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Land subdivision is a bit like helping Mom slice up her beautiful Apple Pie; its all so easy, when, like Mom, youve done it a few times. So lets see if we can get the ingredients for a land subdivision correct so you can do it right first time, OK?

Every city or town in the free world has a Town Plan and it comprises, not surprisingly, of plans or maps, usually with lots of different colors all over them, but also lots of words explaining what the colors mean as well as lots of Rules that tell you what you can do with land.

The colors indicate different zonings that your elected Council has decided upon. So say, Residential housing may be Yellow; high density housing like units, condos may be Pink; and industrial Orange, whatever. So you can see at a glance how the town plan is subdivided into land use categories.

Just as you cant build a house anywhere you like, you cant have a farm or a factory in the middle of a residential area either. So the first thing you must do is find out what is the Zoning of the land you own or are thinking of buying. Getting land Rezoned is another issue altogether.

Lets assume your land is zoned for residential housing. The Town Plan will tell you all the requirements you have to undertake for land subdivision. It will tell you the minimum Lot size allowed in a residential subdivision. It will tell you the distance in feet or metres you have to Set-Back each lot from the road, either internal and/or external, as well as the side boundaries of your land.

Now all that seems a bit complicated, but dont worry, there are professional land subdivision experts who will do all this work for you. Depending in what part of the world you come from, you will engage either an Engineer in the USA or a Land Surveyor in Australia, New Zealand, UK or Ireland to prepare you land subdivision plan.

Always engage one who does their main work in your area, because these are the professional where local knowledge is very important. They will know about soil conditions in your area, because they may have done several land subdivisions in the area already and completed soil testing.

They will also know about the provision of utilities like water supply, electricity, gas, telephone. All of these impact on the cost of your development. For example, if water reticulation is not available on your road frontage and the nearest water supply is a mile away, then you may have to pay for the cost of piping water that distance.

It is vital you know this information before you commit yourself to land subdivision costs and so the Engineer or Land Surveyor are very important not only at your investigation stage, but also when you proceed with the land subdivision planning application preparation and lodgment with your Local Authority. These guys will do all that work for you.

So what does all that add up to?

Yes, you should go the Local Authority in your area of the world that handles Town Planning and study their Town Plan. You may even be able to get a photo copy of that area of the plan that concerns your land. Read the local By-Laws about the type of land subdivision you plan to do.

Next, if you dont have a recommendation as to which Engineer or Land Surveyor to use, do as I suggest in my e-book, Residential Development Made Easy, go and interview several of them in your area. Remember, as you are low on experience, the interview is your opportunity to find someone with whom you feel comfortable on a personal level.

Do they talk down to you and treat you as though youre a mug? Are they information givers? Do they explain things to you? What land subdivision are they currently working on? Where is their most recently completed land subdivision?

You dont have the expertise in the profession, so use you own instincts. When you find one that suits you, Do Not start off your relationship, by attempting to haggle over the professional fees he proposed to charge you. If you have interviewed several professional you will know the range of fees charged, BUT you do not know the extent or range of work the firm has to carry out.

So to haggle with a professional based on such skinny information, tells the professional that they should avoid you by a mile. I have developed over $1.2 Billion worth of real estate and have never in my life haggled over a professional fee and the reason is simple.

First: I believe everyone is entitled to a profit from their endeavors, provided they do a good job.

Second: If you land subdivision financial feasibility study is so marginal that you have to save a few thousand dollars by screwing the fees of your professional consultants, then either you have a bad development or you are just a bad employer.

Third: I believe in incentive. I prefer to pay a guy more than he asks. Guess how he performs for me as opposed to clients who dont.

Delaware and Maryland Ponds, Lakes, and Rivers are receiving more and more pressure as each year goes by, not just from weekend anglers, but tournament fishing as well. If you apply some new tactics with these spider grubs, you can be more productive in your recreational and tournament fishing alike.

Surprisingly, this deadly soft plastic bait is not a staple in everyone's tackle box, but in many other states, it is a long time favorite lure when the going gets tough. Several companies make spider grubs, but I prefer the ones made by "Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits" the best. The grubs come in a variety of colors and sizes, from two to five inches long. They are absolutely deadly on spring largemouth and smallmouth bass alike. Most anglers like to use them on jig heads, and this is an extremely effective method, but I also like to rig them Texas style. The grub resembles a darting crawfish depending on how you fish it. It is the most effective in clear water, but also produces bass in stained and muddy water.The lure is compact like a jig and pig, as versatile as a worm, can be fished vertically or horizontally, fast or slow. You can pitch it, flip it, swim it, hop it, or drag it on the bottom. Here are some of the ways I like to fish it in Delaware and Maryland waters, and elsewhere throughout the country, that really produce bass.

