Logan S

I did a comparison last year on the grass topic using Google Earth photos so I'll post them here. These are just a few sections of the Potomac. There were 2 phases of grass disappearing, one starting around 2002/2003 on the DC/Northern part of the river and the other started around 2010/2011 and hitting most of river the south of DC. These pictures are from summer or fall, times where the grass will be at it's highest levels. This is the southern DC/Smoot Bay section of the river, 2001 on the left and 2014 on the right. The DC sector was the first area to lose grass, many guys now weren't around when this part of the river was kicking out bass...It was arguably the most productive area of the entire tidal Potomac system. This is Dogue Creek, which is about 10 miles south of the the first pic. 2010 left and 2014 right. This is Mattawoman Creek, 12 miles south of the second pic and 22 miles south of the first. What happened in 2002? Construction on the new Wilson Bridge, continued through 2007/2008. What happened on an ongoing basis from 2008 through 2014? Construction on/at National Harbor. I'm not a scientist, but IMO it all leads back to these major construction projects which are in/on the water. Now that most of that work is done, hopefully we'll see the rebound. Like I said previously, the end of last season showed promise so I'm optimistic. I've also heard a rumor that a member of a certain group that is VERY anti-tournament (and has a financial interest in being that way) is now the VP of MD tidal bass fisheries...I won't add my comments but you can draw your own assumptions on that and the idea of conflicting interests. For the record, this is just one man's opinion (mine).

I was actually surprised at how much the tours used to contribute. I've always thought the pro trails were essentially the same model as a club trail, just on a much larger scale....Everyone puts their money in the pot. It sucks that the talent/skill/experience to compete at that level is not enough, you have to be able to afford the expenses too. A lot of BASS Opens anglers turn down the Elite invitation every year, they had the skill to qualify and it's likely a dream/goal of theirs...But they probably couldn't make the money part work. ------------------------------------------- One interesting idea I've had/heard was a relegation-style system. The top level Elite field would have to be much smaller...Say 20 to 30 anglers. Under the top level field you have something similar to the current BASS Open fields, larger field open to anyone that can foot the bill. The Elite field would hopefully be small enough to where the anglers don't have to front the entries/expenses themselves, making them 'true' professionals. Every season the bottom 5 anglers in the standings of the Elite field are relegated back to the Opens field and the top 5 Opens anglers are promoted to the Elite field. That's just the wire-frame of the idea and obviously there could be tweaks to account for different regions and other aspects. Would be a massive change up and I have no idea if the numbers would ever work, but it seems like it would address the issue of the so-called 'true' professional tour where the anglers don't have to fund themselves. You'd also keep the idea alive for any angler being able to work their way up to the pro level, so it's not invitation-only like MLF.

I don't know if they are specifically blaming tournaments, but it seems that's part of the idea. There is a small group of people who are very vocal against tournaments...Proposing closed seasons, 3-fish limits, and restricting the number of tournaments. Which is why I say I'd rather have this 'solution' over the alternatives. We already have restrictions in the spring, March 1 thru June 15 the size limit is 15" as opposed to 12" the rest of the year. I think the proposed model would make more sense if it was C&R during the 15" season and open the rest of the year. It seems to me that nobody wants to address the actual problem, which is the declining health of the river. When the river was healthy it supported even more tournaments than we have now without blinking. The predominant cover/habit for bass on the Potomac is grass, without grass a huge percentage of the river is just featureless mud/sand flats. Less grass = less bass. IMO the real solution would be to figure out why the grass disappeared and then figure out how to bring it back...But I'm not a biologist, just a guy that's spent a ton of time on this river over the past 15 years. Last year it seemed to rebound slightly, which is good news...I'm hoping for more progress this season.

It might be you...Not a knock on your skills, but if you are used to another line or mono/braid it might take an adjustment on your part. Physically, there's nothing wrong with RL. I use it as main line and it performs well without having to use more braking or tension. It's not the best but for the price it's great. It's also not a line that will last for months and months of use...Probably one of the biggest reasons people don't like it (whether they know that's the reason or not), I respool frequently so it doesn't bother me. If it was already old from sitting on the shelf when you bought that could be the issue too...But there's no sense in struggling with it. If you don't like it, regardless of the reason, you should just go back to a line you do like.

I'd rather have this solution than some of the other ideas I've heard floating around, but I doubt it will make any noticeable difference (especially outside those specific areas). The biggest issue with the Potomac is the significant decrease in fishable water due to the significant decrease in submerged grass. Less bass in smaller areas being targeted by more fisherman...Of course the fishing is going to take a downturn. I don't think C&R/off-limits zones are going to change that. If the grass grows back the fisherman will spread out again and the fishing will stabilize. It looks to be heading that way which is good news, there was more grass this past season than the season before. It's still a good fishery, but nothing like it was before this downturn.

