This is a video of a nature walk that I took this month March 09. I saw a variety of wildlife and people out enjoying the weather. Nice trails and plenty to see and do.

The bass by far is one of the most popular fish in America.  It is a predator and will eat almost anything it can get its mouth around.  They feed on other fish, crustaceans, worms, and other aquatic life.  Most small fish are a bass’ prey.  This makes them tough, challenging and a lot of fun to catch.  Bass can be found in most ponds, lakes and streams in North America.  There are many species of bass with the largemouth bass being the most prolific and sought after.

Walk into a tackle store and look at the selection of lures available.  The majority are bass lures.  Most of the TV fishing shows are dedicated to bass fishing.  Most fishing tournaments are for bass - largemouth bass.  I will give you some of my time tested tips to catch this sought after fish.

Let’s start with springtime bass fishing.  One of my most successful lures is the jig and pig.  I use a weedless crawfish colored jig with living rubber skirts.  I will then add a crawdad colored number 11 pork rind.  This combo has brought in many a bass in the spring.  I position the boat 20 –30 feet off shore and cast into the shore working the lure slowly in.  When I feel a “tap-tap” I set the hook.  I took my largest bass on this lure.  Most of the bass are on beds or in shallow water and this little lure looks like large crawdad when worked along the bottom.

Later in the spring or early summer I like to use spinner baits.  I go with a chartreuse colored spinner with a living rubber skirt (looks like a bunch of colored rubber bands).  I will skirt this lure around trees, weeds, lily pads, down drop offs, on the surface or most any other area.  I use single bladed models and have found them the easiest to use.  Bass hit this lure with a vengeance.  Most hit with all their power.  Very rarely do I just get a tap.

Late summer and fall I will use crank baits.  When the temperature is hot the bass are really active and the bass can also be deeper.  The crank bait will dive down to where they are hiding.  The action will get them excited and they will strike the lure when it gets within range.  I like natural colors in my crank baits.  Sunfish colors are my favorite.

When I am out to get a lot of fish only one rig will do it for me.  This rig has put more bass in the boat for me over any other.  The sliding rig baited with a large night crawler.  It has caught me many bass (and other species as well) and I can always come home with one using this rig.  A small number 6 or 8 aberdeen style hook, light test line, o-ring and a sliding sinker is all that is needed.  Slip your line through the sinker and tie it to the o-ring.  Tie 16” of leader line (6- 8 pound test) to the o-ring and then to your hook.  You are now ready to fish.  Hook a night crawler to the rig once through the nose.  This presents the worm as naturally as possible.  Keep scents off your hands and discard chewed, dead or damaged worms.  You want the best that you can get.

This rig fishes the bottom. Pick areas just like you would for lures.  Use common sense when it comes to avoiding snags or other underwater hang-ups.   You can even cast troll this rig slowly if you are using a walking style sliding sinker. I will cast out and let my boat drift slowly moving the bait across the bottom.  This will cover more area and give you a greater chance.  Hold the rod in your hand and set the hook when you feel a tap.  A bass can take in the bait in one gulp.  Remember to throw away worms that have been bitten by a sunfish.   Big bass usually won’t hit them in this condition.

You’ve seen them. Out in fields, along roadways, in town or out in the country.  Small ponds can be an overlooked goldmine when it comes to fishing.  Many of these small ponds are teaming with panfish, bass, catfish and other species.  As always you should get permission if the pond is on private property or check state rules if it is on state land.

Some of my most memorable fishing trips have been to ponds less than ½ acre in size.  I have caught such a variety of fish from these ponds that one would never expect.  People have stocked some of these ponds with non-native fish that offer an extra challenge. 

You should approach these little ponds like you would any other fishing area – look for some kind of structure that the fish will be drawn to.  It could just be patch of weeds in a small pond.  Some ponds will have old pine trees in them to add some structure for the fish.  A sharp corner or a small stream pouring into the pond would be areas to concentrate on.  You can use the same baits that you would in any other lake.

When approaching these ponds you should do it quietly.  The fish can hear the vibrations from your feet as you approach and can be made alert to danger.  Wear dull colored clothing.  The fish can see you easily if you are wearing bright or light colored shirts or jackets.  Fish in these small ponds react to things on the shore more than fish in larger lakes do, and you should take that into consideration.  No boom boxes or loud radios as these will scare the fish as well.

Ultra light poles and light line should be the standard you use when fishing these small ponds and borrow pits.  Heavy line is easier to see in these small and shallow waters but you want to be as undetectable as possible.   My favorite rig is just a hook and a large night crawler.  The ultra light pole can cast out pretty far and most fish in the pond will take a night crawler as bait.  The main idea is to keep the bait looking as natural as possible.  This will entice more and larger fish.

Small lures can work well in these ponds.  A jig with a mister twister body can be a deadly combo for panfish and small bass.  You can add a small spinner to it to bring more attention to the lure.  Fish it slowly along weed beds and around fallen trees.  You can bounce off the bottom or just slowly reel it in when fishing more open water.  Tipping the jig with a piece of worm or a small minnow will sometimes entice a fish to strike.

