Sam

Keiren, great question but it evokes so many answers. For starters, think of the lake as a big block of ice. Now, how does a big block of ice melt? Yes! From the outside in. So you will now start looking at your maps for shoreline areas that look promising. Second, what is the water temperature? 50* is the dividing line from cold to just warming up. If the water temp is under 50* the bass will be deep and you have to fish slow. The bass will swim to shallower water to find food and some warmer water. So look for shoreline coves, pockets, creeks, primary and secondary points that hold a little warmer water. Third, as the water warms above 50* the bass start to think of spawning and will feed to fatten up so they will be strong for the spawn. Look for underwater structure coming out of deep water into shallower water that can be used as a spawning area and fish those areas. I personally don't believe bass follow a specific "migration path" to their spawning grounds. I think the bass go from structure to structure on their way to the spawning grounds which can differ each year. But that's just me. When the water temperature hits 60* it is a green light for the bass to gorge themselves and to get ready to spawn. Lots of good fishing when this happens. All we ask you to do is to release the bass back when you catch them so you don't relocate them to unfamiliar places and mess up their spawning activities. Living in New Hampshire you have to wait longer for the waters to start to warm into the 60's as compared to us down south or out west. So start to read about the spawn, how temperature affects the bass' behavior, study your maps of your lakes to know them inside and out, think about their forage, be it bluegills, crawfish, minnows, etc., and what baits and techniques will work best as the water warms and we enter early spring. As to what to throw? Who knows? You can try crankbaits, Shad Raps and spinnerbaits with a follow up jig and pig. What colors? What forage is in the water? From sliver to red they will all work sooner or later. Just remember that even though the grass may be dead, the bass are still in the area, probably deeper out about 50 feet off the bank from the grass line. So fish deeper out from those weeds you found in the ponds. Be patient. Monitor the water temperature with your electronics or a swimming pool thermometer always seeking some warmer water. And remember the old "North and West" theory: the water warms each day on the northern and western edges of any lake or pond as the sun rises in the east. Take care and be sure to keep us posted on your success as spring arrives in the Northeast.

Hey BD, welcome to the Forums. Sometimes we purchase items for fishing that we do not use after a few outings, either on a boat or bank fishing. I had a tool belt for pliers, clippers and scissors that I wore on the boat. Finally stopped wearing it when I realized that I had taken the tools out and threw them on the boat's floor where I could get to them easier. used to put pliers, clippers and scissors in my tackle box when pond fishing until I realized that I could get to them easier if I kept them in my pant's pocket. Now keep them in tackle box if I wear a swim suit without pockets. But found that after taking them out of tackle box at each stop I threw them on the ground next to the tackle box so I could get to them fast and easy. So please give some serious thought as to how you would utilize a tool belt as you don't want to complicate things while fishing. And please go to the introductions section and let us know about you, your experience, where you live, etc. By adding your geographical location to your avatar we can give you more specific answers to your fishing questions. Right now all we know is that you were born in 1970 and your initials are BD. Not much to go on to give you helpful input.

Have a wonderful day and a great year. May you land a bass on every cast and that you up your personal best with each catch.

Bassin, the spawn does not happen all at the same time on any body of water so your fish may not have been in the pre-spawn mode. We need to know the water temperature to note what phase of the spawn the bass are in when you caught them. We also would like for you to introduce yourself in the Introductions section and please add your geographical location to your avatar so we can provide better input based on your geographical location. I know you are proud of your accomplishment and so are we. Anyone catching so many bass with so many different baits has done a fantatic job no matter what time of year they are fishing. May I add that in lieu of calling the time of year "pre spawn" how about calling it early spring? Early spring is measured by water temperatures up to 50*. This is the same as your "pre spawn" water temperatures but remember, bass spawn at different times in the same bodies of water so to put the nomenclature "pre spawn" is incorrect. Welcome to the Forums. Looking forward to more of your posts.

