RichF

Yeah, the hikers and runners added a bit of annoyance for sure. They obviously didn't get in the way or anything but just hearing all the talking, shouting, and overall noise was frustrating. Hard to enjoy nature when everyone from the city fills the greenspace.

You guys are right...Burke Lake is a turd. I ended up there Saturday because the employee at the Res decided not to show up for work. Wow Burke is a zoo. Such a tiny lake to have so many boats, canoes, and yaks on it. No peace and quiet at all. My buddy and I only caught 3 bass and a walleye in 5 hrs. Definitely not worth the $29 bucks for park entry and boat rental. Oh how I miss NY

The Tour mg is more because of the materials used to make it. It's built on a magnesium frame so it will be lighter (5.4 oz vs 6.9 oz for the Smoke). It also has almost double the amount of bearings (11 vs 7 in the Smoke). I believe the Smoke HD is a more heavy duty reel, and would excel at pitching, flipping, frogging, and deep cranking. While I no longer use Quantum, nor do I have any experience with the reels you're asking about, I imagine there is little difference in the performance between the two. It's up to you whether or not the weight reduction and extra smoothness is worth the $80 price difference.

Cabelas has Lews Super Duty in 7:1 for $99 today and tomorrow, online only.

I agree with this. Try any smaller topwater bait with a feathered back treble hook. I've been in situations before, in late may, where the only bait I could get the smallmouth to bite was a spook.

Waaaayyy too many made up names for the bait's movements. No reason a technique needs to be this complicated. the guy in the video did a good job though. He was very well spoken.

I never made it to Burke Saturday. I called friday afternoon to make sure they'd be open but they told me they wouldn't know until around 9 or 10am saturday. I didn't wanna wait so I decided to just go to Fountainhead again bright and early. Fished from 730AM to around 6PM and only boated 12. Lost a couple others. I hooked a giant fish flipping super shallow but am pretty sure it wasn't a bass. Never felt a bite and didn't set the hook very hard. My XH flipping stick was doubled over for a hot second and the fish made a massive swirl next to the boat and was off. The bite was really slow until I decided to just chunk a spinnerbait around shallow wood in the afternoon. Not my favorite way to fish but it got me most of my bites. Biggest one hit right around the 3lb mark. The rest were 1.5 to 2.5. I think I'll launch out of Lake Ridge next time. I'm really interested in going up Sandy Run. But that means more people will be on the water! lol. I only saw around 10 boats all day Saturday. It was kinda nice.

I'd get a better battery honestly. Once a fish goes in my livewell, the pumps stay on the rest of the day. I don't have recirc in my boat either. I switch them to auto which pumps in fresh water for 1 minute every 10 mins. It works incredibly well.

Anybody ever launch on the Occoquan Res at Lake Ridge park? I'd really like to check Sandy Run but I don't think I can rent a boat at the park there. Lake Ridge would be my closest option with the trolling motor.

X2 for the Zodias.

I clean my guides fairly often.

I have a Curado I on my 7'11 heavy flippin stick. I love it. It just feels much more solid than the Tat. I especially like the big paddle grips. My Tat CT is kinda all purpose I guess. It's super easy to cast. I didn't like it for froggin because it just didn't feel super solid, like it flexed a little while powering cranking in fish. Right now it's being used with light t-rigged plastics.

I used to finesse fish when I was young, age 9 to like 16. Once I started flipping and pitching, the spinning rods basically disappeared for me. I'm trying to force myself back into it, especially since I don't live in northern NY where the fishing is easy. I spent a little more time drop shotting last year and had a lot of success. It's just not nearly as enjoyable to fish that way. If I had to give it a ratio, I'd say 95/5 for baitcasting.

Hey Havoc lovers, check out Berkley.com. There's a bunch of Havoc stuff on clearance.

Thanks a bunch for the info! I'll definitely pick up that Rez map. Right after I read your last response, I checked out Cabelas online looking for a portable depth finder. They have a great deal on a Lowrance Hook-4 with extras for $200 and I could get the suction cup mount to make the transducer portable for an extra $20. Super tempting. I saw Hunting Run on google maps as I was scanning the area for new places to fish. It's close to Motts correct?

That Avid X was made for froggin. It will also work great as a pitchin stick. A JDM Daiwa Zillion SV XXH would look pretty sweet on that rod. Its green accents would pair nicely.

Thanks for the insight. Yeah that's my biggest fear/challenge...sonar. The bodies of water around here (other than the potomac) don't have the structure I'm used to and it's obviously impossible to find anything offshore without a graph. I ran into this problem at the Occoquan Res the last time I went there. I assume a lot of bass get off the banks (like they normally do everywhere) as the season progresses. I spent a lot of time aimlessly dragging a football jig in the middle of creek arms hoping to hit some offshore rocks or stumps. 59 degrees, rain, and 15mph wind...at least I'd likely have the lake to myself. I guess no fish is still better than not fishing lol.

Ugh Saturday looks crappy but I'm gonna rent a boat at Burke and check it out. I've heard there are nice bass in there, they're just hard to catch because of all the pressure. Do any of you guys know if the lake has grass?

If that lake was in northern NY, where I'm from, I would be fishing that massive shallow flat with water temps in the upper 50s. Particularly, near those 5 foot holes. If there are any pads growing up on that flat, I'd hit those for sure. Light spinnerbaits, bladed jigs, swimjigs, and swimbaits are what I use for pre-spawn shallow water fishing.

I've never used Tatsu and unless I can get it for half off, I'll continue to never use it. I'd just continue to practice with your baitcaster. There are plenty of Fluoros out there that work incredibly well at a fraction of the price of Tatsu. I have no doubt that it's good line but $50 for 200 yds is obnoxious. Get really good at casting and you can have your pick of the litter.

I have used it for quite some time. I like it a lot. Not as much as Sunline FX2, but it's still great braid.

Honestly depends for me. I usually fish really fast and try to cover as much water as possible so one or two pitches is the norm. If I'm stuck fishing a smaller area due to pressure (small body of water and a lot of other anglers around) I'll double or triple that. I also try to hit the piece of cover from all angles as well.

The emails I got the last couple days say ALL stores closing. Check the online site. It says the same thing. Went to one in Winchester VA yesterday. Got a gallon of Lucas 2-stroke oil for 20% off. Rods and reels are only 10% off, tackle is 15% off, and marine goods are 20% off.

I don't like to share a lot of specifics, especially with guys I compete against. It's up to all of us as anglers to figure out our own stuff. It's more rewarding when you do anyway.

Hopefully they do! I'm looking to get out next Saturday to play with the new gear. I'm actually not crazy about the new premier lol. Got it yesterday. It doesn't feel like a $300 reel. The knobs are nice though.