Logan S

Only other option is the actual boat ramp inside the park which is in the back of the Cabin Branch arm...It would be about the same distance to Seneca. You don't need to go far from the kayak launch point if you don't want to spend time paddling. Honestly, the main lake basin is generally the most reliable section of the lake from now through September. Heck, that little point that the kayak launch sits on holds fish year round . Thanks for the nice words Brian .

Much of the most prodctive structure/cover on BH is stuff that you can't see above the water. There is some standing timber in the lake that you can see, further back in both the Seneca and 10-mile arms. The lake is full of underwater stumps, trees, rocks, grass, and even man-made cover...You can find them with electronics or the old-fashioned way . Being around any of the previously mentioned items in 10 to 20 feet of water should get you bit .

I use Microsoft OneNote...Obviously not a 'fishing' app, but it has worked out awesome for me since I started using it at the start of last season. I use it to organize my thoughts before and after tournaments. I put in past success, current thoughts, screenshots, satellite pictures...basically anything that is relevant or that I think might help me. There's a phone app that syncs back and forth with your computer so I can have it all while I'm out on the water too. I use it mostly for preparation, pre-fishing, and post tournament notes...I'd never want to be staring at my phone while out on the water, so I use it help me be prepared and keep a record so I can review down the road if needed. I also update it after the event with my results, what went right/wrong, etc...It's basically an electronic journal. It's very cool if you like to stay organized, especially for tournament fishing...And it's free . Here is a screenshot from one of my pages.

This is exactly what I though, too...We don't have a whole lot of spotted bass around here, but I've caught enough to know one when I see it. LM's can have broken/spotted patterns like that, makes them look kind of like spots...But the mouth is a dead give away, the mouth size on a Spotted is very similar to a Smallmouth. If I could make a guess, I would bet that fish came from shallow, relatively clear water. When I catch LM's with patterns like that, it's usually from shallow, clear water. Good looking fish either way.

This is what I do...I haven't been able to find any better deals. TW's regular prices are already better than any other place I've seen for Seaguar line (their flouro at least, haven't checked every product) by about 10 to 15 percent...So the 15% off sales are really good deals. Buy cheap, stack deep!

Last year was abnormal for him, but he's in the top 10 for AOY right now...So I wouldn't say he's doing poorly at all. Look at this way...If Bassfest counted for points last year, like it did this year, KVD would have made the Classic. I doubt we would be talking about his slump as much if that were the case, if we even talked about it at all. Even still, you can't be at the top of your game 100% of the time, even if you're KVD . The Elite Series field gets better every year too, with more top FLW guys making the jump. The competition has gotten progressively better over the last 5 years or so. There is very little 'dead money' in the Elite Series now.

I've got a XX EMTF, it's my 3/8 and 1/2 jig rod. I use a different rod for 5/8 and up, but it could probably handle it as long as you stick with 3/4 and under. This is for open/deep water jig fishing, which I do a lot of. Having said that, you could probably do anything with this rod, its extremely versatile....Cork and reel seat are high quality and comfortable and it balances perfectly with any reel I've put on it. It loads great for long casts. It is very sensitive and the backbone is solid...It has that 'connected' feel when setting the hook, even on long casts in 15-20 feet of water. I don't have any Dobyns to compare to, but I have Legend Elites and Legend Tournaments and the XX is better than both of those series. Nearly all of my rods are Legend series St Croixs, but after getting this XX I don't think I'll be buying anything else moving forward. I just can't decide which model is my next addition, the DSR, Jerkbait, and Perfect Pitch are all calling my name .

Ask those of us in MD/VA how these type of events work on the Snakehead population in the Potomac . And just like the Snakeheads...There's no way they are going to get those smallmouth out of there without doing something that will kill off most other species too. Most people probably know that too. Events like these are more for show than anything else. As a bass fisherman, it sucks to see Smallmouth as the target...But I also understand the importance of trying to protect the trout fishery. I just think it's a lost cause once a species is established in a large body of water. There are examples everywhere - Snakehead, gobies, zebra mussels, asian carp, etc...

