Logan S

The Chesapeake is predominantly a largemouth fishery. Good bags of smallmouth can be caught from the Susquehanna, but that pattern has never held up in a multi-day event to my knowledge. It's also pretty dangerous to get to the best smallmouth water in a bassboat (I won't take my boat up there). The winner will likely weigh in mostly largemouth, if not all largemouth. I still agree that it's Aaron's title to lose at this point. I'm pulling for Evers, but A-Mart, Rojas, and Lucas would have to stumble. Watch out for Powroznik too...

I've been seeing a ton in Pohick Bay, was out on Saturday and caught an average sized one and saw several others. They like really grassy areas and will often be in very shallow water. I usually catch them on frogs, soft or hollow body. They are everywhere though, any section of the tidal Potomac will have them. Get in some skinny, grassy water and you'll likely run into a few. This is the type of water you should look for, those little ripples are snakehead fry...There was a giant snakehead with them that I was trying to take a picture of but it kept eluding me.

I prefer the ZMan Custom, which is a TW exclusive. It has a regular rubber band skirt which I prefer over the EZ style skirt that comes on the other models. It's also cheaper, but still has the same hardware and color options . The EZ skirt seems pick up a lot of scum/algae/slime between the head and skirt when fishing through grass, the regular style found on the Custom does a little better at avoiding that stuff. I use the bluegill color most of the time, with black/blue a close second.

Probably Japan, but I've read that the big bass over there are in decline...For all we know, world record sized fish have been caught and killed by commercial fisherman on Biwa already. On many waters over there, including Biwa, anglers are required to kill any bass they catch (though I imagine bass fisherman are releasing them). California probably has about an equal shot at it, it definitely has the track record for upper teen fish. I just think it's slightly behind Japan. I'd love it to be Florida as someone who was born and raised there, but it's probably behind both CA and Japan in it's chances . Lots of big bass, but they seem top out before getting to that 20 lb range. Don't know a whole lot about Mexico bass fishing, but I don't think I've read about many near 20 lb fish? I would imagine the big resort lakes would get that in the fishing news somehow. Could be way off though...To me it seems similar to TX, plenty of big ones but topping out before WR size. In my mind those are the front-runners. Other states in the southeast and/or Texas are long shots, but there's still a chance. My completely unscientific guess: Japan - 50% California - 45% Florida - 4% TX or other southeastern state + Mexico - 1%

I have one on my primary Texas-rig rod, 7' MH Legend Elite w/ 15lb flouro...One of my favorites. Like Raul said, you can do pretty much anything with it.

Either this or you've picked up some grass (or anything really)...But then you'd be picking grass off your bait, so you'd probably know . You would be surprised at how lightly a bass can eat a crankbait. A crankbait that's out of tune will usually still 'thump'.

I've yet to use a brand of hardbait that didn't get hook rash eventually. If anything, I tend to like my 'well-traveled' baits more than fresh ones....Hook rash and teeth scratches just mean you use them and they work .

I use pork frequently, year round. Nothing can match the subtle action of a broken-in, well used #11 pork trailer. Pork trailers are inconsistent...Even in the same package/jar. The thick, chunky, lifeless ones are pretty worthless. When you get a nice, thin-cut one you need to hold on to it! They get better the more you use them. I use plastic trailers pretty regularly too...But for the kind of jig-fishing I do the most, pork is usually hanging off the back .

I think the floating/sinking qualities of a line are sometimes over-emphasized, EXCEPT for topwater applications. It makes sense that a floating line will create more of a bow or slack between the rod and the bait...But really, that's only if the bait is sitting on the bottom and the rod isn't moving. If you look at the real world scenario, where you remove most of the slack/bow every time you move the bait it doesn't seem as important. I doubt any line floats/sinks fast enough to move any great distance in the time between bait movements for normal bass fishing. Just my take on it...I don't really think sinking braid is a game changer, although I will probably try it out for certain things eventually. If you want sensitivity on a semi-slack line, braid probably isn't the best choice...whether it floats or sinks. That's one of the areas where flouro has an advantage.

It was just a guess...It's probably easy to make intricate molds for mass production in 2015...But when the original molds were made for many worms 30-40 or more years ago it was probably much more difficult. Companies probably just kept the shapes the same when new technology came along since they were already defined, sold, and successful. As far as rigging...If the bait is round, I rig it with the tail vertical. If the bait has a flat side, I put the flat side on the bottom. Although to be honest, I've never really given it any thought. That's just what made sense way back when I first started and I've continued it on auto-pilot. I don't think it makes a difference either way.

The only difference I've ever noticed is with the Costa 580 Glass lenses. They have an additional filtering quality outside of basic polarization. Even then, it's not like a night and day difference... Outside of those, every pair of polarized glasses has essentially been the same for me when it comes to cutting glare. Fit and finish is nicer on the more expensive ones and that is what you're paying for mostly. There is also a difference in general clarity/quality between glass and plastic lenses.

A mold is probably easier to make with a flat side...The actual mold only needs to be one plate and it can either be open for a hand pour or have a flat back plate for injection. Full round molds need to have a cavity in each plate. Regardless, I usually rig with the flat side down.

Buy and use what you want, you only have to justify it to your self (provided it's not detrimental to your family finances). I haven't spent big bucks on individual baits yet since I haven't really got into swimbaits just yet....But I have a fair amount of Megabass baits and my rods/reels are what many consider high end. Honestly though, a $250 bait is just a drop in the bucket if I felt the need to justify it to myself (one of them anyway, a boat full would be a different story ). Boat, motor, truck, rods/reels, tackle, gas, travel and lodging expenses, tournament entries, and last but not least - my time...Put all that together and it's already a huge commitment and expense, adding a high end bait to the mix isn't going make or break it. If I didn't love it and wasn't 100% committed to it I would even spend a fraction of the time or money.