These ponds are a great place to take children fishing.  Being in a small area makes it easier to watch the kids and keep them out of harm’s way.  There also can be an unending supply of small panfish for the kids to catch.  This can be a wonderful time for the family to enjoy together.

 The moment of “Now” has become almost cliché in the New Age movement, extending into the Law of Attraction.  But many people do not truly understand what is meant by “the Now moment”.  In fact, this cliché is anything but – it is the central understanding of time, space and our very existence that brings about a need to understand the Now moment.

 First, let’s discuss time and space.  Space is three dimensional.  There is up and down, left and right, and in and out.  Those are the three dimensions of space.  Time is actually a fourth dimension of space – movement.  Nothing can move without time – time is not separate from space, time is another dimension of space that allows the entire universe to exist in every possible state.

 As humans, we are accustomed to thinking of time in three segments: past, present and future.  However, two of those segments truly do not exist.  There is no past.  There is no future.  There is only the present, which is Now.  Allow me to explain.

 The Now moment is the only active moment.  Everything that you have ever done, do now, or will ever do, you do it right now.  Feel this moment.  Feel the aliveness of it.  Feel the clarity of it.  Remember the past?  There was no past – there was a Now that was different.  Looking forward to the future?  There is no future, there can only be a Now that is different from your current Now.

 The semantics of this one get tricky, and the whole thing can sound a little wishy-washy.  But if you truly stop and absorb the moment, right now, you will begin to understand this point.  This present moment is not one segment on a line of time.  This present moment is a living, breathing entity which has always existed and will always exist.  This Now moment is the only true moment through which all of time, all of space exists simultaneously in every possible state.

 So it becomes crucial that when you do your Law of Attraction meditations and visualizations, you always visualize in the present.  You always make it an active, Now meditation.  You always daydream about it being right Now!  And as your Now becomes accustomed to having the subject of your desires in it in daydream form, your Now will begin attracting the physical form.  And into your Now will come the manifestation of your desire. 

 Take twenty minutes tonight to meditate.  Sit, breathe deeply and rhythmically, and wait until your mind has calmed.  Focus your attention on your third eye, between both eyebrows, and become aware of the present moment.  Become aware of yourself in the Now – feel the moment, feel yourself, and feel yourself in the moment.  The more focused you become, the greater your realization of this powerful moment will be.  Practice this a few times each week.  When you truly understand the Now, you will become free.

Well my dad was from Tennesse and mother from New York (upstate).  I feel like I have a lot of my dad in me.  That old adventerous spirit and fun.  I have done some traveling around the U.S. and really enjoy getting out.  How much fun would it be to travel all the time?  Stopping at new places to call home on a regular basis?  Sounds like a dream to me.

I have been married for 13 years and my wife and I feel a kinship with the song “Going Mobile” by the who.  Well we are gong to take the plunge!  We will be traveling in our 31ft motorhome and seeing the country.

What an adventure.  With the cost of gas rising and things happening all around - we aren’t getting any younger.  We hope to travel for a number of years and maybe settle down.

I will keep you informed on our travels!  Here is a video of our rig!  Dusty and dirty from storage - it looks like a castle to me.

To quote and old Saturday night gig (with my modifications):  You can call me hey, youse can call me “J”, youse can call me Jack, you can call me Jackson, youse can call me action, youse can call me “@#&^%#” - Just don’t call me late for dinner!

That kind of sums up what I think of names.  Names are so weird.  My name is Scott.  A pretty common name.  I have googled my name and found tons of Scott Jacksons.  So you say, “A rose by any other name…” Well I ain’t no rose!  In the movie “Holy Man” Eddie Murphy has the name of “G”.  His character says “Think of how much time you will save when you get to one letter!”  That would make me “S”.  Hmmmm?  My middle name is Eston and have been called “Es” by some.  That is pretty close to “S”.  Sounds good to me.  Es or S — sounds the same doesn’t it?

I met a man with the first name of Eston at a place where I worked.  I have never met a man with that name until then.  We shared a name in common - that was it.  Names don’t describe the  man.  We were night and day.  At the same place I had the pleasure of having another employee with my name.  He was Scott M Jackson and I am Scott E Jackson.  Boy did that cause some problems.  It was a large auto factory (never said that I didn’t work for a living) in Illinois.  I am a short 5′6″ guy with a 40″ waist.  He was 6′2″ tall with a 30″ waist.  We had to were uniforms and it was a standard thing for our uniforms to go to each other.  I would hold the pants and they would go up to the top of my chest and looked like I mightbe able to put a leg into the waist.  What a pain.  I would get his union stuart pay every once in a while.  Nice - had to give it back though.  Darn.

So I won’t mind if you get me mixed up with anyone else.  Like I said - don’t call me late for dinner!