Consumers increasingly expect more dollar value at the pump, but as we explore various techniques to get the best deal, it presents a huge change in purchase patterns. This means discrete shopping at its best.

It is no surprise that gas prices are having a big impact on consumers. They have become innovative minded and systematically search for ways to save money. In fact, more are setting a predetermined amount instead of filling up at the pump. Even gas for lawn equipment is purchased in a lower amount.

Another example can be found in small companies. They are purchasing vans to carpool office staff to and from work. Others are seen at the same gas station twice in one day to cap off their tank because of longer distances for travel. Uncertainty about the future of gas prices contributes to the shortest route possible.

Construction contractors are all riding together and service companies are planning routes that are more direct. Some companies have installed GPS to notify headquarters if the engine is idling too much, or on the road. Churches are buying small vans to pickup the elderly so they can attend services and meetings.

Truck stops are going silent. Truckers who travel long distances are required by law to rest for a certain period before heading back on the road. This means they are shutting off their trucks while resting, instead of letting the engine cool or build up continuous air pressure.

Recreation is experiencing change at a rapid pace. Anglers and boaters are not frequently spotted on the road. If so, trucks are packed with people and gear. Campgrounds in state and private parks are virtually empty. Community events and movie theaters are starting to see fewer participants.

In one small southern Virginia community where two gas stations are within seeing distance of each other, the larger gas station raises their price, so does the smaller one – within minutes. The smaller mom and pop station does not waste any time to make their move when they see the major chain station increase their price.

In one small Pennsylvania town, drivers with big SUVs, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Jaguars are seen pumping only three or four gallons into their tanks. These expensive models have warnings that signal the driver when the tank only gets down to a three or four gallon minimum.

Suppliers are playing a game and its persuasive structure is full of profit yielding potential. Consumers have gone through an unprecedented change, and their definition of unwanted quantifies a legitimate reason to become shrewd savers.

If everyone would go three days without purchasing gas, you would see prices fall. However, that is not going to happen. Change is very difficult and can be extremely tough for some people. The toughest thing about change is when it involves other people!

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Most Large rivers that flow throughout the Virginia landscape provide anglers with many opportunities to land more blue catfish, specifically when the water level is up. The debris from logs, limbs, fallen trees, and other structures upstream flush vast amounts of nutrients and cover for blue catfish of all sizes downstream.

The Dan River has a unique history behind its blue catfish feeding and spawning habits, especially during heavier rains. As the water rises above normal, bluecats gain an advantage over other catfish species when it comes to feeding. Their nesting habits require cover with steady currents. Unlike annual spawning periods, bluecats are found in the oddest places along the Dan River. The most common is no longer a mystery.

My knowledge of this was verified by other catfish anglers who fish the Dan River banks on a regular basis. One of which is a Dan River bank fishing legend, Mr. Joey Edwards. Mr. Edwards has over 30 years experience fishing for catfish along the Dan River. Bluecats, according to Edwards, swim upstream after heavy rains. The river swells to higher levels. The water quickly becomes discolored and rough. This is the prime time to have your bait in bank-side holes, under log jams, or floating structures.

Flathead catfish also occupy the Dan River waters. Despite the bluecat’s survival pattern, flatheads simply find it irresistible when bait fish hover around log jams. Bait fish take advantage of this period to feed on the microscopic organisms found in and around underwater logs and debris. These are prime areas to fish. The key cycle of spring and summer feed patterns of bait fish will send any Flathead into a feeding frenzy. Bluecats and flatheads share the same feeding habits found in heavy river current. This is a major factor when it comes to providing natural food washed downstream.

Flathead catfish roam around searching for log jams and back water holes for bait fish that stray outside the school. These powerful catfish will storm underwater log jams to disrupt the school in hopes to catch a weaker or injured bait fish. Contrary to belief, flathead catfish like to eat their food slow. Even when the attack is aggressive, they gently open that huge mouth and slowly engulf their food of choice. They are the slowest eating catfish. No other catfish prefers this feeding method.