I am interested as to why their store sales have not exceeded their overhead. The management has the statistics on sales from different departments and they can tell which sections of their stores at each location do well and do poorly. Also, retail is about location, location, location. Long term leases keep a retailer from relocating their stores to better locations based on the demographics of an area. For example, in Richmond, Virginia, the middle and high class population is moving to an area west of the city known as Short Pump. This is where Cabela's will be opening their new store. Only other local sports oriented competitor is Dick's in the Short Pump mall and Dick's can't compare to Cabela's for fishing, hunting, clothing, boats and general merchandise other than athletic/team equipment. Over expansion; poor store management; poor forecasting of sales; demographic changes; not keeping up with product changes; and stockholders pressure can cause a large and powerful chain to fail. Look at K-Mart. Once a retail powerhouse. Not any more. Yes, it is a shame to see one of our largest sports retailers have to protect itself under the bankruptcy laws. On the other hand, bankruptcy may be the only way the company can extradite itself from its long term rental leases for unproductive stores and move into the areas where their target population lives and shops. Stay tuned. The story has just started.

Check with Stan at Green Top.

Green Pumpkin with Black Flake

Neil, interesting concept but I enjoy fishing so much that to try to keep a running total of time while enjoying the pastime would somehow not work for me. I just want to go out and have a good time and create some lasting memories. Time on fishing is not important to me.

Outstanding about your PSA. Had my annual physical review on this past Tuesday and my PSA went from .84 to 1.45 which to me is alarming. But doctor said not to worry about it as it is still excellent. As for falling, you go to be more careful and don't let your blood sugar fall too low. I carry crackers with me, sometimes peanut filled and other times just plain, old Nabisco crackers. My blood sugar drops around 10:30 each day as I have breakfast at 5:30 or 5:45 each morning. No snack and I am out to the world. Glad to read you are on a diet. Me, too. Love carbs so it is a challenge. Us old guys have to take care of ourselves if we are going to hang around enough to bankrupt Social Security. You young guns be sure to pay a lot into F.I.C. A.!!!!!!!!

OK. Winter is officially over. No more snow or ice. Temperatures on the rise. Bait Monkey loves you all.

No, you are a good American, helping the economy. Keep it up and you will be rewarded.

I posted the information on the Maryland DNR proposed program to set aside portions of the Upper Chesapeake Bay and Potomac Rivers as "Catch and Return" areas, only. Please note my post in the Southeast Bass Fishing section. Below is what I can past to this page for your information. How about adding your comments to my original post in the Southeast Bass Fishing Section. I am very interested on your view of this proposed change to bass fishing in these six areas. Thanks for your input and insight. FLW 17 hrs · The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is considering setting aside large portions of the Potomac River and upper Chesapeake Bay as “catch and immediate return” for largemouth and smallmouth bass. This would significantly impact tournament fishing in the region. Do you support the proposal or think it would be counterproductive? Let your opinion be known. Contact Joseph W. Love, Tidal Bass Program Manager, at joseph.love@maryland.gov by March 10. ... More Info: http://dnr2.maryland.gov/…/Write-up-Catch-and-Return-Area.p… See More dnr2.maryland.gov dnr2.maryland.gov

