Micro

Perfect. LMB will hold on the structure as baitfish move past with the tide. Here's a nifty little brackish LMB from this last fall. The water was actually quite salty on this trip - saltier than I had seen it in years. I caught this one around a large submerged limb on a Rapala DT. I caught a small schoolie striper on another craw colored crank in that same water just off the bank that's behind my wrist.

OH OH OH, I forgot.... Stren Sinking Braid The ONLY thing this stuff was good for was sewing up a torn leaf tarp.

Seagaur Invizx Fluoro.

I fish a lot of brackish water. In fact, I fish Chesapeake tributaries just like you. I have the best luck on outgoing tides fishing near structure, and WITH the tidal flow. I always try to fish with the flow as much as I can whether the tide is coming in or out. The rivers and creeks I fish do sometimes get significant salt intrusion. This is especially true in low-rain or drought months. That effects bass recruitment, but it doesn't have whole lot of effect on existing older bass. In fact, bass are easier to catch when the creeks are saltier since they congregate further back in the creeks where the water is fresher. But you'd be suprised how much salt a LMB can tolerate. I've caught LMB and speckled trout within 100 yards on the same river. I've caught stripers on crankbaits thrown around cover for LMB. I've seen people catch nice croaker in waters I'm htting for LMB. Also when I hit the creek, I taste the water (not drink). You do this enough, and you'll learn where on the creeks it makes sense to start fishing. LMB can tolerate some salt (more than you may think), but the fresher the better. I usually start getting good results when there is only a slight taste of salt in the water. Results get batter as I work back toward fresher water. BTW, make sure you clean your equipment. Once I'm done using a lure, I keep it separate from my other lures until I return home. I put them all in a big plastic collander and wash them with dishwashing liquid and an old, unused paintbrush. Freshwater lures, especially the eyes, will rust quickly when used in brackish water. And clean your rod and reel, too.

It is highly complex. Not an easy read, but a must at least once in your lifetime.

The Red Badge of Courage. Kabloona. The Grapes of Wrath. Of Mice and Men. Travels with Charlie.

I didn't see this thread before posting my own. Luckily, RW was here to show me the error of my way. I think the reel is a neat concept and has some merit. But the fit of that reel in the third picture looks shoddy to me.

I've never had any luck rigging the bait so that the hook eye is inside the bait and well back from the front end of the bait. Every time, without fail, the front end of the bait rides back causing the body to bow and throwing off the action. If you want to save yourself some frustration, rig your bait with the hook eye at the front tip of the bait. Another good technique is to clip off about a 1/2" of the front end then rig the bait on an 2/0 Owner Sled Head. The action is not effected, the overall length of the bait is what it was before you clipped it off. And the upturned eye on the hook does a great job keeping the bait upright. This is the Sled Head.

I think it's a neat concept and may have some merit. I don't like the execution, though. Fit on that reel looks sloppy.

Which will win?? Leopard/Croc Fight

If that's ALL you intend to do with it, I think this might actually be a great idea. No need for a lot of line with those techniques. http://tackletour.com/reviewicast08ardent.html

But you are saying not to do that, just set the hook through the bottom and let it free float in the body. I can see where that would reduce the roll I've seen, since the weight is lower. Do you think the hook-ups will be as good this way with having to push the tip through the back on hook set?

Big-O, I've been fishing the Luck-E-Strike on 5/0 and 6/0 Daichii Butt Draggers, depending on the depth I want to go. I've been fishing them with the hook Texposed - all the way through the body with the point skin hooked ont he back. I haven't had any hook-up issues, but the bait does tend to roll and have a odd action. This is the way I've been fishing them...

I remember many nights fishing with my dad off the pier at the Naval Weapons Station in Yorktown under the lights in the chill. Soft shell crabs, a short heavy boat rod, Penn reel, 50 lb test mono, and Ted Williams Sheffield Stainless Steel hooks from Sears. Life was good. Now its white bucktail jigs, floating live eels and wire lining around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Life is good. Striper fishing has always been good in the Chesapeake and its tributaries, even in years of low numbers and tight restrictions. It's an icon fish here in Virginia. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission is militant about enforcing regulations. Life will remain good.

This looks friggin's amazing...

Journey, at least. BTW, the new singer Arnel Pineda sounds incredible. The new album REVELATION is the first since Raised On Radio that I cared a rat's arse about. Listen to the sample track of Only The Young. He sounds like Perry. In fact, he hits the notes more crisply and on some tracks I think he's better than Perry. http://www.arnelpinedafans.com/index.php#

I've been using my Ima Roumbas recently. I've got a few big Manns, but I've never really fished them seriously and haven't caught anything on them. The Ima Roumbas are daunting when you first use them. The are sorta big plugs. Retrieved slow they ride on the surface creating a huge wake. Retrieved fast and they ride just below the surface. You can fish them like jerkbaits or twitch baits, too. The thing about the Roumba is that is has a Super WIDE wobble. I mean it is a wide wobble. It litterally looks like a small fighting fish on the end of your line. I've only fished them a few times and have caught a whopping two fish on them. But I've seen some big bass follow them. I've already learned that they get more attention in the evenings than at other times. I'd fish them whenever there is surface feeding. I like fishing them. I never really liked fishing buzzbaits. Wake baits, IMO, are a fun alternative. Ive got some Deps Buzzjets but haven't caught anything on them yet.

Black Crappie

That's just not right. Everyone knows bass from West Virginia have a tooth.

If they are made in the US, most people will assume they're junk (and a joke). But if they say "Made in Japan" they will get a cult following.

I plan on trying the 10" Annie with the Matzuo 5/0 Light Wire Worm Hook. The Matzuo is similar in shape to the hook RW uses, but is longer and when rigged will go through the body about a 1/4" up from where the fin on the worm starts. This is a very good hook for long worms as it give you significantly more length without having to go up to an oversized hook.

Heck, that's just a picture of his wife's sewing room.

Has anyone tried the NetBaits 4" frogs? These frogs are pretty small, looking almost like chunks. But they are super soft and have these little trailing legs that have a great action, and actually look like frog legs when you stop it in the water. The body of the frog has details molded into it, like front legs and eyes. They work great weightless on a 1/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook. I've fished them on a 7' M/F with 10# and 12# YZ Hybrid. I know this seems a bit light for fishing frogs in mucky water, but I've had no problems yet and thee baits attract a lot of attention. Give them a whirl. You don't need heavy gear to fish these. They are turning out to be fantastic little baits.

RW, try that space monkey fished the same way you said to fish the creature in the "You May Get Your Arm Broke" thread. Holy cow, this may be the perfect bait for my mucky lake. All of these baits are perfect or my lake. BTW, whoever sent out the samples did a STUPENDOUS job of picking colors. Every pack of everything I got was in the color I would have picked. And have I mentioned just how good the new packages are??? Best packed plastics on the market (and that ain't no small thing).

Too much proprietary stuff on Macs. Very stable, and less virus prone. But they are less virus prone because far fewer people use them and they are not the standard in commerce. PC with Windows is the standard, that's why hackers concentrate on them. Also, far less software available for Macs.