Of the 200 mile long stretch of the Dan River, roughly 100 miles has some of the fiercest fighting blue catfish ever found in Virginia rivers. Mr Edwards has landed bluecats ranging from one pound to over seventy five pounds. His unique bank fishing method has proven that hard work pays off every time after a heavy rain. He swears by this and waits until the river starts to swell upstream. He monitors the river and debris levels. Sometimes, heavy rains will not loosen up debris, but will carry valuable natural resources down river to be recollected in smaller pockets of backwater. These smaller river havens attract bait fish and anglers alike.

Local anglers who know this prepare themselves early for the annual spring spawn. Only small catfish are kept for consumption, while larger ones are photo, weighed, and released back for stock. According to Mr. Edwards, it’s a huge challenge to land a blue catfish from a deep bank-side hole. One covered with structure from top to bottom. And one that could be potentially hazardous to your health, too! Roaming along the banks of the Dan River to locate a deep hole with structure and heavy current can very rewarding, but he claims you must know the way to avoid the dangerous terrain.

The real mystery behind landing lunker blue catfish in the Dan River has always been said you have to be in the right place at the right time. Use the catfish’s bait of choice in the right hole during the high water period and your chances of landing more bluecats will increase exponentially.

For example, let’s say you find a section to fish in the Dan River. You locate a log jam or deep hole with plenty of structure. And, you float your bait by a pile of logs. Suddenly, the line gets tight. The rod tip doesn’t twitch, but slowly bends. You wait to feel for the pickup and the fight is on. What has taken place is easy food for the catfish. What has occurred is the bait secretes an oil from the hook penetrating through the body of the bait. This oily substance creates curiosity and the catfish will come to investigate. If the meal looks inviting, the catfish will slowly place the bait fish in their mouth and take it to its eating place where it will be safe.

Fishing for catfish the Dan River isn’t for everyone. It takes dedication and extreme knowledge of the river for safer fishing. If you’re planning a fishing trip to the Dan River, be prepared to watch the weather, talk to the local experts, and make sure you have plenty of tackle! You will want to make sure your presentation of the bait is in constant view, wait for the pick-up, set the hook, reel it in and land the fish. If you try to skip anyone of these steps, you will not catch many fish. Sure, sometimes you can set the hook immediately, and get lucky once, however, if you learn how to master when to set the
hook, you’ll catch them every time. All that is required to catch big blues is simple intelligence, patience, and know when the time is right.

One of the most overlooked parts of fishing from the bank is that the Dan River increases in width every year. This particular river channel has a long history of cleaning itself from sediment and large structure after rainy periods. The water rushes downstream at a fast pace and anglers think they can go back and fish the same river hole every year, but that’s not true. The holes inside and under the banks are not going to be there next year. Don’t expect to go and catch catfish everytime, because what fun would that be? And, it would quickly get boring. You can also use many sizes of hooks, weights, and baits to use. Honestly, get used to whatever makes you feel comfortable and catch fish most of the time. Most importantly, have fun and stay healthy and stay dry!

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Hurricane Ida made its way through Danville, Virginia and dumped over 5 inches of rain within a 48 hour period. More rain is forecast for the region. The Dan River was at 23.3 feet when this video was taken. It is expected to reach 26.4 feet by midnight November 12, 2009. Water levels are expected to rise even further to 26.4 feet and is 2 feet shy of the record setting flood of 1996 at 28 feet. Flood waters can be seen in places that have never flooded before at this level.

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Can you remember the good old days? A time when everything was perfect in your life?

I remember my good old days of the past. Some days were mediocre, while others were simply fantastic! I lived out the first 18 years of my childhood nearby two major lakes; Smith Mountain Lake and Kerr/Buggs Island Lake. Both are located in southside Virginia.

A forty-five minute drive to either lakeside cabin was a great escape from the daily grind. Since the early 50s, my family owned a little piece of land on the water’s edge at both lakes. Each cabin was built to handle all the luxuries and comforts of home. Each man-made lake still offers superior fishing and boating activities to this day.

