Sam

Isn't Mother Nature fantastic. Who would think that any fish could eat a catfish, safely. But our little green monsters seem to have no problems with catfish. I have caught bass with small, baby catfish in their mouths. But nothing large like you guys are writing about. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for sharing your story. Keep the location a secret. Fantastic catches. Keep it up and post those pics for us to enjoy.

You have to positive with your down time. Read, read and read some more about bass fishing. Watch DVDs about bass fishing. Reorganize your tackle at least 30 times. Visit the on-line tackle stores and look at the baits and compare prices. Go to eBay or Amazon and look up the prices of your rods and reels. Put a picture of Louisiana and Florida on the wall and throw darts at it. Well, living in Louisiana does have its advantages. Even putting up with the big bugs and old people in Florida can have its advantages, too.

Ponds need it, too. Glad it is rain and not snow/ice.

Yep. Just remember to throw your baits so they flow with the tide. Now go out there and show 'em how its done.

Many years ago this is what I was told by a tournament fisherman regarding swivels. 1. The bass will hit the swivel and not your bait. 2. As stated above, you now have two more knots in your line which are weak spots. 3. Swivels will make you use a shorter leader as they may not go through your rod's eye guide causing you to have casting problems. 4. Swivels do not eliminate line twist as you would think they would do. Now, fast forward to last year when I fished the upper Potomac with a pro and he said to tie directly to the bait with braid and avoid the leader. He said this will not cause the fish to avoid your bait. Of course, using a leader is suggested but only if you master tying fluorocarbon to braid. It boils down to confidence. If you have confidence in swivels by all means use them. If you don't then avoid them. Experiment as you wish and have fun determining which method you like best.

Bring back the old posts.

Thank you for your detailed post. It is very helpful and much appreciated! I'll probably stick to Powells strictly for now at least until it gets warmer, but I'm interested that you mention the outgoing tide. I was thinking that bass would come into the shallows on the incoming tide to follow baitfish into the back of the creeks - are they generally more active during the outgoing out there or is this more of a cold weather recommendation? - THE BASS FEED AS THE TIDE MOVES. BEST TIDE TIMES ARE THE FIRST TWO HOURS OF OUTGOING TIDES AND THE FIRS HOUR OF INCOMING TIDES. WHEN THE TIDES STOP YOU HAVE TO FISH SLOW TO AGGRAVATE THEM INTO HITTING YOUR BAITS. START READING ABOUT FISHING TIDAL RIVERS WITH THIS ARTICLE: http://www.bernieschultzfishing.com/9403bm.htm I do have depth charts of the area and was surprised to see how shallow the entirety of powells creek is. I did notice on some that there is a deep spot near the bridge. I have a deeper sonar and plan to check it out when I make it out there. I plan to do a thorough mapping of the entire creek over several trips (I have the pro plus model which does mapping). GOOD. I definitely wouldn't try to cross the potomac in the kayak - not even when it's warm due to boat traffic. The Potomac has been a beautiful experience indeed - so refreshing being out there on the kayak! Thanks again for the post. YOU ARE RIGHT. YOU CAN CAST AWAY FROM THE BANK INTO DEEPER WATER OR FROM YOUR KAYAK TO THE BANK. TRY TO FIND DROP OFFS. GOOD LUCK AND LET US KNOW HOW YOU DO.

Kelly's Ford! By Remington? Lots of rapids which means smallmouth and fly fishing or ultra light spinning tackle and baits. I don't think there are any maps of the Rapp past Fredericksburg heading west. And how are you going to get back to the ramp???

Glad you drove up the mountain to the Peaks of Otter. Go back when the weather is warmer and there is more water. Let us know how you do. I don't think anyone in the history of this Forum has penned anything about fishing Peaks of Otter. You are the first.

Vibration. If they vibrate as they are supposed to vibrate they will get torn up anyway.

Walter, cute dog. Welcome to the Forums. We will share with you and you share with us. Let me tell you my Iowa story. When I was at LSU I was one of the Men's Residence Hall officers and got to drive a car with the LSU logo on the door all the way from Baton Rouge to Ames, Iowa, for a residence hall conference. What I remember about the trip was looking eye ball to eye ball at a hog. Biggest hog I have ever seen. And there were a bunch of them. I stood at the fence and he looked at me and I looked a him. Beautiful state, too. Miles and miles of corn fields. Had a great time in Iowa and at Iowa State.

As stated above, they are great drop shot weights. I have used them for dropshotting.

Two locally made buzzbaits and two Whopper Ploppers are the only tackle I have purchased so far this year. They are replacements for the ones I lost last year.

The bass should be deep and go shallow to feed. They will also be looking for bluegills, crawfish and shad which are in the backs of the creeks. Only problem is that there are not that many creeks on the Virginia side and you can't paddle across the river to the Maryland side. Too dangerous. You can try Powell's Creek and hit the shoreline towards Quantico Creek. If the water is calm you can fish deep and fish the drop offs. Do you have the GMCO map of the Tidal Potomac River? If not, get one and you can see what I am talking about. Also, go to the tide chart site and note the high and low for the day you are fishing. Here is the link: http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/potomacsites.html You want an outgoing tide. Good luck. The Potomac has some beautiful fish but it can be a dangerous body of water.

Where are you putting in?

Excellent, A-Jay. Keep up the good work. I need to lose 25 pounds and so far I have dropped 10. Still crave soft drinks, candy, pies, cake, biscuits covered in a sausage sauce, pancakes, pancake syrup, cinnamon buns, King Cakes from New Orleans, Snickers, Milky Ways, Hersey's dark chocolate, cheese cake, any type of bread, poboys, hoagies, pasta, pizza, etc., etc., etc. But I am determined to see my feet again so I keep plugging away. Be Thin - Be Happy!

I have my double secret pond down on a farm in Dinwiddie County. One of a few allowed to fish it. Great escape from the real world and a good place to try new techniques and baits. Looking forward to sharpen my Ned Rig skills when the weather will permit.

Pulled pork is my favorite. The pulled pork at Mission BBQ is my favorite.

Just remembered that you have to be a member of BASS. At least you will get Bassmaster Magazine as part of your membership.

White buzzbait. Four and a half pounds.

Great having you with us. Geaux Tigers! Welcome to the Forum.

Nice having you with us. Beautiful bass in your picture. Welcome to the Forums.

Blazing Saddles. Fantastic movie from Mel Brooks.

No milk.