Traveler2586

Don't forget the impeller in the water pump; the rubber can dry out, get brittle, and breakup while running and over heat the engine. If you don't know when it was last changed out - do it.

At 7 years old it's time to replace the battery as it's probably a victim of "sulfation". In fact 80% of all battery failure is related to sulfation build-up. This build up occurs when the sulfur molecules in the electrolyte (battery acid) become so deeply discharged that they begin to coat the battery's lead plates. Before long the plates become so coated that the battery dies. The causes of sulfation are numerous. Check out these links for more info: http://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/battery-articles/battery-basics.html http://jgdarden.com/batteryfaq/carfaq13.htm http://jgdarden.com/batteryfaq/index.htm There is a lot of good info here if you want to understand how batteries work, and you want to do some reading. Hope this helps.

Suggestions to consider: They like any moving bait as long as it’s white or chartreuse. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, chatterbaits, buzzbaits, and jigs work well. Sexy Shad color is an option. Outside creek bends with wood, and where wood & weed meet are outstanding. Pick one out and fish it. Top-waters can work great early & late in the day. And remember the Dogwoods. When the Dogwood trees bloom the bass are on their beds. Here’s a very good link about fishing the Mattawoman: http://www.penrodsguides.com/articles/mattawomancreek.htm If you plan on leaving the Matt try this link for some good articles: http://www.potomacbass.com/ Look to the left for a box that says "Potomac Tours:"

illegitimate ? How so? This looks like the classic setup where the boy gets pushed into the van, the door slams shut, and he is driven off to the hideout.... This could go on for the rest of the year.

X2, and thanks for the tip it was much appreciated.

If you think they're good, try the iphone Navionics Mobile apps; it's Navplanner 2 in your pocket and more. Although they need to change the "Shallow Area" graphics; the red dots are just too distracting, a solid red would be much better,, IMHO.

Dam* that's bad news; take care, and do what the doc says. Be careful of what you do while on sick leave; the trip to Pickwick and all that fishin' might be too much for that tired, warn out, beat up, old body of yours...

Welcome to BR Paul, hope you stay and take part in the fun. Santa was good to me this year and gave me Navplanner 2 which Fishing Rhino recommended; I'm also using Navionics Marine & Lakes: US & Canada on my new iphone 5. Both are working great for me.

Now that's what I call support

X2, also it's easer to talk with your partner; when he/she is on the stern there's usually not much chatting. Two on the bow can just be more fun; some times there can be some friendly bumping/pushing to be the first to cast on a good looking spot. (maybe this is why I don't currently have a steady partner) The poor guy on the stern gets the leftovers.

X2 It also depends on who your with, it takes time to get accustom to a partner and learn to dance the dance. You both need to be in sync with each other and both be able to use different casting techniques as the situation calls for. When in the grove you both get equal access to the same water.

I think you'll find there's a lot to choose from; what kind of fishing do you prefer? Try these for starters: http://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/bass/index.asp http://www.dnr.state.md.us/

At our age a shower is exciting

Look in the Southeast forum for "Potomac River I Need Some Help" That has all you'll need. Good luck and tight lines.

OK, so it's around 04:30 and I can't sleep which is not unusual for me; so I started thinking what would it take to pull something like this off, and this is what my feeble brain came up with... I really need to get a life About the bubbles - I think if the diver used a standard regulator you could see the bubble plume breaking the water; case in point - watch Hook N Look and you'll see Danny's bubbles a cast or more away. So, you could use a re-breather, or, modify the regulator to pipe the exhaust to a dispersal system that the diver could wear along each side of his body. The system would be designed to put a steady stream of very small bubbles into the water that would be harder to see; but not impossible. Think of an aquarium aerator, or, an anti-ice system for a boat dock, something that puts out very small bubbles. It would have to keep pace with the divers breathing cycles. My big question was - how would a diver control the fish under water? My final answer was the simplest, use a standard chain Stringer connected to an anchorage of some type; like a 10 lb. mushroom anchor. The stringer would only have to handle five good sized fish; or there could be more than one stringer divided in a small work area. Having an engineering background I’d have to have more than five fish to cover the possibility that a fish could escape between the diver’s handling and the fight to the boat; so I would go with ten fish, two per stringer, five stringers scattered in a small work area to make for easy swimming. Each stringer would have a float on the top end to hold the stringer in the vertical position; the float would also support a marker light. Where do the fish come from? Well, that’s a subject for another sleepless night. Here’s the scenario; the angler is using a lure that is lighted so the diver can find it. Having a light means needing a battery, and therefore the lure would have some weight and would sink to a point of neutral buoyancy where the diver could find it. The angler would have to exercise precise boat and casting control to get the lure into the divers “strike zone” or “work zone”. When the angler made a cast he would start a mental count down; if he did not feel the diver’s tug on his line by the end of the count he would play the lure back to the boat, and make another cast. This would appear as regular fishing; you would not make five casts and land five fish in short order, that would raise suspicion in anyone’s mind. When the lure arrived in the divers work zone the diver would capture the lure, swim it to the nearest fish stringer, and hook the lure into a selected fish; he would then release the fish from the stringer and “game on”. When the angler landed the last keeper he would pack up and head to the weigh-in. Starting the big motor would signal to the diver he was done for the day; the diver would release the remaining fish, pack up and return to shore. Depending on the intensity of the lures light this could work in water from gin clear to murky. Like I said above, I need a life

Ya, we need to get a life...

That is the difference between good moderation and little to no moderation makes; and is a prime example of why BR is as good as it is. I only read the tour articles.

OMG, YES !!!

Hello Koofy, and welcome to BR.

I have fished Mallows Bay for decades. BE CAREFUL and don't get too close to the wrecks, there are iron rods sticking up that can screw up a boat fast. Look at Google Earth for the layout of the bay. Also, expect to loose some baits to snagging in the wrecks. Here is a link to a website you'll find interesting. http://www.potomacbass.com/ look to the left for a box that says Potomac Tours

LOL,, I can't resist, why would Uncle Sam tell them to jump the track?? You're the guy in the pickup with the extra set of wheels! It's so cool to see a pickup driving down the tracks.

That's S.O.P. for those of us over age 60. But I don't waist time with the sports section,,, unless it's the Outdoors colum of the small local paper.

Catfish is a scuba diver...

I think there's another agenda here. I think your dream was about getting old !? Older people these day have to rely on young (and I mean young) people to fix things for them; or give direction on how to work/program electronics, etc. Now if I had that dream it would have ended with a hot babe walking up and saying "Oh, can't fish any more?? Let's go kill some time" But that's me...

I've been making Spinners, Buzz, Jigs, and cranks for years now; I think I've used every site on the web and I like Jann's the best. If you have any questions just give them a call and they really take the time to talk with you. Take a close look at their site, there's a lot of info there you can download, like a handy sizing chart you can print as a reference. http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/ http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/Content/Parts_Sizing.htm