Nitrofreak

Don't think I could stand a break of 20 years, PHEW!! I have a hard enough time between weekends!! Welcome to BR and hang in there, you'll get em!!

Great job on a great looking catch and thanks for sharing !!!

14lb. test is fine for what your doing, if you seem to be getting snagged a lot it could be the way you rig, you leave a lot of room for discussions with what may be happening however, for example, we don't know what technique your using, if it is a Texas rig, the bait may be grabbing on to something and causing the hook to become exposed, like a ribbon tail worm, the tail on those will wrap around twigs or snag on a splintered parts of the log, the weight you are using may be too heavy for what you are attempting to try, soft bottom is like a vacuum for heavier weights. One example of a fix for your situation may be to rig a weedless tube style bait, if you would, a few more specifics would be helpful so that we can give you the best advise possible.

I'm old, I'm just the opposite, it was just the family there for a while and then the girls grew up, one moved out and the other graduates college this year. I have always had a passion for the sport in both fun and competition, I invested in some of the smaller tournaments (less than $250.00 entry fee) just to get used to the idea of the mindset, the timing, the pressures one may be put under etc... the past two years I have really put myself in the mix of things and worked hard at putting things together, next year, I want to start tournament fishing, it's something I have had to put aside for quite some time now but, family is always first. I feel like I find it more appealing knowing how much I am learning and how much more I have to learn, I am looking forward to the challenges and the stress but I think I can keep the stress part at bay for some time to come, after raising a family and dealing with the stress this economy has had, this, if I can keep it simple and start easy, should be the best time ever!!

Rodger, welcome to BR, let us know when you do get out and how you did, maybe add a photo or two as well, we like photos around here ?

Go get em tiger ! LOL !! Thats about the best I can do with the post above, I don't have a whole lot of experience there, I go down to Lakefest every year, I have fished some of the North Carolina side and I can tell you that it's all a blast, one of the best top water places I have ever visited so far also one of the best jig places too, lots of techniques that you really like has a place down there, enjoy yourself, Good luck and be safe !! Be sure to let us know how it all goes !!!

Enjoy it while you can because they grow up and find different interests, like boys... I love taking my girls fishing and they used to love going with me now it's a rarity, make as many memories as you can !!!

Wait, what? You sold the tracker?

I have yet to have it happen to me and I hope it never does to me or anyone else but, on the other hand, I have witnessed it and seen too many times the end result of others misfortunes, that's why I tend preach about keeping your focus.

I'm like that as well for the most part, the way I look at it, I'm either bringing back a fish, or, its lips LOL!! In the heat of the moment or a slight lapse in concentration however one may inadvertently forget the position they are in and have a missile launched at theirselves, you'd be surprised at just how well a half oz. weight can take down a 350 lb. guy !!!

I have always had some pretty decent luck fishing out of Bluestone Creek and Owens Creek, pay attention to hazards in each area, I feel like Owens offers more wood than Bluestone but also I feel like Bluestone offers more rock and hard bottom than Owens, both are relatively close to the state park, (assuming that's the launch area). According to Charlie Taylor's report, the upper half is stained and lower half is clear, these are somewhat middle areas so I assume it is partially stained at least. Im not sure if you are going in a boat or a yak, if you venture back into Bluestone then there are buoy markers directing you into Goodell Creek, in case you don't know and decide to venture into that area, travel in between the buoy markers, the red to your starboard (right) and green to your port (left) sides of your craft, opposite on your way out of course, to the right as you enter Goodell Creek is a rocky point that extends from shoreline all the way out to the red buoy, to the left of the green Buoy there is a point with an island that offers a good shelf in approx. 8 ft. of water with deep water access just out from the island, not sure if they are focused on the spawn but if they are on points make sure you check that area out, to the left across from Goodell Creek there is a cove, with good shallow areas back in the back, also an old roadbed with a possible house or something, could be an old bridge, I haven't been there yet with the downscan but on my old X96 picked up something of good size about smack dab in the middle of that cove. Owens has a lot to offer as well, main lake points have some really good spotted areas that have trees and tree stumps along the way, also some trees that have been topped off in about 15 to 18 ft. of water, back in the back there are some submerged or partcially submerged wood and rock, just be careful wherever you venture but the lake has some really tremendous fishing almost anywhere you go, it's got both numbers and size.

