Pikesnogle

I'm from Ashburn, what ponds are you fishing man?

Potomac - first, plastic plastic plastic. Senkos wacky and Texas rigged. Red and Green seem to do well, both together and separate. Second comes jigs and spinners depends on the day and water clarity. Caught this one on a watermelon senko with red and black flakes. Good luck brother.

Yea man, I scour ebay/craigslist on the regular just in case there's a deal out there. Thanks for the advice brother.

I am a scuba diver and while learning to dive they teach you about the color spectrum. You start to loose the color red around 20 feet of water, it starts to look black or a deep blue. I don't know if this has something to do with it, but I guess it's plausible. Who knows?

When fishing with a jig I also do not always feel a bite or pick up. Usually a good give away is a weird 'soft feeling,' but the dead give away is watching where your line hits the water take off in a direction other than your retrieve. Then real in the slack and try not to hurt yourself when you set the hook ;D. Good luck man.

Sounds like good advice, I think I'm going to have to invest. Thank you very much gentlemen.

Hey Guys, A buddy and I do a lot of fishing, but would like to do a little bit more boating. We don't have one so we are actively looking for a place to rent them. Maybe a scenic river float, or a state park with jon boats and trolling motors. Any input? Thanks, -Snogle

Thank you Dan. And is this the same thing that everyone else has been seeing?

Yup, I'm a giant idiot. That picture is a bass literally covered in black spots, big ones. Is that the same thing? Minor side note, how do you post a picture? HAHAHAHAHA

Black freckles? I have caught a few fish that look like milk cows. Is this the same thing?

I have tried a few different tactics in this situation. What seems to work is backing off for a bit maybe fishing another location for a little while, then returning (out of their sight) and pitching a senko past them and slowly twitching it through their bed. I'd say that it works about 75% of the time though, not all the time. Sometimes they just aren't interested at all. All of my luck in this situation has been with a senko, I think that it presents an incredibly easy meal, that they are inclined to bite. Sometimes they will just pick it up and spit it out just to clear their bed of the lure, which is heartbreaking but what are you gonna do? Good luck, hope this helps. It's what works for me best. -Snogle

I just started jig fishin' this year, it's a blast. There are only a few lakes that I can fish with a jig around here though. Lots of algae in most ponds. But the ones that I can fish a brown or green colored jig with a corresponding craw trailer just triggers the bite. They absolutely go nuts for it. I had moose on the other day. I would love to say that I caught her but I didn't. She breached twice and the second time she threw the hook. But her mouth looked like I could have fit my fist in it (I don't have a small fist). Good luck jiggin' -Snogle

x2 X3 Also Rapala XRAP Jerkbaits.. Bass around here seem to love a distressed minnow (but don't they all).

Call me crazy but I spray WD40 on all surfaces, then use my air compressor with a small nozzle and GENTLY blow the reel completely clean. WD40 is an EXCELLENT cleaning agent as it breaks down grease and oil. I do this to rid my reel completely of all the dirt that comes with catching big ones (yea right - big ones). Then I grease the main gear and use 3 in 1 on bearings and such. -Snogle

The fish probably moved on you as that sounds like the beginning of a coldfront my friend That's the thing though, cold front or not when I went to the other lake that had a little less visibility I fished the same cover as usual and it produced bass. Maybe it was just a fluke (no pun intended)..

No, but where I was fishing there is structure. I also know that fish congregate there, cause I catch fish there all the time.

Hey Guys, I was fishing a lake today that I fish frequently, and I was throwing lures (Rapala XR8 X-RAP blue/yellow/orange & 5" Yum Dinger watermelon) that normally catches bass there but for some reason it wasn't working today. The lake is pretty clear, maybe 6-7 feet visibility (that's about as clear as it gets 'round here). It was overcast and a little chilly, I went to another lake with a little less visibility and used the same lures and slayed them (a couple 3-4 pounders and a bunch of little ones). I'm thinking that the combination of overcast skies and clear water maybe was a bad combination for the lures that I was using. I assume that this is the case, is this logical thinking? What should I throw in clear water with overcast skies? I appreciate any input. Thanks, Snolge

I'm just glad he killed it. Nasty creatures aren't they?

Hey Gang, I am looking for a low to zero memory line that won't blow a hole in my wallet. I am using Suffix Smoke Green now, it's a good line but the 'low memory' advertisement isn't as accurate as I had hoped. Any thoughts? Thanks, -Snogle

x3 I agree with the 1-2 fish part, but I kill 'em on Senkos. I switched to the Yum Dinger per someone's information on this forum. They seem to last MUCH longer. I would recommend them to anyone. In addition, I did however just order some senko-like plastics from El_Grande on this forum. Check out his post: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1273439276/0#1 and get 20% off a purchase. I ordered some and can't wait to get them! -Snogle

I swear by Mepps (as well as Panther Martin) there are no better spinners in my opinion. Never have any problems with them not spinning properly. #4 Mepps kill the bass on a sunny day. -Snogle

I have a 6'6" MH Mojo Bass. I haven't found anything wrong with it yet. I would strongly recommend it to anyone. It's a very accurate rod. Also the hook setting power is nice on my model. -Snogle P.s The fact that it looks pretty sweet helps a lil

I can say that agree with Catt. But to be a little more specific on the 'Texas Rigged' statement I can throw a watermelon yum dinger (basically the same thing as a senko but it's a little more durable) in ANY pond around me here in Northern Virginia and catch fish. Although some of the ponds are starting to grow and abundance of algae, I have started using a weightless approach. Letting it sink, and twitching it just above the weeds in the water column. I also have a lot of luck throwing jigs with a crawdad trailer, gold spinners, rapala x-raps (hot steel, glass ghost and silver) as well as crawdad plastics (also Texas Rigged). Location I think would depend on what time of day. Around me bass tend to hide during the day. During the heat of the day they are in deeper pools, near drop-offs, or in cover. During peak fishing periods (early morning and later evening) they are perusing the banks for an easy meal. -Snogle

Hey Gang, I fish in Ashburn, VA (mostly ponds) almost everyday that has fair enough weather. But I have been making my way to Algonkian, and other parts of the Potomac recently in pursuit of some nice smallies. I have been seeing more dead fish than usual, the occasional sunfish here and there but I have seen a larger number of dead small mouth than in recent years. I was wondering what's going on. I have seen a few sunfish with a beige-ish growth/legion on their gills and in their mouth. What's going on here, is this normal? Any input would be appreciated, I am really curious as to what is going on here. Thanks, -Snogle

All of this information is good. I just got my first bait caster about two weeks ago (Shimano Curado 201E7). At the advice of a few friends I spent the extra cash on a better quality reel, I would advise you to do the same. I got the hang of it in less than a day, I think that buying the better quality reel had a lot to do with that. Stick with it, don't get frustrated you'll get it. -Snogle