Logan S

Best accessories on my boat, would give up a lot before I gave them up. You'll love them. To use the cliche...They really are game changers in shallow water fishing .

Nah, I'm OK with barbs.... Fun fact though, originally the center hook on the Megabass Vision 110's was intentionally made barbless - The reasoning (supposedly) was that it allowed the bait rotate a bit more in the fish's mouth, hoping to snag the side of the fish's mouth/head with the front or rear trebles for a better hold...2 or 3 trebles hooked in the fish instead of just 1 or 2. Some of the JDM ones still have it this way - I have a couple, see below. These are the only barbless hooks in my inventory.

FYI, related to the new restrictions announced yesterday....Sorry to be the bearer of bad news https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2020/03/30/dnr-issues-guidance-on-governor-hogans-stay-at-home-order/ No boating and apparently the only fishing allowed is for sustenance (4th paragraph).

I made a horizontal wall rack with some scrap wood, cut up dowel rods, and some semi-accurate drilling ...One day I'm going to make a new version that's actually 'nice' but this has been working so well that the project keeps getting put off. I keep the reels on the rods and usually they are all rigged up because I typically fish year round - Unless there's a deep freeze or a global pandemic . Most of the time the rack only has a few rods on it with the rest + tackle being in the boat. I like the horizontal rack because I can get them off and put them back up really easily, plus reels and baits I have tied on are all at eye level instead down on the ground. Makes it really convenient to sit at my tackle bench and rig stuff up. Tackle is stacked under/around the bench.

It's a Megabass X4 711, not sure what the specific material is, but I think the X4 was 46 Ton Graphite? I'd be lying if I said I knew what that truly means though . It definitely acts like a Fast until you put a heavy load on it though, you don't realize it until winching a fish out of the heavy stuff.

I think it's a combo of power, taper, and length. Longer length makes a fast rod a little more forgiving. My flip and punch rod is a 7'11" Fast taper rated up to 2oz. Under load it has a deeper flex than you might expect, due to it's length...But when flipping it still acts like a Fast taper. It behaves like a mod-fast when hooked up in the slop. Longer length gives you power while retaining some flex under load. It's harder to get that balance in shorter rods IMO. The same power and taper in like a 7' or 7'3" would probably feel and act like a broomstick.

I haven't been, but a few guys from the club have been and said it's been nuts...Very crowded. Nice weather, no work, most other lakes closed, nothing else to do - Everyone's got the same idea.

BH is open and per the park manager last week, there are no plans to close. Subject to change obviously...

15lb Tatsu has diameter of 0.33mm 14lb Sniper has diameter of 0.31mm I know that doesn't seem like much, but in FC lines it's enough to notice a difference....The thicker line will always feel stiffer than a thinner line....And much like rod ratings, line ratings can vary from brand to brand - You need to look at the diameter to compare apples to apples. 15lb Seaguar and 16lb Sunline FC lines are almost always have the same diameters FYI....Both are 0.33mm. Just to show how much it can vary brand to brand, Trilene 100% FC is 0.38mm in 15lb (which is thicker than 20lb Tatsu and Sniper).

I seriously doubt there's anything wrong with the reel, but it's pretty easy to check...That issue would only be caused by an issue with the worm gear and line guide so as long as the guide is travelling back forth without any obvious hang ups, it should be perfectly fine. Since it's your first time spooling up yourself it's probably just some user error. Always a learning curve doing things the first time . I would just pull all the line off and start over, making sure to keep constant pressure on the line as you reel it on. I spool my stuff using a pen/pencil in the spool and hold it against the carpet with my toes and just reel it on that way (spool spins against the ground, you can apply more or less tension by how hard you press on it with your feet). I would also put the reel on your rod and put the line thru all the guides, having it go thru the rod lets the rod flex and hold a constant pressure as you spool. Fill the spool up until its about 1/16" from the top of the spool (where the flat side transitions to the round part on the top of the spool wall).