Where are you launching from and what mode of transportation?

Keep it very simple, most of my bank fishing is on the river systems here in Va., as others have stated, mobility is everything , so the less you have to pack and carry the more you can enjoy the long stretches of fishing from the banks, besides, when I'm bank fishing, 99 percent of the time I like to feel the same as my presentation, weightless... Or it could be that I'm just getting old and really don't want to have to carry all that stuff anymore.

Rats!!! I forgot to welcome you to BR as well, so... HOWDY !!

Your really getting good at these videos Matt !! Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed them !!

A medium light rod IMO is too soft, which also hints that you are probably using a light line as well, IMO, something like a drop shot set up would maybe work better with that tackle, with a drop shot the fish normally grab the bait and head down hill at the strike allowing you to vertically lift the rod while cranking and not actually swinging the rod to get the hook to set.

That's 4 more trips than I have under my belt this season LOL! My first trip out to actually fish for the first time this season didn't yeild the success I had hoped for but, it was a high pressure day and the first day after a front, keep in mind that we have had numberous fronts and it's messed with everything, Anna was at least 2 weeks behind on the spawn, not sure what areas you were fishing but where I was 2 weeks ago there were only 4 that had just pulled up and I covered a lot of area that day. Keep an eye out for bait schools, that will be your number one key to success, right now anyway, pay attention to birds in your areas they will let you know where they are, most importantly just keep going, you might just need to slow down a bit and pick apart areas before everything turns on for your style of fishing.

It depends on just how much the bass actually took the bait, setting the hook on a LMB requires the hook to penetrate the roof of the mouth area which is rugged, really good sharp hooks depending on wire size is what determines how much power you put into the hook set, swim bait hooks are pretty stout for the most part, the rod and line strength are other determining factors, with a fish that close, you want to be mindful of your rod position, you don't want to set the hook in a 12 o'clock position or you may be taking a trip to the local hospital, your hook set should still be firm but not to the point that your going to rip the fish out of the water, a short but quick set with just enough force from a medium heavy action Rod to allow the hook to penetrate the roof of its mouth in about the 10 or 2 o'clock position would be my suggestion.

It's not really random in a sense, fish do roam, especially in the summer months but that doesn't mean that it's as you suspect. Look at it differently, each body of water is different, each has their own key to success, in essence each requires a lot of work to have success, some anglers will figure things out seemingly almost effortlessly while others may struggle on their first trip out, a lot of this comes from experience or as the other hand would have it, the lack thereof. The experienced angler can look at places on a map and use his or her past experiences on similar bodies of water to find potentially good spots, they will take that knowledge out on the water and begin to make adjustments as soon as the boat is moving and already start to formulate a plan during their pre-fishing times, they will record many different aspects of the day, what holds the most value, what holds the least value, what times are better for the spots they find, what times are not, which spots are primary, secondary, and which baits are best suited for each and then of course there is always a plan B or even a plan C and that's just the beginning or tip of the iceberg but you get the idea. I don't think many will tell you that luck has anything to do with it, it does however have an awful lot to do with hard work and how well you prepare yourself for the challenges of tournament fishing, after that, it's all up to Mr. Bass and his or her mood for the day.

We are not on that DD list here in Va. but, we do have them and I know they swim around in my home lake, I am like you said determined to specifically target every aspect of what it's going to take to bring one of those to the boat for a photo opportunity with me and I am determined to make it happen this year !!!

Ima throw a whole dang box of BS flags at you LOL !!

I wasn't much help at all but your welcome, as for Anna, she can have her moments too, there are shallow areas where you would not think shallow areas should be, some aren't even marked, get a map before you go and if you have never been, let me know where you plan on launching from and I will see if I can help put you on some fish and give you some notes on the possible hazards you may run across, by the way, your right, the pleasure boaters are there for themselves, you need to be extra cautious if you do go, usually the week isn't so bad but the weekends are a mess, especially holiday weekends.

Not as good as a spring as you seem to be having ? Nice, very nice indeed !!!

Beautiful!! Looks like a great campfire cookout right there !!! Nice job guys !!

Congrats !! love me some Lake Anna Crappie !!!