basscrusher

At about what water temperature will smallies begin moving from main river haunts (referring to non-tidal, "upper" rivers above fall lines) into major creeks or tributaries? If it helps any, I'm thinking of smallmouth rivers here in northern Virginia west to the shenandoah valley, but I'd assume the temp (not the timing) would be similar in many places. Thanks for any info.

The possibilities are almost endless. I've had luck with Berkley PowerMullets (saltwater swimbait), swimsenkos, and some thing that was made by riverside before it became Yum -- it looks almost exactly like the swimbait on the SK Redfish Magic. If you want to keep it inexpensive, the obvious answer is a 4" or 6" Sassy Shad.

Here's what I want out of BASS...I want them to stop being a commercial front for the fishing industry and become a voice for the angler. BASS is essentially the official mouthpiece of the various big tackle companies, at least a good portion of the time. Bassmaster has recently run 2 articles on how the LA delta seems to not be affected by the BP oil spill...Really? Despite the hundreds by real news organizations claiming otherwise? BASS purport to stand for conservation...then man up and call out BP (and the rest of the big oil corporations) for being irresponsible. My guess is that the editors can't do that out of political ideology. Bass boat makers have essentially priced out many working class anglers from owning a boat, or at least have made many choose whether to purchase a boat or a college education for their kids. Call them out on this. Or at least give it some attention from both sides of the spectrum. BASS Times is also rather one-sided at times when reporting gov't policy changes that affect anglers, but out of respect for this site's rules, that discussion will be reserved for another time and place. In short, BASS needs to represent its readers as much as (if not more than) its advertisers.

Still frozen. The only non-tidal bodies not frozen right now in this area are a few "subdivision" ponds (like some of the ones in Ashburn) that have a fountain in the middle that pushes the water around and prevents the ice from setting up. Although, with temps in the teens 2 nights ago...even those may be frozen now.

Goose Creek Res is not open to the public for fishing. I know people who snuck out there and got in deep trouble. Beaverdam res, which Goose creek flows into, is public and has been discussed here before.

PM sent Pikesnogle.

In Reston there are lakes Audubon and Thoreau, you're supposed to be an association member, but as long as you don't litter or harass people, nobody checks. Thoreau usually stinks, but docks on audubon hold fish. These are both off of south lakes drive. Close to Reston is Lake Fairfax. winter gets crowded (when not frozen) due to trout stocking (elbow to elbow fishing, not fun) but I know people who do OK for bass in spring when fish are shallow. None of these are great lakes, but I used to catch alot of fish out of Audubon when I lived in Reston. A little north of Reston (toward rte 7) are lake Anne and some other lakes I've never fished. I know a guy that used to fish lake anne, he seemed to do OK. There are several other neighborhood lakes near there, look up Lake Anne on Google maps and go from there.

Well, I can't exactly answer your question. I've never fished the legend ., but I do own both the LTB and the Legend Elites. LTB's are SCIV graphite, the new elites and Extremes are SCVI. My elites are SCV. The elites are a little lighter if you compare same-length/power rods. They are noticeably stiffer, too. my elites are almost unearthly stiff. Medium spinning rods that are stiffer and stronger that alot of MH and heavy baitcasters. I would assume the extremes are even more, well, extreme than this. If you want lighter and stiffer, go up (I simply can't emphasize how brutally powerful these rods are, even though some people will disagree simply because they are so light). If you like a little more parabolic flex in your rods, stay with LTB. I hope this helps somewhat, since I don't know how many Legend Extreme owners you'll get to respond.

what are you upgrading from?

The original balsa ones are the business, but I've known people to do well on the jointed and "glass" pattern ones, too. Rebel (I think) made a shad rap knock-off for a while. You could find them often in bargain bins in this color pattern that looked like a baby striper (white w/ thin black lines) at alot of different stores. My buddy chucked one of these endlessly one nasty winter day and ended up catching a 7 pounder. So I guess that one worked, too.

I personally don't fish skirted jigs much anyway, but I do have a couple that are about 50/50 chart. and black. My chatterbaits in all chart. are good baits. More importantly, you've hit upon something here. Chartreuse is one of the most popular fishign colors in the world, yet certain baits rarely come in this color. Its very easy to find grubs, lizards, senkos, craws, and trailers in chartreuse, yet try finding a 7"or 10" ribbontail worm in ALL chartreuse. very rare. I rarely see shaky head worms in all chart., at least in the brands I typically use. I can't recall an all chartreuse Horny Toad, maybe I'm wrong. I'd buy all of these if they were in my local tackle shop. I think its been discussed before on this site, but its still odd to me that this trend persists.

Let me preface by saying I do most of my smallie fishing in a secluded tributary creek where a 14" smallie is big and bottom-bumping lures get broken off about every 5th cast in a massive maze of rocks. That said: for numbers: 3" senko in watermelon or black for size: 4" Yum Dinger in green pumpkin/red biggest I ever hooked: Zoom tube in the Natural Shell color

My friend just picked up one of those Denali Jadewood rods (exact model you're referring to) and its really nice. Light, comfortable, soft tip seems perfect for the drop shot. Plus a lifetime warranty for $80. If I didn't already have a St Croix LTB with the same specs, I'd have bought one too.