The weather is always changing and every year is different...Ironically, that's the only thing consistent about it. For me, that's part of the fun.

Plenty of fish are caught from shore and by boat on these heavily fished lakes. Shakeyhead has a different fall than both the Texas Rig and the weightless Senko. It's a different presentation. With smaller/finesse baits, the fall is as important as anything else. It sounds like you "know" too much about what will work and what won't...But by your own admission everything you "know" is only producing 1 fish every 12-15 hours....Keep an open mind, there is always something to be learned. My PM offer still stands, as I still have a feeling we're talking about the same place...Up to you .

I didn't read all of the Stella thread, but I'm sure it was said somewhere in there... There is a point of diminishing returns in high end tackle (high end anything really). The price/performance ratio is not fixed or linear. As you go up in price, the increases in performance generally get smaller. The way I see it, at a certain point it becomes more about enjoyment than performance. The Calais' performance will be exceptional, but you are the only one that can determine if that performance is worth your cost to acquire it. Long story short, it's not a dollar-for-dollar scale...If you want the performance to be directly related to the amount spent, stay in the $150-$200 range. The price/performance ratio seems to be maximized at that price point.

Many anglers over-emphasize fishing pressure. It definitely has an effect, but it doesn't turn fish into geniuses that ignore everything...They can still be caught without resorting to extreme measures. Don't worry so much about it, there is not much you can do about it anyway. Also, heavily pressured spots are usually heavily pressured for a reason, they hold fish . While being way out in a remote spot is usually a good thing, sometimes there is a reason no one else is out there! The lake you described sounds similar to one here, don't know what your location is...But there is a popular lake here in MD that is in a park, stocked with Tiger Muskies, and managed as a 'trophy' lake by DNR. If it actually is the same lake, I can tell you that there is no shortage of bass living there. I can see that it would be difficult to bank fish as the access spots are somewhat limited...But you should be able to adjust and improve your catch rate. Next time you go, try fishing with a light shakeyhead (1/16 or 1/8) and a 5" straight tail worm (GP, black, or any watermelon variation). If you need more distance, use a bigger worm instead of a bigger head. The slow/gliding fall triggers many strikes. Try to fish areas that you think are deeper than 8' and have some grass. Fish it slowly and don't be surprised to have a fish eat it on the initial fall. You've probably tried some variation of this, but keep it tied on focus more on where you are fishing instead of changing baits. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you think we are talking about the same lake. If it's not the lake or even same area, well then disregard...

That's awesome, Golden Shiner is a good color on the Potomac . Who knows if they will actually stock them, but if they do I'll buy some for sure.

I've never had to replace a bearing, ever...My stuff sees a ton of use and I'm not exactly easy on my gear either. I've got a Curado 100B that I've used heavily for over a decade with the original bearings...And to be honest, I don't even take care of it that well. I think any quality reel these days comes with quality bearings...And unless you drag it through sand or mud they should last as long as the rest of the reel does with basic minimal maintenance. Regarding the original question, I don't bother removing shields. A drop of oil every now and then keeps things going perfectly for me.

I re-powered with a new ETEC 200 when my Ficht blew up. It's been great so far, would highly recommend. I also agree with the idea that you can't really buy a bad motor these days. If your shop is giving you a good deal on the ETEC I'd say that's a smart choice. One interesting thing about the motor, it's pretty small for it's HP rating. Which is kind of nice...My co-anglers never seem to smack it with their baits accidentally like they would with the Ficht. I can also clearly see over it if I need to look behind me while running. Some of the guys I fished with in my club thought it was a 150. Not something I would base a decision on, but it's a nice bonus.

7'1" MH/F - St Croix LTB. 15lb Red Label Flouro. 1/2 to 1oz tungsten weight depending on wind and depth. Glass bead. 18" leader length. Zoom Baby Brush Hog. I'm more likely to throw a jig or football head though, but sometimes the old C-Rig just catches them better.

It's possible that the guy was misinformed. When they shock fish for sampling they usually keep them on board for a short time until they are revived before releasing...At least that's according to one of the MD-DNR guys I've talked to. He could have seen the fish go into the tank on board and assumed they were being killed. Then again, there are a few stories lately about DNR's in various states 'managing' the bass population by killing them. DNR also usually does it at night around here to avoid traffic...So who knows.

I saw a report elsewhere online which said that they were trout fisherman...The fish was caught trolling for trout on a jointed minnow plug. They attempted to revive the fish but it didn't make it. Either way, it was legally caught so it could be legally harvested. Personally, I do everything I can to release bass alive...But I don't fault anyone for keeping anything as long as they stay within the limits and have their fishing license.

They might have been, I don't know the origin...I just know that they are not happy with them in the river now. It wouldn't surprise me if DNR/DGIF introduced them only to regret it. It could have also been that they did that on the James but not the Potomac. This is off topic so I'll just say one more thing about it. I wish MD and VA would spend more time explaining other issues with the Potomac and quit with the impossible battles...Snakeheads and Blue Cats didn't kill off 90% of the grass in the river, but nobody in an official position wants to comment on that.

Once a fish speices, or 3 in this case, become established in a large body of water it's pretty much impossible to get rid of them. The only methods that would truely eradicate them would also (most likely) kill everything else. I'm not a supporter of 'bucket-biologists' dumping fish into lakes/rivers...But invasive or not, they aren't going anywhere now. I've seen it firsthand in my home waters of the Potomac River with Snakeheads...and now Blue Cats.