Snakehead Whisperer

Yes, of course they'll work (is there an echo in here?) They slay crappie and walleye too. I'd recommend checking out the "Northland Whistler Jig." I just prefer the design over Roadrunners. The prop design slows the jig on the fall, and also gives it a nice fluttering action. Similar type of lure though. http://www.basspro.com/Northland-Fishing-Tackle-Whistler-Jigs/product/29820/?cm_ven=bazaarvoice&cm_cat=RLP&cm_pla=29820&cm_ite=productname_link

I have caught river smallies on just about every lure I can imagine, but there are only a few go to lures that are consistent for me. -Bucktail jig. -Dropshot w/ 4" stick bait. -1/16-1/4oz. jig head with 1.5-4" grub. -Slider jig with 4" stick bait. -Roach Walker weight on a 3-way rig with a grub on a floating jig head (and most other river walleye rigs.) -3.5" tube t-rigged on an EWG hook with rattle and a jig weight. -Wacky rigged stick bait. -1/8oz. buzzbait. -Zara Puppy

Thanks Glenn. Love the site!

Yeah, I remember that. I fish Roaches whenever I don't have time to go elsewhere, as it's only 10 minutes from home. PM Sent.

Thanks, I put a lot of time and effort into making baits. Like BobP said, stenciling is a good way to add detail to baits. Vacuum forming stencils is another method to look at, that way you can make stencils specific to the bait that you are painting and ensure they line up perfectly every time. The baits shown in my pic were painted free hand. The stripes were done shooting paint through a comb with bridal veil mesh stretched over it. There's a website called tackleunderground.com that is dedicated completely to tackle making, and they have a forum much like Bass Resource where users share lots of great info on tackle making specifically (including painting.) Anybody serious about making or customizing their own tackle should check it out.

If you live near Lake Huntsman, you are in close proximity to prime snakehead waters both North and South on the Potomac. If you have a boat try Little Hunting Creek, Pohick Bay, Fort Belvoir or Belmont Bay. If you fish from shore, Leesylvania State Park is a good spot. You'll get one, probably when you least suspect (and it will startle you when it strikes ) Wait until you see me dispatch a snakehead with a machete... that completes the whole Gallagher look. My hair is short now, however.

Thanks. Thankfully they aren't up there. There is good Snakehead water in and around DC, so it's really not too far from you.

I fish a drop shot a lot for river smallmouth in swift current over rocks, and for this I usually use a Roach Walker so it doesn't get caught up as much (not technically a drop shot weight.) These are usually made of lead. Just a thought.

Ha ha.. I didn't pick the screen name "Snakehead Whisperer" at random

I most definitely will. Thanks again.

Thanks Nitrofreak.

Whoa! Those are some serious slabs.

Thank you Brian. I've fished Little Seneca a hand full of times. That's a difficult lake to pattern.

That airbrush should work fine. An airbrush is basically the same thing as a conventional sprayer, so if you're familiar with those it's pretty easy. I find that I paint baits with about 15-20psi. I use Createx paints, and I don't thin them. I have heard of people thinning Createx with "409" cleaner, but I don't have any experience with it. If you don't already have one you should get a moisture trap for your compressor, otherwise it will spit water through your airbrush (usually when you're putting the final touches on a masterpiece :'( Here are some hand carved lures that I painted with Createx.

14.5" is a good sized crappie. There is one spot that I frequent in the winter near DC that has monster crappie. It's near a warm water outflow. This is my pb. I have no idea what the length or weight of the fish was, but it's probably still out there and bigger now.

Thanks Sam. I really like your avatar pic.

I agree that it's a catfish. On a side note, I have heard some rumors that there are Nile Tilapia being caught at 4 Mile Run at the outflow from the water treatment plant. There is at least one verified (check this post from the Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders for the pics.) Look at the first post by "Shawn" for the pics: https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/MgKhUe4WvVg

I use an Iwata Revolution HP-CR. One important thing when painting lures IMHO, is to get a gravity feed type airbrush. This allows you to quickly change colors and not waste paints. I use Createx paints and then top coat them with Devcon 2 Ton epoxy.

Thanks. Hope you land some nice trout.

Nice. I'm going to hit some of those ponds with shallow running cranks then and see what I can get. As far as I know, the Eastern Shore is a pickerel heartland.

It's pretty slow out this way too, but thankfully we have a few warm water outflows nearby where the bass are not quite as sluggish. Pickerel are awesome fish to catch. I have limited experience catching them down in Southern MD as a by-catch while bass fishing, but everything I read leads me to believe that they're more common in your neck of the woods.

Thanks Tuckahoe Joe. I need to get out that way some time before Spring to get at those chain pickerel on the Eastern Shore, while it's still cold.

Thank you. That would be great. I fish that area pretty frequently Spring-Fall (Mattawoman, Piscataway, Mallows Bay, etc.) I usually fish from a 17' canoe.

@whitwolf Thank you. @TheKingFisher I definitely will check out the thread. Thanks.

Thanks man.