Hey all- I'm in Northern VA, so I typically post on the Southeast forum, but I was hoping someone might have a little info on that "hotspot" on the upper Potomac we know so well. I'm not new to the place, but haven't been there in 2 yrs, so I was wondering... 1) anyone been lately? How are conditions? 2) last time I was there, bank fishing was hard because the ground was so soft you "sunk" due to recent rains. I no longer have my waders, so I'm shorebound. Is it manageable right now? Thanks in advance.

Well I think its safe to say I've been deterred (i.e. scared) from attempting this modification. Just to be clear, I don't hate the Tenn handle per se. The rod I have is a St Croix premier 6' medium, from a few years ago when they sold a stock model with the TN handle. On this model, I feel the TN handle is much thicker than other brands. I have short fingers, which essentially makes my hands function "small." What I really want now is this blank with a grip more like the Legend Tourn. rod series (and not just for the aesthetics -- that grip fits my hand perfectly with barely any foregrip.) But it sounds like I'm stuck with what I've got, which isn't terrible by any means. Thanks for all the advice.

Can a spinning rod with a Tennessee handle be converted to have a more conventional handle (i.e. reel seat, etc.)? If so, where would one go to find information on how this is done?

I used to buy into this notion, but not anymore. Those ratings are more to give the shopper an idea of what sort of rod they're buying. We've all handled rods that could throw lures far exceeding the rod's suggested limits. As for the line ratings...if these were absolutes, then why does Shimano post two COMPLETELY DIFFERENT line ratings on their website for the Cumaras (and other series) based on using mono and braid? For example, my MH Cumara is rated 12-20 lb if using mono, but 20-50 lb if using braid. Think about that for a second. Obviously, IF Shimano is being sincere with their info, then the rod isn't built in such a way that too strong a line will break the rod. either my rod maxes out at 20 lb line or it doesn't, regardless of braid/mono. My guess is that the line diameter and the guide size affect optimal casting performance, and that's where the crux of the rating truly lies.

I throw the shakey head ALOT and have 3 different rods I'll use: In open water, I use the St Croix LTB Split shot rod (6'6" ML). When skipping the jig beneath docks, I use a St Croix Legend Elite 6' medium. For heavier jigheads in deeper water, the Legend Elite 6'8" medium XF. All three are super sensitive for the light bites. Having said that, you don't have to spend $200+ (I'm not a tackle snob -- I was lucky enough to get those 3 rods at 40% of retail price when I worked in a tackle store.) But sensitivity is a MUST. a Shimano Crucial would do the job for less than $150, and my fishing partner uses a St Croix Mojo and doesn't miss many bites. So expensive is optional, but sensitive is mandatory, in my opinion.

I've caught a good number of fish on the smaller (3.5"-4") paddletails. I've been using braid almost exclusively, and I can't remember losing one b/c of ripping the bait away from the fish. That said, here are my 2 absolutes when using hollow-belly paddletails: 1) I use screw-in weighted hooks, not the offset EWG weighted hooks. 2) Like Chris at Tech alluded to, I slit the belly for better hook penetration. This has made a noticeable difference (for the better).

Anyone have any experience with the Falcon Bucoo spin rods, specifically the 6-foot light action? I was rather impressed by the feel of their 5-ft ultralight (and I hate ultralight rods) and wondered about the light rod. I am in need of a new light rod for perch and stream smallies, thought this might be the ticket. Don't really feel like shelling out for the St Croix LT walleye in light action, since I usually use St Croixs but don;t need a $200 "niche" rod.

Anyone know if Hunting Run still shuts down for the winter? If so, has it closed yet? Thanks in advance!

A friend of mine took big fish in a fairly large tournament (70+ boats) on the Potomac a few years back using one of those cheap spinnerbaits. Fish was over 6 lbs. I used to buy them because I broke off so many spinnerbaits, but when the store I worked at got bought out, Terminators went down to $2 apiece so I stocked up, and I'm still using those. Otherwise, I'd probably use the cheapos too.

get your scales checked...that is no 6 pounder

I've always had best luck working plastics and mid-depth cranks around flooded bushes. I've explored the lakequite a bit (uncle lived on the lake for 2 yrs) but always did best in Bluestone Creek.

My first tournament I fished as a co-angler in the back of my friend's 11-ft plastic Bass Tender jonboat with a 9.9 hp motor. And it was on the mighty Potomac river, of all places. It was a small club with vague rules. When we got there they tried to tell us it wasn't a tournament-ready boat, but we showed that their rules were vague, and we had the necessary bilge pump and livewell. We fished 8 hours in the worst rainstorm of my life. And took 2nd place without running all over the place (just sat in Aquia creek and caught good fish on Sammy-style baits). My friend has a 19 ft Skeeter now, but we still use that Bass Tender for small lakes.