How about one of each? For the big 3 anyway... Largemouth: Good-looking LM (and crankbait ) from Smith Mountain Lake. Smallmouth: Every smallie from Lake Erie looks good . Spotted: The spots in Lake Gaston have a cool brown tint, more turn up every year too (the smaller one in this pic, obviously)

Just keep fishing it, you won't mind what it looks like when it keeps catching fish . My best 110's are ones that I call 'broken in'... Some chipped paint, tooth scratches, and a little hook rash but they catch fish like crazy. On a topwater it probably doesn't really matter anyway, most of the time the silhouette and action are more important than the paint job IMO. Baitfish are never as perfect-looking as lure paint jobs, so I never really worry about scratches or chipping.

The TD also has the ability to disqualify any angler for sportsmanship issues, regardless of the polygraph. The fact that the TD chose not to AND they passed the poly has me leaning toward the angler's side. The email was probably sent out after the fact to show that the organization followed up on whatever claim was made. I'm guessing the anglers in question borrowed a boat, which by default included electronics. Otherwise, how would anyone know they borrowed the guides graph? The boat was probably Spro-wrapped and recognizable, drawing attention. At the end of the day, they still legally caught the fish and brought them to weigh-in...

Looking at that map, there doesn't appear to be any way to access that pond without cutting through someone's property. People that may have been 'cool' in the past might not feel the same way now, or could have moved out. The fact that 'steath' and 'undetected' are used when describing access should raise concern. There are countless places to fish from shore, canoe/kayak, and boat in the MD/DC/VA area that don't involve trespassing. I'm sure the residents there wouldn't be happy with someone on the other side of the country providing directions on how to sneak onto their property on a public forum. Maybe I'm wrong or maybe I'm just a buzzkill...But my advice to anyone reading this is think before you act and tread very lightly. Won't be surprised if this gets the lockdown.

I really don't give it much thought...Although my truck, boat, and outboard were all made in the USA and those are by far the biggest investments I've made in the world of bass fishing. Most of my rods are St. Croix's that were made in the USA. I didn't plan it that way but it's a nice bonus. I also use a lot of Zoom products. Also, if I add up the money I spend on gas, lodging, food, licenses, ramp fees, local tackle, etc, etc, in my travels up and down the east coast to fish tournaments every year...It comes out to a heck of a lot more than what I send to Japan to buy Megabass stuff....So I don't worry about it . Actually answering your question would go outside the realm and rules of the forum, as others have said .

I agree with this... Not only that, but there are many bodies of water where it's unlikely that it will produce at all...Even during the 'right' time of year.

Wow, thanks for posting this!...I just ordered the 7'3" XH. Was looking for a budget 'beef' stick, looks like this will be a steal!

Gaston is awesome...Docks are a big pattern for sure, but you can pretty much fish anyway you want to and catch them. Another cool thing is that in the past few years more and more spotted bass are showing up. I caught 6 during a trip down there this April, including one that was around 4 lbs on a practice day and a 2.5 lber on one of the tournament days. You'll also catch an occasional smallmouth. To expand on the water levels...it has 2 feet of variance that it's 'allowed' to operate in...So while the level remains pretty consistent, water is regularly moving in and out to maintain that consistency. You'll notice this the most around the bridges in the creeks, water will be rushing in or out. You'll like the bass fishing out in this area, lot of variety. The tidal rivers, especially the Potomac and James/Chickahominy, should be on your 'must-fish' list too.

If you look at the head on picture of the bow, you can see rust insde the winch assembly...The rest of the trailer is painted flat black. Could be that the trailer is rusted and it was painted to hide it. Should be easy to tell in person, look for the paint to be irregular/splotchy especially near the axles and under the winch stand. Boat could be great, but if the trailer is a rusted mess it will end up costing you money just the same. I agree that getting the newest you can afford would be a good idea...You can probably get a better value in Aluminum too, check out some 17' AL rigs. I bet $3K could get a pretty decent Bass Tracker/Lowe/Alumacraft/XPress/etc...

I love the hooks on the 110s, very good hook-up ratio for me. But, they are light wire so you have to treat them as such. I've read that the 110 was actually intended to be fished on spinning tackle and 6 or 8 lb line. I use the stock hooks and replace them as needed if they get torn up....I still use casting gear and 10 lb line but I do back the drag off and understand that I need to be careful on larger fish. The attention to detail and engineering that went into the 110 is pretty amazing. I'm not sure if they still do this, but the middle hook on all of my standard 110s is actually barbless. I looked it up one day because I was curious. MegaBass did this on purpose because they said it allowed the bait to rotate easier in the fish's mouth so that it could hook/rehook itself on the front or back treble.

