Snakehead Whisperer

Hard to beat a c-rigged fluke when the fish are lethargic.

Rattles in baits have always been a controversial topic. There are many fisheries biologists who believe that the rattles are not within the frequency range of sounds heard by bass. Regardless of whether bass can hear the rattles or not, they can feel the vibration of rattles with their lateral line. One issue with rattles (for skeptics) is that the bait contains small bb's that knock around inside of it and send vibrations in all different directions, making it more difficult for the bass to zero in on the bait compared to a silent bait that only displaces water (especially in murky water, a time when many will reach for loud baits.) In the real world bait fish don't make rattling sounds. With that said, in my experience there are times when the rattle seems to draw the attention of the fish to my baits (last night, for instance.) On the other hand I have had tremendous success fishing silent crankbaits and other baits that just displace water and emit vibrations. jherm87 makes a good point that experimentation is the only way to find what the fish want.

lol. This gets to me too, although I think the overwhelming majority of people who enjoy fishing are good people. I really hate the term "trash fish," especially when used in reference to a native species. This is one of the reasons that I really enjoy fishing in the winter. I usually don't see anybody out there, and when I do it's somebody who's a die hard like myself. Nothing against fair weather fishermen, but it is always a little sad when the first 70 degree day comes and the waters I fish all winter are overrun with people. For some reason I feel somewhat entitled to fish certain structure areas because I "paid dues" fishing them when it was 20 degrees outside I know this isn't true, but I can't help but think of it.

I have no real opinion on what you did with the bedding bass, so can't really help there. One thing I notice from your photo is that those look more like catfishing rigs than snagging rigs to me. Usually people who are snagging go with weighted trebles in much larger sizes than that, at least that I've seen. Did you actually see anything that points to the fact that there are fish snaggers at the dam other than the 2 rigs you found? A few weeks ago I saw a family throwing a cast net into the Potomac River during the shad run and tossing American and hickory shad into garbage bags by the dozens. When I reported them to DNR I did mention their race as it was relevant to their investigation into shad poaching, but I don't feel like it's relevant here. Nothing but respect though. I know how it is to see shady stuff going down and to feel like something needs to be done about it (I also know what it's like to want to go over there and smack the people doing this.) Just report them if you're really concerned.

No problem. Glad the term came in handy.

Studying year classes for black bass in your state might be a good one. Not sure what kind of studies NY conducts, but here in MD the DNR conducts exhaustive research on this topic.

Thought of another. It's never a waste of time to re-tie if you see a nick in your line, or just have an inkling that something is wrong there. Finding out there was a weak spot hurts really badly when there's a good fish on the other end. Also, tungsten weights and line conditioner are worth the money.

x2. First thing I thought of was fishing slow. Another thing that I've learned is that junk fishing doesn't usually catch good fish I usually do better sticking to a handful of presentations and changing color if need be.

Usually yes, topwater. But I swim them too, and when I do it's without weight.

Haven't seen it mentioned in the thread, but you should throw your frog on 30lb. braid or heavier (most opt for 40-50lb afaik.) I like 30lb for the castability. That way if you do get snagged you can pull yourself free. It will also help when pulling a fish through that vegetation. 14lb. mono or heavier is also an option, but I'd go with the braid personally. As for size, it probably won't matter much. Larger frog will weed out smaller fish (maybe,) although I've had bluegill and crappie strike XL frogs before. A 12" bass can easily eat a 4" frog in real life. edit: just realized you asked about size of the weight. I'd use no weight at all with a soft plastic frog like a horny toad, although I'm sure some will recommend weights. These things cast a country mile with no weight added. You can also insert a worm rattle into the body for added noise/vibration. I like the brass ones. As for hooks I'd definitely use a 5/o swimbait hook. The Zoom Horny Toad hooks in red are usually my choice.

Agreed. Replacing stuff like window rubber and rebuilding engine/trans doesn't really compromise the originality of the car like a respray does though. In the air cooled VW world patina is more coveted than shiny new paint, and I'm a hardcore original paint buff (pun intended.) Different strokes for different folks. It's pretty difficult to tell the condition from the photos anyway, as half the car is covered with stuff. If there's no serious metal work necessary I would think the car would buff out nicely. Nice car either way. My 1965 VW Bus still wears its original paint and shows its age, and I wouldn't ever consider repainting it. I get asked all the time when I'm going to paint it, and what color though My truck has been primered black since I've owned it, and I've considered using paint stripper and scotch brite pads to uncover the OG paint beneath it. I've known some people who have uncovered amazing original paint on vehicles that have been previously resprayed.

I'm not a Corvette guy by any means but... if the car is completely original, wouldn't it be more valuable un-restored? Nice find, btw. Looks like it would clean up really nicely.

No prob.

With the egg I usually get anywhere from a surface wake to 3" depth regardless of line or cadence. I usually fish either 30lb. braid w/15lb. fluoro leader, or straight 8 lb. fluoro. The Mann's 1 Minus will be closer to your goal of 6" but fall short of 10".

To my understanding this line is manufactured by Seaguar. Not sure, and I could be wrong. The Red Seaguar line is less expensive at BPS, and is definitely every bit as good.

These are the truth. Hooks aren't that great, but they can be changed. I've caught more large snakeheads on the egg than any other bait. 1- is also a great bait. The ghost gill color has been really good to me. I consider these wake baits.

Don't underestimate topwater baits when you're faced with these conditions. A popper or a buzzbait can be useful when visibility and wind are bad. Some of my best buzzbait fish have come during a brisk 25mph wind.

Hey Christian, have you fished these yet?

I think the idea that worn out looking baits catch more fish is purely a confidence thing. After a person catches lots of fish on a lure they gain confidence in it so they fish in a more relaxed state and present it more naturally, thus catch more fish on it. If folks could get over the mental aspect of this I'm pretty sure they could do just as well (or better) with a shiny new lure fresh out of the box. So no, I don't scratch my lures.

All good suggestions in this thread. Make sure that you have your spool tension tight enough. If there is even a little bit of slack there, the line can coil loosely onto the spool and overlap itself when retrieving (unless you are really good with your thumb.) These kinks won't look/feel like backlash, but they are doing the same thing to your line. You can usually pull them out with a light tug, but the line is kinked on itself nonetheless. I've had line breakage with mono due to this in the past, so I'm sure it's possible with fluoro which is more brittle. Check your spool after the lure hits the water but before you begin your retrieve and see if there is any loose line on it, even slightly loose. There shouldn't be any. I lost one really good fish because I was too lazy to retie after noticing a nearly microscopic nick in a fluorocarbon leader. Never again. I check the line for nicks and check the knots frequently, especially with fluorocarbon. 40' is a long way to dig down checking for nicks, but you can hold the line between your thumb and index finger during your retrieve to feel for rough spots.

No pun intended

I think PABASS meant to say Google Earth, not maps. Use the "historical imagery" feature under the "view" menu.

I knew a kid like this growing up and he wouldn't even play in the Jordan's... he was too worried about creasing the toe I'd never want to feel that way about my fishing gear. It's there for one purpose, and that's to get used and catch fish. I worry that if I had some mega buck rods/reels that I'd be afraid to use them, and that wouldn't be any fun. I buy the best value gear I can afford. But then again all of my gear is paid for, boat and all. @Coopdog72 You just need to outfish these guys. Problem solved.

Well, I think no tackle box is complete without some jigs. And the dropshot is a personal preference. Maybe a couple of crankbaits. You need a buzzbait in your kit.