I learned to master the art and craft of boating and fishing at a young age. Several members of my family used the cabins frequently to get away, but they never took interest in fishing like I did. I remember fishing at night with family and friends. I tried different tactics on every fishing trip. I eventually got so good at it that people around the region wanted to hire me as a guide service. My love and passion was to get away and enjoy life – not to capitalize on my new found talent!

Recently, a few friends stopped by to visit me. During the conversation, I asked several of the older gentlemen, which are in their 60s and 70s, what do they remember about the good old days. One in particular expressed his own version by saying, “Back when I was a child, things were tough. We had no running water, we walked in a foot of snow to use the outhouse, and nobody had a vehicle. We had to walk for miles to fetch supplies from the nearest country store. These were not the good old days, instead, it was survival!”

Some people say we can only create from where we are. Others say we cannot relive the past. Thinking about the best days of our lives teaches us to be persistent. That is difficult to do in this day and age of instant gratification. After all, if you spend time thinking about positive things, then positive things will occur in your life.

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I am proud to say I was a tobacco farmer for 18 years during my young adult life. This lifestyle isn’t for everyone. Working until sun-up to sun-down, and sometimes at night wasn’t an option. It is the hardest work you’ll ever do. Period. Preparing the plant beds, fields, and fixing flue cured barns was a common practice. From planting to pulling to selling, growing tobacco was a family tradition. Not only was it a part of my heritage – it was in my blood.

Like any other farming community we had family to feed, bills to pay, and an everlasting commitment to give our children the best education while they helped on the family farm. Unfortunately, tobacco farming as a business today is slowly fading away from our area. The dismantling of America’s industrial base and giving away our jobs to foreign companies is enough to make anyone feel helpless.

The end of tobacco farming is very noticeable in our community. Old historic farm houses that once occupied early settlers with mules and plows sit empty. Some are completely destroyed by weather or other man made causes. Old tobacco barns are falling down and look dark and lonely like weather-beaten shacks. Empty pack houses litter the landscape with rusty tin roofs swaying in the wind.

In August 2008, a disaster drought was declared by Governor Kaine for Pittsylvania County, Virginia. All major crops suffered while everything in agriculture was considered critical. A late rain finally arrived, but it was too late. The damage was already done. Farmers were qualified for low interest loans to help feed cattle, get fuel and fertilizer. But for those who switched over to soybeans as an alternate crop experienced, yet another back-to-back loss.

What?s more amazing, there’s so much land just sitting there going to waste. While traveling about, I’ve passed by the same old farmland that looked exactly as it did 10 years ago. Think about land like that all around our nation – doing nothing. No activity – just growing weeds. If we plan on saving what’s left of our dwindling farmland, shouldn’t we also plan for the sake of our younger generation?

The $10 billion Federal Government tobacco buyout ended 70 years of subsidies. Those tobacco growers still in operation can defer capital gains taxes. However, this transition from a government subsidy system to a free market system has shut down the small quota owner, thus providing farm equity sell outs. Poundage from small farm units was sold to larger farms, therefore, leaving many areas with an abundance of empty fields and workers.

Which direction are our farmers headed? With more farms being sold by the day and more land being developed for housing means less for growing worthwhile food crops, much less tobacco. Machinery and technology must be converted to accommodate alternate food crops. This not only should increase incentive, but should secure a job workforce more stable than we presently have.

We need to be thinking about an alternate use for our dormant farmland before it’s too late. Goodbye Tobacco!

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The Dan River Dye Mill comes down after being up for a century. Demolition crews executed a flawless implosion as thousands of spectators watched and took pictures. One of the smoke stacks didn’t land as expected, but no one was hurt or any damage occurred. It was one of Danville’s oldest historic buildings, and in a matter of seconds, it was gone. History was made for Danville. It was our city’s first implosion, and for thousands of Dan River workers, it was memory blown into dust.

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