Different strokes, different folks Sometimes the heavier weights are the only way to get through the cover I'm fishing, in MD and elsewhere....But as we all know there's always multiple way to catch fish on any given day. I guess you could call a lot of it punching, but I sort of roll that into the universal 'flipping' term too....FWIW when I'm flipping I usually also have a rod rigged with a lighter weight to flip the edges too. No wrong way to attack it .

If the cover is heavy grass or pads I use 65lb braid, if it's pretty much anything else (rocks, docks, wood, lighter grass, etc) I generally prefer heavy flouro (17 or 20lb)....I know not everyone wants to have multiple rods for it though, so if doing it all on one setup I'd say go with braid. In grass/pads I like using a punch rig (even if not actually punching) or a regular texas rigged bait, they come through the thick grass and pads a bit better than jigs. For other cover it's sort of a toss up between jigs and texas rigs. The one time I almost exclusively flip a jig is in clearer water around laydowns, I've always preferred a jig there. 1/2oz is pretty universal and will get you through just about anything until you start seeing sparse matted grass on the surface or bigger pads...You'll want 3/4 at that point. When its a full mat of grass then you need the bigger 1+oz weights. You might also want more than 1/2oz if fishing brushy wood since it's a bit more 'grabby' on your bait. Any craw, creature, or jig should work in general so I'd just flip whatever types of those baits you already like. Keep in mind that the compact profiles and appendages will squeeze through thicker stuff better, so like a beaver style bait will do better at getting through than something like a rage bug with it's flappy arms . Other than that, straight-shank, heavy-wire hook and a pegged weight are what I prefer as the final equipment pieces (if not a jig). Since it's already been brought up, I use the terms pitching/flipping interchangeably...Most of the time I'm technically 'pitching' but it's all just flipping to me.

Welcome...Lake Fork and Lake Erie are tough acts to follow, but the fishing in this is area is still pretty good - Especially if you're willing to drive a bit . For walleye, your best bet is to head to Deep Creek Lake in western MD, I don't know how good it is compared to other good walleye fisheries but in my opinion and experience it's pretty darn good....I catch a ton of them there while bass fishing - So a real walleye fisherman should do pretty well. Might want to check out some local clubs - If so, I know of a pretty good one .

There is a learning curve going from bank to boat - It introduces a whole new set of variables, but it also opens up a ton more water to access. It's really not to bad though, definitely worth it. The fishing stuff is pretty much the same, you'll just have more options. Boat positioning is probably the hardest thing to get used to, since the bank doesn't move around while your trying to fish like a boat will. You'll get used to the multi-tasking of fishing and controlling the boat with some practice. Sounds like you and your kids are really into it, might as well get the boat bug started now because it sounds like you are heading that way regardless....If you wait too much longer they might stumble on bigger boats and that john boat will turn into a bass boat, start small while you still can ?.

My previous boat was a dark red with glitter Stratos, it's like a rite of passage for bass fisherman For my current boat I went with another tried and true color combo in the bass fishing world (black/blue).

If this is what you like, the Diablo Spec-R is probably right up your ally. Would be great for what you described, among many other things - It's probably the most versatile rod I've ever used. Could go down to the Flatside Special if you like to use lighter line and fish more open water with it. Could also go up to the Perfect Pitch if heavier line and cover. The Perfect Pitch handles lighter weights surprisingly well, I frequently pitch 1/4oz weigh with Z-Craw Jr on mine and it does great. Sounds like the DSR is really the rod for you though. Only disclaimer I'll put in here is that all my experience so far is the with the Gen1 XX.

I've done that too, I quit because the time difference between just shaking the hooks apart and fiddling with the bands was not much different to me. I also had the bands deteriorating after a couple months...Might have been the bands I used I guess though....Either way, it's definitely a good idea, I just didn't think it was worth continuing for me. I just cram as many in as I can and deal with it .

