Snakehead Whisperer

Glad that this story has a happy ending. Thank you for sharing it so that others may learn. I am all too familiar with the dangers of going overboard. Much of the advice given in this thread is top notch. I would suggest carrying a knife that you can access quickly. You never know when it might come in handy (cut your anchor rope, etc.) It's also a good idea to have a change of clothes in a dry bag accessible anytime when the combined water and air temp is below 120F.

I also make my own. Off the shelf I really like the Blue Fox Vibrax and Hildebrandt weedless (killer snakehead lure for fishing through spatterdock.) The Joe's Flies Short Striker is pretty good too.

Don't have a pic of my pb, but this is my best of this year (and not much smaller than my pb.) This Potomac River smallmouth weighed in at 5lb8oz.

Another vote for the alberto/albright knot for tying leader. I've caught plenty of fish using a uni-to-uni, but I have more confidence in the alberto/albright. I too am curious as to why you would tie 30lb mono to 20lb braid.

This is what I understand to be true as well.

I use mild dish soap for my sunglasses and regular eye glasses.

That's a serious slab. Great pics!

x2. Although I haven't fished the spot that I caught my PB at in years. I usually try to think of the future when it comes to fishing. Sure I reminisce on the good catches, but the next one is always more exciting to me. Fishing with good people and beautiful surroundings just makes it that much more worthwhile.

There are a lot of variables when you consider something like this. Here are a few ideas. -Bass may feed anywhere from several times per day, to once a week or longer. It all depends on the size of the prey that they are eating. If a bass is gorging itself on small baitfish, then it may eat several times per day. If that bass that you caught had just digested a bluegill or something larger like that, it may have been a week or more since it last ate. -Some prey will be digested more quickly than others. A killifish will disintegrate in a bass' stomach much quicker than a full grown crawfish, for instance. -Being a fish is tough. That bass may have been out-competed for food. The mortality rate for smaller bass (under 2-3lbs.) is rather high. Not as high as it is for fry and fingerling bass, but much higher than that of a large, full-grown bass. A 1.3lb. bass is competing for forage with many other species of fish. There are countless articles online and in print that focus on the diet/feeding habits of largemouth bass and lots of other fish species. Most are written by biologists. A lot of useful information for anglers can be found in these publications. Bottom line is that this is pretty common. I haven't checked the stomach contents of a bass in a long time, but I always check snakeheads when I harvest them. I have found some pretty amazing things in the gut of snakeheads (mice, 10" bluegill, ducklings, dozens of baitfish, baby muskrat, etc.,) but more often than not I find nothing.

Those things were funny, until somebody pressed the button that is I now have "Take Me To The River" and "Don't Worry Be Happy" stuck in my head.

Here in these parts lots of fly fishing anglers tie "mulberry" flies to target carp during the mulberry season. They do pretty well on them. The presentation is to make it look like the mulberry fell from the tree. Carp slam those things.

Almost all of the lakes in Maryland are electric only. Some of the more serious anglers use trolling motors made with a modified golf cart motor. In MD you can have the gas motor mounted, just not running.

I'm assuming that they meant something like this. http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-SqueezeOut-Hook-Remover/product/10213376/

Some bass school and some ambush. I've caught small fish (under 12") that were solitary and hanging close to cover so many times I can't begin to count. I caught a 4lb. bass in 60 FOW that was in a school. I assumed the school to be walleye, but who knows. After catching the bass I moved on. Needless to say, the bass wasn't looking so good after the ascent from 60'. In the winter around here I usually catch some larger bass while crappie fishing. These bass are always in the midst of tightly schooled crappie. Always a nice surprise. PondHopper96's grandfather would know what I'm talking about I guess my point is that there will always be exceptions to the rules. When I'm looking for bigger fish, I usually fish hard cover or isolated structure looking for solitary fish. Bass pretty much go where they want to, though.

Fished out in your neck of the woods the week before last. Caught a limit every day we went out on the boat. Beautiful country out there, and great people. Also did a float trip on the Illinois River out of Tahlequah and caught a lot of smallies, and lost a rather large gar. Here are my 2 best fish from the trip, both caught at Keystone.

My PFD saved my life last year. I swim great, but it didn't help much at the time. Don't underestimate the power of nature or the effectiveness of a life jacket. 40 is way too young for something so final. Fortunately we can all learn something from this. My condolences to any of you who've lost somebody to the waters that we love to fish. edit: When I had my accident I started this thread. The replies that I received were incredible, and it really showed the strength of the community here. There was one post in particular by A-Jay that struck a nerve and stuck with me, I'll post it below.

I can't imagine that they could breach the dam. It could be something as simple as a duck transporting eggs from the river to the reservoir on it's feet. I'd like to think that people weren't involved, but who knows?

Whoa... that's heavy.

Are you sure it's your trolling motor and not your outboard? A lot of outboards will make that ticking sound if left in gear when running the trolling motor, especially the older Mercs.

Welcome to the site. Down in that area there are some decent shore fishing options. I'd check out the grass flats near the kayak launch at Leesylvania SP if it were me. The area holds decent numbers of bass and snakeheads. I'd try throwing a frog or other weedless topwaters, and maybe a punching rig to get under the grass. There's quite a bit of shoreline in that park and pretty decent access to the water. The entire creek is less than 4' deep pretty much all the way across. You can also try fishing the bridge foundations with soft plastics. The park is just a nice place to spend the day too, and there are hiking trails, bathrooms, etc. Not sure about ponds in that area, but I know that right across the river in Charles County, MD there is some really good pond fishing. I know there are fishable ponds at the base at Quantico, but I've never fished them. Check out the Southeast Bass Fishing threads here and you can talk to more local people down your way. There's a thread called NOVA spots here.

Welcome to the site. That was a truly great first post. Glad to hear that you had success at the river. Lure fishing is a lifestyle. Might want to pick up some new lures for yourself if your grandfather's lures have sentimental value. I recently lost a box of vintage lures, and it was devastating. They were lures that I bought myself, can't imagine if I'd lost one that was given to me by my elders. With that said, there's nothing better than a beat up old crankbait, in my book.

Happy birthday.

They both make good rods. I would also check out Temple Fork rods unless you are planning on spending $180 or more. If so, buy and Avid or a Legend.

x2 on getting a life jacket that is comfortable to wear. My PFD saved my life last year. I'd buy the most comfortable life jacket you can afford, if it were me, and wear it.

Or a 12 string bass.