OnthePotomac

I am with A-Jay on the Mustang and I never, never take it off on the tidal Potomac. I f you go over the side on an outgoing tide coupled with the river flow to the ocean you can find yourself in deep do very quickly.

When I upgraded my MG TM last year I had to drill new holes, so I picked up flat round vinyl chair glides at Lowes, cut off the mounting spike and cemented them over the holes with marine sealer. Worked like a champ and they look nice.

I have found the key to my LU drain plug screw is a really big flat blade (I use a 14 in)and a leather glove. ultimately put your LU oil into a glass, or clear plastic jar and hold it up the light. If you have water in the oil it will be milky in appearance. BTW, I have a plastic shoe box I place under the LU and it is a no mess way to drain it and you can let it drip for a awhile with no worry. Then it goes in to the jar. I have to store the boat at the state park yard, so my batteries come home with me for winter storage and spend the next four months on a battery tender with a pulsing desulfinater. It keeps them in really good shape. I don't use fuel stabilizer in my E10 gas, just top it off to the top of the tank and no condensation. Never a water problem for the last several years.

I bought a 7'2" BPS medium spinning Carbonlite on sale for $89 for my school teacher daughter and fishing buddy. She will only use a spinning rod and gets incredible effortless distance with the rod. Caught her biggest bass yet (4lb 9oz) on it last summer with 8lb mono.

Frog fish with it. Before the fancy lines came into being, I frog fished with 20lb mono and it worked.

My favorite Senko rigs are with a Curado 70XG and an SLX 8.2:1, both spooled with 12 Lb Invizx and both are on 7' MH Carbonlites. Easy to throw all day.

Why guess, just call the Skeeter company and they will help you.

My brother had a 25hp on his 16 ft john and it worked well and he just kept it in tiller mode. Don't worry about fast you can get it, just get there safely. It is real easy to over power a small boat.

I was indeed fortunate in that when I got into bass fishing 19 years ago upon retirement I had a friend who did reels like DVT and taught me the ins and out of proper reel maintenance and now it is like therapy for me every January as I knock out a couple a day as I wade through my 13 Shimanos of various types. I am not speedy, but through. Even if one has not been used much during the year I still go through the whole drill on it. Modifications to what I do have evolved over the years from tips learned from others. For instance, I do not grease pinion, or drive shaft bearings anymore, but instead soak them in TSI301 and I learned that from Alan Tani, the salt water guru.

I am not sure what testify means, but I am referring to Bantam 1 from Shimano, who I believe many on here already know.

The Shimano rep has always stated that a bait cast reel cannot reach the spool RPM's which warrant anything above ABEC 5 for improved performance. I finally gave up on ceramics because I got tired of the noise even properly lubed, which the SS do not have and frankly did not see any difference in performance from SS.

Amen sir, how correct you are, which is why I have always been a Shimano fan....great performance with a minimum bearing count. And you made a good choice. Should last you forever.

I am a Shimano fan, but bought a big sale PQ six years ago on a whim, put Sufix 832 on it, and used it for frogging for three years and was really impressed with it...never a problem. I do maintain my own reels and its internal components were just like more expensive reels. The only reason I only had it three years is because I wanted a Chronarch MGL and with $50 for it on a trade in and gift cards it went bye bye.

Heck yes you can use it after a year on the reel. I have a couple of reels with 15lb Invizx I only use a couple of times a year, so in the spring I just pull one and a half times the length of a cast in my basement and crank it back on through a KVD soaked cotton ball under pressure between my thumb an for finger and then hose it down again on the reel and good to go. No coiling I keep empty line spools just for pulling off lightly used line of all types with my electric drill rig and use it at a later date. Saves money.

Heck, I use a KVD 7'MH fast tip with 50lb Sufix 832 on a Curado 200I for frogs, but I add a Lake Fork Hook on the frog and it has worked well on the Potomac grass beds. An interesting MH rod Kevin designed rated at 1/4-1 1/2oz and 10-25lb line and works well for me for frog fishing. With that Lake fork Hook in the top of their mouth they aren't going anywhere.

Swivels for me only on flukes (about 18" above the bait), Carolina rigs and in line spinners. Snap swivels on spoons work well.

I am a tie direct also. Never considered anything between the end of the line and the chatterbait.

And rods that lay on the deck all day baking in the sun will take its toll on mono and flouro over time.

I am on a Carbonlite budget, but after handling a Platinum a few weeks ago, I am going to go for the sale on the rod. I thought my Carbonlites are light, but the Platinum feels even lighter. I notice that Edwin Evers fishes them a lot, but of course BPS sponsors him, so they are no doubt free to him.

A guy bought a new boat with a big 300 Merc and took it out for a test run. Back at the dock area while wiping down his boat another boater pulled along side and the fellow looked over and asked, new rig huh? The new boat owner smiled and responded, Yep and this baby really goes, to which the other boater said, yes, I could tell you were really hauling ass as I went by you.

For 18 years I have stored my 21 gallon tank full to the brim and since E10 was available, to prevent condensation with no fuel additive and the Yammie 60 starts right up after a cold 4 month snooze. No exposed surface for air.....no condensation and no water in the gas. I did use Stabil in the beginning for running and not storing, then I read the MSDS and saw it is mostly deodorized kerosene, so I stopped. I do use Yamaha Ring Free (.5oz per 5 gallon), which is really just super oil. My Ranger has a multifuel engine, so it likes E10. The Volvo purrs on it also.

The sting ray grub on a jig and I am 15 river miles South of DC on the Potomac, but Steve Chaconas,, who guides up there advocates for its use in those waters.

Potomac river winter fishing = 1/2oz silver buddies in gold, hair jigs and Manns Sting Ray grub n 3' avocado on a 1/8 or 1/4 ball head jig.

Look, A-Jay, you have to stop showing off that monster, it is really depressing LOL. I would be lost on your water when 99% of the time I am slogging around in 6' or less fighting the spatterdoc, milfoil, elodea, hydrilla and eel grass, which narrows baits to buzz baits, chatterbaits, lipless, spinnerbaits, baby1-,, top waters, frogs, and lots of Senkos, craw and creatures.

I was about to say as Logan S did that the 3' avocado Stingray fished on a 1/8 or 1/4 ball head jig has been a winter favorite in the late fall/winter for the 19 years I have been on the Tidal Potomac river. Outside the family of Potomac anglers this the first time I have ever read a discussion on the bait. It sure works for us.