The BPS storage boxes hold the most baits of any I've ever used...Noticeably more than a Plano of same size. The BPS 3700 size box still fits in all normal 3700 size slots too. The Bass Mafia ones, while sturdier than any, are way to big on the outside and way too small on the inside....They hold substantially less than any other 3700 and still don't fit in the 3700 size slots (in my boat anyway). I had several and got rid of all of them except for terminal tackle (where the extra rigidity and slots are wanted). I didn't count, but I'm sure I have well over 50 baits in this BPS 3700 size box....I do get some hook tangling, but I'd rather have 1 box with a ton of baits and deal with the hooks. They're also cheaper than most other boxes too...

I don't know about all the medical/technical virus stuff...I'm not too worried about the virus itself. But in MD all schools are now shut down for two weeks. Both my wife and I work and we have 2 young kids. Thankfully we are both able to telework, but it's going to be a big challenge balancing child care and work while remaining productive at both ?. Fishing related - As the President of a large bass club I actually have think about what heck we're going to do related to this, which is not something I ever thought I'd need to do . We've got a tournament in a week and then a meeting and another tournament in early April.

Started small and worked my way up. IMO its the way to go, though I've known people that go straight to a full size boat and were fine. I think starting in smaller boats made me a better fisherman though, it forces you to make the most of what you've got - both fishing and equipment wise. Got this hand-me-down 12' V-Hull from the 1960's when I was 12. Cleaned it up and put small deck and trolling motor on it. I learned a ton about fishing in this old boat. When I was 15 (close to 16 ) I scratched together enough money to get a bare bones 17' Tracker with a 25hp....And pushed the limits more than I probably should have in that thing - Taking it down to FL and up to Canada and almost everywhere in between on the east coast. Started fishing tournaments in this boat and won my first local tournament in it. Many of my best fishing memories were in this boat. When I was 21 (after college) I upgraded to a 20' Stratos... Couple years ago I upgraded to my current boat, 21' Skeeter ZX250 ?.

39 is pretty cold, it's going to rise more than normal in water that cold. When I'm fishing water that cold I keep suspend-strips or lead wire handy because I think all of my jerks will rise a bit more than normal (my Visions for sure do). Colder water = more float. Suspend-strip or a bit of lead wire wrapped on the center hook shank and it should keep it down. I think 39 is temp when water the most dense, so you're literally at the temperature where a jerkbait will float the most.

On the diving depth, I've noticed that if you overwork the 110Jr it doesn't get as deep and the action isn't as good...I find that I need to tone down my normal jerkbait cadence a little bit with it. If really rip on it like do with the full size sometimes, it doesn't get more than 2' deep. The bill is tiny so I think too much forward movement negates the diving. I haven't noticed any suspending issues with the ones I have. I fish them on straight 10lb flouro on casting gear FWIW. If you're using braid I can see it being really easy to overwork it, so maybe give it a try on straight flouro before giving up on them.

Fish On Bass Anglers is still here ...2018, 2019, and now 2020 in the same thread ? Here's the post I made for the 2020 season: www.fishonbassanglers.com

I feel for the team, but the fact it was an hour later and not immediate is the key. At that point, it's no longer your bait that caught the fish...Even if it's almost a certainty that the line/lure was actually yours originally (same bait/color/location/etc). Not meant to sound harsh toward the team at all, just thinking about it as a TD would. Yep, you call the TD. Happens all the time, from Pro all the way down to local levels. I've called the TD and I've been a TD and had people call me. If there's ever a question, call the TD and get an answer. Probably, lots of different rules on different trails...Not sure about the FLW College, but I think the most common rule is that you can have over the limit temporarily while waiting on a ruling, but you can make any casts until you cull down to the limit.

About this much At some places or certain times of the year I'll have less. Like right now in the winter it's probably about half this and summer on tidal water is probably about half as well. I don't load stuff that I know I'm not going to need. I do make an effort not to let my tackle get out of hand...But I live in an are where I fish many different types of water bodies and all 4 seasons, so over the course of a year I need to use just about everything at some point.