Maryland is planning to start a "Catch and Return" program where we have to immediately release the bass back into the water, not putting in our wells or harvesting it for dinner. The areas are on the Potomac River include the Piscataway, Upper Mattawoman and Chicamusen Creeks. The upper Chesapeake Bay areas are the Lower Susquehanna River, Furnace Bay and Lloyds Creek. You can call Joseph W. Love, Ph.D., Tidal Bass Program Manager, 410.260.8257 or email him if you have questions or input, joseph.love@maryland.gov The program is to keep the bass in their home streams so that they can continue to have strong spawning seasons. If this program proves to be successful, it may spread to other areas in the Potomac, including the Virginia side, plus lakes and rivers throughout the country. What bothers me is if you are fishing a legal area where you can keep the bass in your live well and you motor through or stray into these catch and release areas, are you now in violation of the regulation? These areas will, of course, be off-limits to tournament anglers. However, we do run all over the place, especially the Mattawoman Creek, during Potomac tournaments. Anglers fishing the upper Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River are asked to view the Proposed Catch and Return Areas for Largemouth Bass in Tidal Waters and read the February 8, 201 release. I think I may be able to PR or email a copy of the data sheet so let me know if you want a copy. I will try to post the data sheet below but don't be surprised if it does not show up. So what say you? Would you be in favor of such a regulation on your favorite lake or river? Your comments and input are most welcome on the Forum and you may want to share them with Dr. Love, too. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is considering setting aside large portions of the Potomac River and upper Chesapeake Bay as “catch and immediate return” for largemouth and smallmouth bass. This would significantly impact tournament fishing in the region. Do you support the proposal or think it would be counterproductive? Let your opinion be known. Contact Joseph W. Love, Tidal Bass Program Manager, at joseph.love@maryland.gov by March 10. ... More Info: http://dnr2.maryland.gov/…/Write-up-Catch-and-Return-Area.p… See More dnr2.maryland.gov dnr2.maryland.gov

CS, go to Bass Pro Shops or Green Top and get the 2016 copy of Freshwater Fishing in Virginia booklet from Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries. Free publication that lists places you can fish in Hanover and other local areas. How about introducing yourself in the Introductions section. Welcome to the Forums.

Great having another Virginia guy with us. Welcome to the Forum.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Congrats! You are on a roll. Please continue your journey and post pics.

Experience. The definition of being crazy is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome. And, we have lots of crazy bass guys out there.

Bill, you are so right. Here is the latest update this Sunday afternoon: 12Z EUROPEAN ENSEMBLE continues to give off a strong SIGNAL for a lower Middle Atlantic ( nw NC VA MD DEL far s NJ) SNOW March 4. The agreement between the European ensemble and the " regular" European model is very close. Now the LOW is NOT intense or massive and this is NOT going to be massive snow... and we are dealing with March & the strong march Sun angle thing /... but so far so good.

The research, development, packaging, materials, formulas, number produced, overhead, sales volume, etc. all have an impact on the pricing of any product. Same is true with our bass plastics. Quantity = Zoom, YUM, Senkos Quality = Rage Tail, Biospawn It all depends on confidence. Do you have confidence that you can catch fish using the baits that are massed produced or the ones where the manufacturing process takes longer?

Hit BPS in Ashland and get their BPS XPS fluorocarbon line. Made by Seaguar. A strong mono can be secured via Big Game in the saltwater section of the store. You can also get BPS Excel for your mono needs, too.

jbo, you are in Cumberland so you have to travel to hit some good spots unless you have your double secret pond or are fishing Bear or Briary Creeks and Sandy River. The secret to a good answer is "what is the water temperature?" Do you have a swimming pool thermometer to use to check water temps? If not, it is a good investment. Bass behavior is impacted by water temperature and you need to know how they are "supposed to act" at different temperatures and how long it takes for a bass to digest a minnow at various water temperatures. Now, I say "supposed to act" since bass do not read magazines or watch TV. So what is supposed to happen when the water temps are in the 50s or 60s may not happen. This is a piece of the puzzle you have to figure out. Now, what to throw? Depending on the water temperature, which could be in the 50's by now, I would suggest spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, Chatterbaits, Carolina Rig, square bill crankbaits and jigs for starters. Always have a Texas, wacky or shaky head ready to go for your plastics. And know the forage in the body of water you are fishing. Maybe an orange or red treble hook bait for crawfish; a lizard for the bottom; a black/blue jig with a big blue plastic jig for bluegills, or a swim bait for shad and herring. You have to experiment. The bass will still be deep and in about 6 to 10 feet of water out from the bank. Schools will huddle farther out and both schooling and individual bass will hit the bank for some warmer temperatures and a good meal. The bass are supposed to hit the northwest corner of your lake or pond since that area receives the most sun and therefore the water warms up the fastest attracting the bass. However, bass do what they want to do (the "supposed to act" factor) and you have to be prepared for anything. Hit structure, piers, docks, ramps, boat houses, cover and anything where the bass will be holding, waiting for a nice meal to swim by. Fish off from any dead grass. Look for the spawning flats. And don't forget your needle nose pliers! Let us know how you do. Good luck and watch those state troopers on Route 60!

