rondef

I have been using rat-l-traps for the last month without too many problems. I have lost 2 of them but that come with the territory where I fish when you are trying to catch the lunkers. Manns -1 Crankbaits Rapala SSR7 (bluegill) Swim Senkos Shad X-Rap

Any NOVA folks catch any LMBs this weekend? I got skunked.

I wouldn't eat any catfish from around here unless it is farm raised, in other words I would not eat any fish caught locally.

Nice looking fish.

I did not get out there today because the wife was not feeling well, I am hoping to make it there tomorrow morning if she feels better.

I am not quitting, I am just disappointed in how much the bite has slowed in the last week. I am not seeing nearly as many strikes as I was a couple of weks ago. I have slowed down my bait, tried jerkbaits, crankbaits and even jigs and I am not getting the bites any more. Maybe I am just in a slump because November was my best month of the year (landed two LMBs over 5lbs)all the way up to December 1st. Since then I have been skunked multiple times back to back at different locations which is not normal for me, I usually catch at least one LMB no matter how bad the fishing goes. I stayed local today due to the wife not feeling well and I fished Mercer and could not even get a strike and this is where I have had my best luck. I have now been skunked at Lake Royal, Huntsman and Mercer all in the last week. I may go out to Lake Thompson tomorrow but that depends on how the wife feels. On another note I do not think badly of you at all Rob so please don't think that. I was just trying to make a point and I guess I did not do a good job at it originally. Hopefully people understand the point I was trying to make about the slowdown.

I am waiting on the weather to break, it is still raining pretty good here. Hopefully it lets up today so I can head out to fish. I do not want to get soaked this morning when the temps are only in the mid 30s.

I am going to try to explain this one more time. LMBs do in fact go dormant during the colder winter months, that does not mean that they do not feed. It means that they will not feed as much or as often and they will not use as much energy as they would at other times of the year to feed. This explains the drop off in catches at this time of year, that is all I was trying to say. I know there are people out there with more knowledge from their years of fishing but the facts are the facts. Pick up some books and read and you will find similar statements in them about the colder winter months. SMBs still feed actively in the colder months and that is all I was trying to state.

Nice catch

Russ, I like the picture, please keep posting them. I hope I will be be able to assist CAST at the next event around Northern, Virginia. Ron

I am going to drive out and look anyways since it is not that far away. It it is iced over I am going to try a bigger body of water. I do appreciate the heads up though.

Let me try this again the LMBs are no where near as active as they have been around here. catching LMBs is getting tough around here since the water temps began dropping with the all of the cold fronts and the snow that has been coming through the area. The water temps have dropped considerably over the last two weeks. Dormant does not mean they will not feed it means they will feed less while in that state and react slower.

Thats cool if you want to meet there. I plan on fishing the whole day weather permitting. Unless it rains hard I will go and I have my whole day free to fish, I don't have any other plans for the weekened other than to fish. http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/waterbodies/maps/Lake_Thompson.pdf

to the forum

I have a few go to baits. Swim Senkos Rat-L-Traps Venom Tubes Manns -1

It is in Faquier County in the Thompson Wildlife Management Area. If you want to go we could go together and leave from my house, I'll drive. Ron

Dan, Any recommendations on the line 4lb, 6lb? Do you know if I can I get a trout stamp at Walmart? Ron

I may break out the rain jacket and go Saturday as well. Tin2win where in New England are you from? I used to live in Westford Massachusetts and I used to fish Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. GO PATS!!!

My daughter in law had a catfish fin go deep into the palm of her hand while trying to get the hook out of it's mouth. This happened on a day where she had caught about 10 catfish with no problems. I cleaned her wound best I could and bandaged it up and then took her back to the dock since she was in a lot of pain. This was the first time I ever had to break out the emergency medical kit. My son took her to to the hospital where they cleaned out the wound again, bandaged her up and gave her some antibiotics and pain medication. The next weekend she was back out there tearing it up again catching catfish.

Thanks tin2win, I will let you know how I do. It is looking like a Sunday trip to the lake because they are calling for rain tomorrow and the temps in the 40s. Sunday's forecast is cloudy and in the 50s so I most likely go Sunday.

From shore, it is only a small pond and my boat is not allowed in the pond.

tin2win, If you open the link in my first post you can get to the map. Ron

All, I am going to go fishing for smallies at Thompson Lake in Virginia for the first time. I am curious how you would fish for smallies in a lake. I have fished for them in rivers using tubes but never in lakes. Should I still use tubes or should I fish with a different bait? Any help you can provide would be appreciated. I attached a link to the lake below. I may also try some trout fishing while I am there. Ron https://dwr.virginia.gov/waterbody/lake-thompson/

Change in plans due to the weather, I have decided that I am going to try smallie and trout fishing at Thompson Lake this weekend. Anyone interested in going? Ron

Guys, It has been a long time since I fished for trout (30-35 years). What advice can you provide me with for fishing some stocked Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries lakes? I figure that I will fish with some Mepps inline spinners. Thoughts? Ron