Snakehead Whisperer

And the barn. Well, kind of.

Pretty impossible to devise a sure fire method of starting an engine with weak/no spark, bad/no fuel, or weak/no compression. -Squeeze the primer bulb until it's firm. -Set idle to high in neutral. -Activate choke (depends on make/model. Look it up if unsure.) -Turn key/pull rope. *Should be running by now* -Lower idle and deactivate choke once operating temp is reached. It should start like that. If not, then there's something that needs your attention (carb, ignition, plugs/wires, bad fuel, etc.) Engines that are temperamental to start are not just one of those things. They are that way because of neglect or because they are old/tired (no offense to you old/tired dudes.)

Totally missed that last post. That sounds like a good plan, as long as you are certain of the current load that the wire will carry and use the correct gauge for the length of the run. Make sure you have a good ABC fire extinguisher on board regardless. Tinboats is a good site. Lots of inspirational builds on there too.

This.

All good. I've never heard of coontail referred to as cabomba, but I'm sure it's just a regional thing. Technically it's not the same.. but then again a walleye isn't a pike, but that doesn't stop northerners from calling them that. When I think of cabomba, I think of the stuff people put in their aquariums.

Sorry, but neither coontail nor stonewort are even in the same order as cabomba. Coontail is in the order of Ceratophyllum and stonewort is Charales, while cabomba belongs to the order of Nymphaeales (related to the water lilies.) That's not to say that the plant in the photo isn't cabomba, it very well could be. Although it looks a little thicker than cabomba to me.

Looks like either coontail or stonewort to me. My guess would be coontail.

It's hard to see what kind of controls you have in those pics. Does it look like this? If so, there's already an ignition switch that you'll just have to wire up. Otherwise you'll have to get a little bit more creative. Simply put, it's only a matter of moving the wires from the start button on the engine up to the console and installing a switch of some sort. There may be a few more wires for coils and electric choke as well. Be careful about how tall you build that deck on a V hull. You want the lowest center of gravity possible for stability's sake. Nice ride, btw.

Nice report. I've been meaning to get down there to Aquia. Don't overlook buzzbaits and soft plastic frogs rigged weedless.

Just make sure that you use heavy enough gauge wire. You could easily rig an ignition switch with key since you're already in there, as opposed to just a start button/switch. Any chance you can post pics of the OB and controls? I'm a bit confused as to what you have.

Pretty much answered your own question. That's the right way to do it.

Understood. I've been out that way. Seems like there's one or more in every region. Like calling a walleye a pickerel.

The white perch in Maryland are closely related to white bass and striped bass. They're good eating. Not a true perch, though.

So true. It reminds me of when I'm vertical jigging in deep water (like 60 feet or more) and get snagged and break off. It usually still feels like I have an ounce of lead or more on my line until I get it up near the boat.

5 weight fly rod. Comparable to a light or ultra light power rod.

True, but then again we also need flashy Stradic CI4's.

I remember my first cast with a baitcaster. My friend and I were pond fishing for crappie, and I had one of those little crappie baitcast reels (pun intended.) I had practiced a bit at home, so I was confident that I was going to launch it out there. I looked at my friend and said "Watch this." I then proceeded to cast the jig about 2 feet behind me and backlash the entire spool. He still gives me a hard time about it. I use casting reels a lot these days, but I don't quite understand all of the spinning reel hate in bass fishing. The right tool for the job is always the best choice. Won't see me throwing anything light on a casting outfit. It's kind of similar to fly fishing. I love tossing flies when it's the best way to present my offering, but I've never understood those that insist on fly fishing when it's not the best way to get your lure to the fish. A friend of mine throws big streamers on sinking line, and he does ok... but I usually do better with a jig on a spinning rod.

Mine is almost always on, although I usually fish the deepest water I can find bass in. I just upgraded to a down imaging/side scan last year for the bow, and for the most part I use raw sonar and GPS split screen with that unit.

Check out this book. It's very good. You should consider wading the river when water levels are safe to do so. http://www.switchfisher.com/admin/CatchGuides/CG-UPCatchguide.html

Check out tackleunderground.com. It's a forum like Bass Resource, but dedicated solely to lure/tackle making.

As usual, I agree with Tom. Don't over think it. Bass will congregate in the same type of areas that they will in a reservoir, but will ambush prey much like they do in a free flowing river. Current direction can be difficult to discern if you have a strong wind blowing the opposite direction of the tide. Surface water will appear to be flowing against the tide, but in actuality it is moving with it. A good way to get a grip on tidal fishing is to find and area where current is funneled (like a saddle, culvert, etc.) and fish that on all levels of the tides. You will begin to learn where fish congregate during the different tidal phases. It's easier to do this in a small area, then once you have a good understanding of where the fish will position themselves you can apply that to the entire river system. Slack tides are always going to be tough, because of the lack of current. Once it starts moving again, it's likely the fish will become active.

Just about every place I've been to has something that is all it's own. My favorite 'outdoor state' is any place on Earth.

I could possibly help you find some DC shore fishing spots for smallies (Washington, that is.) But seriously, it looks like you're doing pretty well as is. Welcome to the site, Pete. You might want to check out this.

In my mind location is key, what bait I'm throwing is secondary at best. I'm usually trying to match the size of whatever the natural forage is, and at this time of year it's usually 4" or less. Caught most of my big fish on small finesse baits that were less than 5", like a dropshot or a jig and grub. 17lb. snakehead in my avatar pic was caught on a 3" Havoc Sick Fish on a dropshot. It is kind of difficult to argue with the results that the guys who throw big swimbaits achieve, though.

Ouch, that's a bummer. Glad nobody was hurt. In the 3rd pic you can see the blood that the Ranger spilled onto the concrete.