical cichlid in a local reservoir one time that someone released, people are so dumb sometimes.

I'm jealous of your spot!

Got my first night bass today, waited for the moon to get up high so I could see where I was walking/casting/etc, then headed to my neighbors pond. I was getting too much grass/algae on my 6" BBZ floater, so I switched to a hollow body frog and caught 2, both about 1lb. They were small but it sure was cool, the moon was reflecting off the wake from my bait creating gold colored ripples and the rest of the water was pitch black, and when a fish blew up on it, the "gold" water exploded all over the place, and I could see each little droplet against a pitch black background. Think I might have to do this more often!

I caught 2 on a pad crasher JR, couldn't throw much of anything else, it's hard to dodge clumps of algae and hydrilla in the dark. Lots of blow ups that didn't eat the bait, some fish would miss it 2-3 times on one cast! Exciting for sure

Hook sets are free

Whack them on the head, slit the gills, and put them on ice. Although killing a catfish isn't possible, you might as well release them after you filet them haha

Huh, looks like you are righty on spinning reels and left on baitcasters. Just looking at those lefty baitcasters makes my hands feel funny haha, awesome fish! Do those crappies eat drop shots or do you target them? I have caught a few on drop shots before.

Spook JR, doesn't matter what color, all the bellies are white for the most part and that's what the fish see.

"KVD Sexy Shad" Is a very broad category, did you mean a sexy shad colored squarebill, or deep crank, etc?

My dad says that I could cast a spinning rod when I was 2, I'm 16 now and have been "ate up with it" for as long as I can remember. I think the main thing I have learned is to not worry about what others think about fishing, because at my age, when someone asks if I play a sport and I respond with "No, I fish" they think I'm pretty weird/crazy/etc. (I don't even try to argue whether or not fishing is a sport, that just makes the situation a whole lot worse). I know that most kids my age will never even begin to understand what I do, most of them see fishing as a bobber and worm in a pond, and can't understand how I could go out and do that with basically every bit of my free time. Part of the reason I'm on this site is so that I can see there are plenty of other "crazy" people out there just like me, that understand this obsession known as fishing.

Chum with corn, take a #6 hook, put as many kernels on it as you can fit, toss it in the chummed area, and wait. If it is windy you may need to c-rig it with an 1/8oz or a 1/4oz weight. Light line is best but the guys in Europe use braid for leaders because it blends in with the bottom.

Sugar Hollow Reservoir...It's a <50 acre, clear, deep (75') reservoir, that it stocked with trout = mini California in Virginia. I have seen many big fish in there and have yet to land one. Hooked one recently about 6lbs on an 8" BBZ but one of the trebles hung a log and watched him shake loose. The worst part is that once you spot a big one, it's too late and he will just follow you around watching you (only bank fishing allowed) and wont even look at a bait. I have to bushwhack a lot to fish to the side of the lake that doesn't get fished much, because the briars will shred you to death, snakes seem to be under every rock and log, the bank it so steep in some places that you better be holding on to a sapling or something when you walk by, and it is hard to find a place to comfortably cast from. If I didn't see them every time I was there, I wouldn't be putting myself through this! I WILL figure them out.

What stretch of the james were you on and how were the water levels? I have been thinking about heading out to fish the james near scottsville.

I like using zara puppies for smallmouth, you will catch just about everything else on them too. If the water is clear, you can get bit in the heat of the day on top if you find some good shady areas and pitch the bait way back up under the trees.

Looks like that bass had a kut tale too!

I was bass fishing today at a local reservoir (Sugar Hollow) and caught a 12" FAT smallie on a drop shot, there are plenty of largemouth in there but I had no idea it has smallies, I have fished it for at least 3 or 4 years and never saw or caught one until today. 40 acres, steep banks with plenty of boulders and laydowns, and no boat access, a dive team working on the dam one time told me it's 75' at it's deepest point. The lake is fed by 2 trout streams and stays cool in the summer. I'm thinking it could support a population of smallies, it has plenty of sandy and rocky bottom for them to spawn in, and from the looks of the fish I caught today, they have plenty of forage. I have never fished for smallmouth in still water before, so I have no idea where to fish for them, what to use, etc. Any advice would be appreciated. Also, does anyone else fish Sugar Hollow or have any idea about the smallmouth in there? I have never seen a smallmouth this chunky except for pictures and videos from up north, most of the ones around here are using up their energy in current so they aren't as chunky.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-OqeIJ62hI_8/UYHIpbKLl3I/AAAAAAAABWQ/5zT95DtahnE/w140-h105-p/2013-05-01 I have caught many 18 and 19"ers in a small river (no more than 15 yards wide, and rarely deeper than 6') that I can walk to from my house, I just can't break that 20" Virginia citation mark. I fish for them every year pre spawn when they migrate up to this one pool below a huge rapid from where an old mill was at some point in time, it's about a 2 week window and then they are gone until next spring. Sorry the photo is tiny, BR won't let me post a larger one.

Yea they definitely are agressive. I had a pet warmouth in my goldfish pond one time that was about 8" long (we put all kinds of stuff in that pond) he was doing great until he choked to death on a bluegill that was way too big for him to fit in his mouth! They are really cool fish, I love catching them.

I will fish for 30 minutes if I have 30 minutes, and I will fish for 12 hours if I have 12 hours. I have spent up to 16 hours in one day fishing without a break besides stopping to eat or use the bathroom when I'm at the beach, the way I see it, if I only have 1 week at the beach I better take advantage of it!