Hannock, there could be Chain Pickerel in the Potomac but I have never heard of anyone catching them. This does not mean they are not in the main creek or up towards Aquia Harbor. It means I have never heard of anyone catching them in Aquia or the Potomac. I would think Hope Springs Marina or Willow Landing Marina people may know, but unless you get someone who is in the know you will be wasting your time giving them a call. May I suggest contacting some Potomac River guides who hit Aquia Creek and ask them? You can Google them and give them a call. And you can call Rodney "Tank" Mosely and ask him, 703.609.1458. Tank is a Potomac River guide. Fish for them and see what happens and please let us know.

OK, here we go again on the Forum. Glad to offer my two-cents with the other guys input. I will type, cut and paste my input. Here it is: 1. Read rod’s specifications stamped on the rod to make sure you have the correct line test and bait weight for our rod. 2. Decide which baitcaster gear ratio you are using. 5:0 up to 7:0 or higher. The higher ratio the faster you will reel in your bait. 3. Put the baitcaster on a spooling station or on the rod, making sure it is fitted snug so not to move. 4. Tighten the drag and spool. 5. If on a spooling machine you spool the line onto the reel. If on the rod then run the line through the line guides to the reel, through the line guide and tie it onto the spool. 6. Make sure you spool the line to about 1/8 inch from the top of the reel’s spool. Look for a channel in the upper right side of your spool and that can mark the maximum line you can put on the reel for the test you are throwing. Remember, you found the line test parameters stamped on the rod so stay within them. 7. When spooling the line make sure it goes tight onto the spool. 8. You can consider running the line through a “wet spot” soaked wash cloth with a line conditioning agent as you spool the line onto the reel. 9. When selecting your line you have a number of selections from mono to Copoly to flouro to braid. May I suggest a fluorocarbon line in a suitable test for your rod’s and bait’s best action? 10. After spooling the line through the line guides onto the reel or on the spooling machine, have or put the reel on your rod and add your crankbait, spinnerbait, Chatterbait, Texas rig, etc. just like you are getting ready to make that first cast. 11. Open the side of the reel and set the magnets into an X position by pulling out the plastic protectors. If the reel has the settings on its side go with a middle number. 12. Now point the rod tip to the 11 o’clock position and drop the bait to the floor. Make it a hardwood or in the yard. Do not do this on carpet. 13. Your goal is to have the spool stop when the bait hits the ground by adjusting the spool tension and if you want, the magnets. But I suggest you not fool with the magnets other than to set them in an X position or going with a middle number on the reel. 14. By trial and error, keep adjusting the spooling tension and drag until your spool stops when the bait hits the ground. 15. Go outside and in a field or in the street cast the bait as far as you can. 16. Then remove two arm lengths of line off the spool. 17. Then take electrical tape (Scotch tape can work, too) and cover the remaining line on the spool from left to right. Use one or two strips of tape. This stops any backlashes from going deeper into your line. 18. Now reel in the line and smile. You are ready to rock and roll. 19. What to do if you do get a backlash? Don’t pull on the line. Take your time and with the spool released dig out the backlash as softly as you can by pulling the line out of the back of the reel and towards you. 20. Always be careful not to cut or kink the line while getting a backlash out. 21. For your first few times fishing try to bring a second baitcaster just in case you do get a bad backlash and you have to switch out reels. Good luck and have fun.

If the 12Z Saturday European model holds course it has a significant LOW on the morning of MARCH 4 over southeast Virginia with heavy snow for western North Carolina, the western half of Virginia, southeast West Virginia and all of Maryland, Delaware, southeastern third of Pennsylvania and all of New Jersey, New York City and Connecticut. AFTER MARCH 5th winter is over. By that Dave means that the winter of 2015-16 for the Middle Atlantic region, not New England, is over. The coming major weather pattern change kills it. Time will tell.