Search Tool

When searching for bass, you want to try to cover the water quickly. The spider grub is a great search tool when you're looking for bass that are feeding on crawfish around scattered weeds and rocks on shallow flats like the Susquehanna, or similar shallow areas. You can fish it faster than a jig, cover the water quickly, and trigger more reaction strikes, The earth tone colors are easy to match with the forage and blend in well with the surroundings. This is critical in clear water, when the bass rely more on sight. Sometimes I like to fish it fast, with an erratic, jerkbait type motion. The lure is always moving, but on or near the bottom.

When I fish the open flats with scattered grass, I rig it on a light jighead, or if the cover is thicker, I rig it Texas style. I found that I land more fish If the hook is exposed, and if it becomes hooked on weeds occasionally, I jerk it free, sometimes causing a reaction strike. I like to use 1/8 ounce or 1/4 ounce jigheads, depending on the depth of the water, wind, currents, or how hard it is to keep on the bottom. I also prefer to fish them on a 6 1/2 to 7 foot spinning rod with a medium action soft tip, in graphite. Using six to eight pound test P-Line.Sometimes you can go to ten pound line, depending on the cover. The light line gives the bait more action, and is less likely to hang up in the weeds. I have used these successfully on the grass flats in the Potomac River and on the Susquehanna flats. Working it the right way takes some practice. You want the lure to scoot along in short bursts, on or near the bottom, without making excessive hops. Don't pull it too hard, or you will lose contact with the bottom. Keep the rod low to the water, and on the side of the boat so the wind doesn't bow the line and ruin the action of the bait.

Keep contact with the bait at all times, because many of the strikes will feel mushy or heavy like it is on grass, but most of the time when I set the hook, it is a bass. If it is just weeds, it pulls free and sometimes triggers a strike.

Different Techniques

Swimming the Grub

Sometimes I swim the grub like a jerk bait. Once in a tournament the bass were ignoring the jerkbait, so I switched to the spider grub, and fished it erratically over the weeds, stopping it occasionally. This triggered the strikes that I needed to win. Fifteen pounds of bass slammed the spider grub while ignoring the other jerkbaits and crankbaits that were being worked in the same area.

Dragging the Grub

Sometimes when I am fishing on a long, sandy, gravel point, I use a stand up jighead and just pull it slowly on the bottom. I work it very slow, and maintain contact with the bottom all the time. Also, I Carolina-Rig the bait, and when I feel it hit rocks or heavy cover, I start shaking the line, and this causes strikes to occur much of the time. This has been working real well in lakes in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, but I have used it with success all over the country.

Suspended Fish

Frequently after a cold-front moves through, bass will suspend over some structure. When this occurs, You can rig it Texas style, on a very light weight, or with no weight at all, and let it float down to the bottom. When conditions are tough, this works wonders at times by keeping the bait in front of the fish longer. I have even tried drop-shotting this bait with success. They are more prone to strike the bait with this method, over a bait that moves quickly by them. When you are searching for fish, and the going gets tough, this is the bait to try. I like to use a good spinning rod, such as G.Loomis or St.Croix, and a good reel like a Shimano or Daiwa. Sensitivity is very important, and a combination such as this improves your chances of catching them when they strike. This technique has worked well in clear lakes all over the Midwest, and in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. I caught a lot of nice bass using these methods at Table Rock Lake, in Missouri also. Whether it is spring, summer, fall, or winter, this is a bait for all seasons.

Football is the all American sport. We watch it on Saturdays for college, pros all day on Sunday and Monday night and we spend Thursdays and Fridays covering school football events! Incorporate football into a celebration for a birthday, homecoming or special event.

Send out invitations shaped like footballs. The party planning store will have those and other football motifs to choose from. Make your guests wear football jerseys of their favorite team whether it is pro, college or whatever. Face paint and other fanatical displays are optional.

You can have the first game be who comes dressed with the most spirit. Come up with a prize for the person who has the most face paint on or the most original show of spirit. They are wearing a cheese head? Give them a gift certificate to a pizza shop. They are wearing a dress and heels and rooting for a pig team? Send them to a BBQ place. Have fun and be creative with the prizes.

Football parties need food, especially if the TV will be on all day. Make the menu finger food that is easy to snack on all day without being refrigerated. Have guests bring their favorite bag of chips to share and you provide the dips. The football party can also include alcohol, but use with only age appropriate adults.

Decorations can be minimal, since the focus will be on the game. Some wall hangings of your favorite teams or banners can add to the fun of the event. Mini-footballs to throw around at halftime can be fun too. All the paper products and favors can be found with the assistance of a party planner at a party supply store. They will be more than happy to assist you with all of your party needs!