mudkart

I do not feel a need to "winterize" at our latitude. ????? Lots of fishable water throughout the year. Running your outboard at least 2X a month goes a long way to keeping it healthy this time of year, IMO. Keep the gas fresh and use your preferred cocktail of fuel additives.

There is an aerosol version of seafoam you can spray directly into the throat of the carb, i.e. undiluted. IME, you'll need to clean the carb anyway, if for nothing else some peace of mind. How much for a replacement carb?

Yes, I use a 3000 CI4.

Senkos, Fat Ikas, hollow-body frog, buzz frog (I like the Zoom H. Toad), chatterbait, Mann's -1, Shad Raps, lipless crank du jour. I find braided line very useful on the tidal Potomac. Conditions (i.e. water clarity, abundant vegetation) are such that, IMO, the line does not spook bass. Chances are, at the dates of this get-together, you will be fishing heavy vegetation at some point. You will then thank me for the braid suggestion. Some techniques, especially hollow body frogs (IMO), require braid, otherwise you're wasting your time. The one situation where I almost never use braid is crankbaits.

I've the same rod, and IMO, you need to look no further for a DS rod. OTOH, for the reasons set forth above by skeletor6, you will likely find it to perform poorly (relative to other spinning rods) for the non-DS techniques you mention, primarily because casting distance is sacrificed due to the tip design. It's a very sensitive and light rod, so yes, you could (and I have in a pinch) throw shakey, split-shot, etc. with it and feel confident it will perform OK, but there are much better rods out there for those techniques (e.g. any graphite MF 7' spinning rod from your manufacturer of choice).

I'm not hating on Carrot Stix. I'm "hating" on Thai 'cuz he can't defend himself on this forum! That is the only mid-priced rod I've known him to own. Everything else is Steez-this or Dobyns-that.

Is that a Carrot Stix? Blasphemy! What OB didja get?

A VA freshwater license is all that is needed to fish from Pohick. Unless you plan on making a looooong run down to the 301 bridge or a shorter, but still long, run up to the WW (495) bridge. LOTS of great water available without making those sorts of time-wasting runs.

Your VA freshwater license is fine as long as you do not fish above the WW bridge, which is considered DC waters. If your boat is registered in VA you're also OK. Ramp fee @ Pohick is ~ $8, I think, I get the yearly pass.

This guy did. Look at pics 118-126. http://imageevent.com/okoboji_images/hummingbirdsideimaging?n=0&z=2&c=4&x=0&m=24&w=0&p=0 I've seen others do pretty much the same on other forums.

Yep.

Not much. It depends on the time of year and tide. If you head nearly straight west from the ramp in August, then yes, you'll have problems. Heading more northwest to what is loosely termed a "channel" (more like a weed free area that is ~2-3 ft deep) and following that (past the island) is easier. If the tide is up you can get to the mouth of the creek on plane no problem.

If it's @ Pohick, I would bring your TM and battery, then rent one of the john boats available. Lots of good spots within range of that setup. Heading back into the creeks, you may even catch a snakehead ( I did catch one very close to the rental docks last year, most will be found back in the creek areas).

Goose creek?

Any sort of break/structure that leads to deep (greater than 10 feet) water. Talking about the Rez, you will have little trouble finding water that deep! Many spots you are in 15 fow (or more) only 1 cast from shore. And are we talking about numbers of bass or lunker bass? I think the process changes depending on what you are targeting, especially on this body of water. If your electronics are working, then look for something like this (a favorite spot of mine on the Rez)

Local knowledge that you trust will very likely trump map study, etc. Just don't completely disregard what the map is telling you; try and coordinate it with what you learn on the water with/from the local. Also, these maps are largely incomplete. LOTS of stuff (cover and structure) not found on the GMCO map that I've found with SI.

If we're talking about the Rez specifically, IMO, step 1 should be go here and buy the map for the Rez: http://shop.gmcomaps...&categoryId=27.

Nice report guys. Jon is the JB master out there; it is one great place to fish. I

8-10 hrs to get it water worthy, but it would still be unfinished (the front deck has not yet been touched). The OB fired right up last week in a test tank, so its ready. The trouble is finding that amount of free time that is daylight!

I was wondering if Hooes was going to be busy with the mild weather. Just know I'm fishing vicariously through these reports until my boat is finished.

Nice Jon. Did you see many other boats?

We camped there last weekend, pretty sure they are open. Give'em a call.

Pohick is another option, and they do allow camping trailers (and have all the necessary hookups). I've camped there overnight w/ the boat. I think there is a two vehicle limit per site. http://www.nvrpa.org/park/pohick_bay/

Smallwood state park has cabins and camping. As a bonus, they are within walking distance of the boat ramp, which is excellent. Best of all, the site is located on Mattawoman creek, one of the best (and most pressured) fishing spots on the Potomac. http://www.dnr.state...n/smallwood.asp