I fish the 80's on baitcasting gear and 10 lb flouro with a loop knot. It's not something I throw all the time, but I've put fish in the boat with it. I can control the depth/speed much better with casting gear. I'm not an expert at the technique, but I've caught more fish since switching to casting gear than I did when I used spinning with 6 lb line. Action appears identical to my eyes, loop knot seems to help a great deal. I think the 90's will be fine on casting gear.

This is a cool thread, lots of Potomac River in here, I like it! Here's another Potomac shot...Tournament field lined up in a no-wake, about to blast off. Bonus picture from Erie, the guy at the marina said it was 'nice' out on the lake this day...His boat is obviously bigger than my 20' Stratos (the other boat in this picture is also a 20' Stratos) .

I'll vote for the XX. I have several and think they compare very well to rods at higher price points. I haven't used Dobyns personally, but many people have evaluated the Megabass XX and Dobyns DX to be very close in performance. Given that the XX is significantly cheaper, I think it's a good choice. I can tell you that my XX rods compare very closely with my Legend Elites, I think the LE has a slight edge but it's also over $100 more expensive. IMO, the Megabass XX series is the best value out there in the higher price brackets. One thing's for sure, you can't make a bad choice between those two.

Two of my favorites from this year.

Mann's is probably abiding by the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' rule ...Firetiger and Rootbeer/Chart. are the 2 colors I throw the most. I like the Elite model because the hooks area little better, I replace the hooks on the standard model.

How are you getting $855 out of that? Retail prices are $260 for the rod and $270 for the reel....Don't fall for the in-store additional warranties, St Croix has one of the best warranties in the business. You shouldn't need an additional warranty on a reel either. That is a graphite rod and a very good choice, I'm a big fan of the LTB series...But you need to check those prices!

Sent you a message.

Yes, it's on the VA side just below Reagan Airport...The water release is up the creek a little bit, past the bridges. Washington Sailing Marina is in the bay right outside the mouth of the creek and can be a good winter spot...But I don't know about shoreline access, either for 4-mile or for the marina. The Mt Vernon bike/walking path runs right along river in that area so it's probably possible, I just don't know where you'd be able to park or if there are any property/access restrictions. No issues in a boat as long as you don't get stuck on the big mud flat out front .

It's shorter than any other rod I have by a good bit...Not pistol-grip short, but a good 2" or 3" shorter than all of my other rods. If you line the reel seats up, it's very close to the same tip length as a 6'8" LTB and 6'9" Cumara. I'll grab a picture when I get home and edit this post with it...Or just show you at the FOBA meeting tonight haha .

I'm not much of a shore angler, but many here should be able point you in the right direction. I know a lot of people like to fish along the C&O Canal. Every now and then I'll stop at the Great Falls parking area and fish the canal, have caught quite a few bass there in the warmer months. If you avoid 495/270 like I do on my way out of town you pass right by it on Falls Rd.

The X4 is my 5th, the other 4 are XX's. Check the FS sections on the various fishing forums to save some cash... All but 1 of mine were bought used. Great rods for sure!

Alright, I'm done for this offseason. Been thinking about upgrading my jerkbait rod for a while now but could never find anything that excited me enough to replace the Gen1 Cumara I've been using forever...Since my favorite jerkbait is the Vision 110, why not go with a rod named after it? This thing is very unique, the handle is short so the effective length is almost the same as a 6'9" Cumara I was using previously. It has a moderate action but the tip is still pretty stiff so it doesn't feel like a noodle, it's an odd combination...Almost like the deep flex doesn't 'activate' until more weight is applied. I can't wait to get it on the water, shouldn't be too long now .

Mann's Baby 1-Minus. I've probably caught more fish from shallow cover on a 1-Minus than all other crankbaits combined. I fish a ton of grass, wood, and rocks in 1-3 feet of water on the Potomac, 1-Minus is always on the deck. With the rod tip high it can be a wake bait. With the rod tip low it can get down to 2 or maybe 3 feet depending on your line choice and length of cast. It's not always thought of as a squarebill, but it deflects off cover just as well and comes through grass better than most. Good bait to have in your arsenal.

FLW is the only major tour to still allow nets, BASS hasn't allowed them for quite some time now. There's no question to me that using a net has resulted in landing many fish that would have otherwise been lost. I've had many cases where an important tournament fish comes unbuttoned while in the net. Without the net most of those fish would have almost certainly been lost. Like Catt said, you need to be as good with the net as you are with your rods/reels...And make sure your co-angler (or boater I suppose) knows what to do as well. I only have my co-anglers net fish if I know they can handle it, if they can't or I'm unsure I'll just do it myself. I don't net every fish, with heavier tackle I boat flip a lot of fish. Most smaller fish (15" or less) get flipped too regardless of technique/tackle, unless they happen to be important in one way or another. I'm not ashamed to admit that I've netted 13 inchers in tough tournaments before . I don't ever have the net out on fun or practice days since it can get in the way. The funny thing is that I actually hate having it out, I always joke that I wish my club would prohibit them like BASS does so I could stop carrying it in the boat.

Specifically for the Exsence DC, I think it's great becasue I'm a huge fan of the Core100/Chronarch D, (who isn't?)... You can get that same platform with faster gearing, X-Ship, and DC bakes for the same or less money. It's really a great value at current pricing, even if it didn't have DC (IMO). The only other DC reel I own is the Scorpion DC so I'm not the most experienced DC User, but I will say that at the current prices there's no reason not to try one of the more affordable models if you have the means and interest. A few years ago the cost would have probably negated the benefits for me personally and prevented me from buying....When TT reviewed the Scorpion DC it was between $350 and $450, but now that the exchange rate is in our favor it can be had for around $215.... DC is a cool thing to have. It's not astronomically better than a standard reel so if cost/performance ratio is really important to you then it might not seem worth it...But if you're like me and many others who like to have cool stuff even if it might not be 100% necessary, jump right in .

Mallows Bay is cool, if you fish the Potomac you need to go by at least once just to check it out. I would imagine a large percentage of that area could be accessed by kayak where a bass boat can't go. There's plenty of bass around those old wrecks, but I typically like to fish more isolated stuff...It's hard to pick apart that huge fleet! I've had some great days in Mallows though. There are plenty of other barges all over the river too...Mostly just old wood by now, but many hold fish. Some of the old barges used rocks as ballast so there's also bunch of rockpiles left where the wood has rotted away or been carried away by the tide. To me, these aren't 'shipwrecks' in the same sense as the ones the OP is talking about though...Since most of them are visible and you can flip/cast to them.

I've caught smallies off a wreck on Lake Erie. Saw the wreck icon on my GPS and it wasn't too far away from where I was fishing so I went and found it. Caught a few but nothing crazy.... It's likely the wrecks in your lake could hold fish, but there could also be a reason no one fishes them. It's possible that a 100+ year old wooden ship in a lake is nothing more than a silted-over pile of rubble by now. We also fish barge 'wrecks' on the Potomac all the time. They are good shallow cover for Largemouths, many of them are actually partially visable on lower tides. The ballast rocks are also the source of many rockpiles that hold fish and eat lower units on the river. In the ocean, a shipwreck creates an entire artificial reef ecosystem with tons of life. In a lake, a shipwreck is more like a big piece of cover...Whether it holds bass or not probably has more to do with it's location/depth/bottom composition/lake structure/etc....Just like any other piece of cover. I would still go check it out, you never know .

Between 30" and 36" at various spots around my house here in MD. I don't know if this is more than we got back in 2010 or not, but that was 2 storms back to back, this is definitely the most I've seen in 1...I haven't been here my whole life though. The snow drifts are huge, some around my house are 4 or 5 feet at least. I'm just glad I triple-covered my boat, should be OK once I can dig it out...It won't see the water for a while now I'm sure .

Pick-ups are the better all around choice for towing in my experience. In addition to all the mechanical reasons which have been covered already, the convenience factor of having the bed and tailgate for launching/loading is really nice. A full size pickup is typically a good bit longer than an SUV too, which is also a benefit. If you don't put a cap or huge toolbox in/on the bed, you also have a better field of view in a pick-up. I've used both, IMO the only advantage an SUV has is the ability to store more stuff inside...But a 4-door pick-up comes pretty close to that. You can tow with almost anything, I've seen a Crown Vic and a Mustang towing and launching bass boats at ramps on the Potomac before...They seemed to work well enough for their owners, but that doesn't mean it's a smart choice .

Honestly, I think the best thing you can do is start in an aluminum bass boat. Something in the 17 or 18 foot range with a 50 or 75hp outboard depending on the boat. It not the most popular advice, but it's the advice I give to every first time boat owner. It's not only easier to learn in an AL rig, it's cheaper to learn too. If you could already operate a boat and knew the in's and out's of basic maintenance/towing/navigation/etc...I'd say go for the full size. But with little to no boating experience I'd strongly consider something like a 17' AL rig as a starter boat. I'm not saying it's impossible or that you won't be able to handle it...Just friendly advice. FWIW, I started in a 12' john boat - then a 17' Tracker - then to my current 20' Stratos. If I could do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing, despite all the tournaments I fished out of the Tracker wishing I had more range/storage/speed. On any used boat, check the compression before signing on the dotted line. Either do it yourself, have a 3rd party do it, or have the shop/seller do it in front of you. It's easy and pretty quick, shouldn't hold the sale up. Don't overlook the trailer condition either, rust and/or flaking paint are signs of trouble down the road.