I've been on that same pattern on Kerr . I was fishing flooded campsites...Picnic tables, benches, fire pits and even some road signs. I caught some good fish off the fire pits, it was near the spawn I was pretty sure they were using them as a pre-made bed. Nearly every fire pit that was in the water had a fish on it. Kerr is a lot of fun when the water is up like that .

This is excellent advice, don't rely on one single mechanic when it comes to spending thousands of dollars. You can also check compression in your driveway, testers are cheap and it's not very difficult. It won't give you the full picture, but at least you'll know for yourself if one or more cylinders is toasted without paying for shop labor.... My motor blew up a few years ago so I can feel your pain. I went with a new motor that had a warranty, but I was either fishing on the trolling motor only or on the back of other boats from May til the next March while I figured the money part out. I didn't owe anything on the boat so my decision was a little different...I really liked my boat, it's big, fast, and also handles and fishes very well...So I could either take the same amount of money and look for another used boat that I may or may not like as much as the current rig (and that could have it's own headaches)...OR re-power the rig that I already know/like and get the piece of mind that comes with a 5-year warranty . It sucks, but if you're in the game long enough it happens... Hope you can get it worked out.

It sounds like you simply need some more time in the water and also a few more tournaments under your belt to get comfortable with all the stuff that comes with them...The time limits, competition, fish care, etc are all things that are distracting you, whether you realize it or not. You found a good pattern but it changed on you before the tournament...Happens to all of us! With more time on the water you will know when to scrap your plan and go with a backup or make other adjustments as needed. IMO you have a good goal of trying to put a limit in the boat...As a tournament rookie, I would set that as your first goal and then make progress from there. I still keep a goal of trying to weigh a limit each tournament day and I've got a ton of tournaments under my belt. If you don't put 5 fish on the scale, you're leaving weight out there, no matter how small. The caveat here for me is that I fish a trail with the ultimate goal of AOY, so a poor finish hurts an entire season not just an event. If you're fishing a single event for the cash only it can change the game.

General rule of thumb on Anna is that uplake is cooler and stained, downlake is warmer and clear...With midlake being in between (duh ). Downlake is warmer because that's where the water comes in from the hotside. Most people consider uplake as anything above the spilts, midlake as the splits down to about Sturgeon Creek, and downlake as Sturgeon Creek to the dam Fishing should be pretty good all over at that time with most fish still in shallow water. Many techniques work at Anna, but the big 3 for me are shakeyhead, spinnerbait, and flat-side crankbait. Shakey around/under docks, spinnerbait on stumpy or 'woody' points/shorelines (especially windy ones), and the crank pretty much anywhere/everywhere. If you don't get bit in an area pick up and run a mile or so down the lake, keep doing that until the action picks up. That's usually how I zone in on which section of the lake is the most active (start at one end and work up/down). Sometimes it's the same everywhere, sometimes one section is noticeably better (IE, Midlake could be better than up or downlake). I generally fish mid and downlake because it suits my style a little better than uplake, that's the cool thing about Anna...Big enough to have 3 distinct sections but small enough to be able to run to each throughout the day without burning a bunch of time/gas. Should be fun, good luck!

I think the Delta would be a great Classic site, just don't make them launch from Sacramento. Get rid of the 3+ hour round trip boat ride so the guys can get a full day of competition in. Sacramento would probably make a great host city, but that long run every day would really take away from what could be a fantastic tournament. Technically it could still be the host city, they would just launch from somewhere else. (Like Hartwell, they weren't launching in Greenville even though it was the host) Running is part of the game and many times there are many anglers making long runs...But in this case it would be the entire field making that run so instead of creating excitement (Like McClelland on the Sabine or the guys who make Venice run on the Louisiana Delta), you're just lopping off 3 hours of fishing from everyone. Lots of great fisheries out west that would be productive that time of year, I'd like to see it out there on any of them.

When my motor blew up I re-powered with an Evinrude ETEC 200. I'm happy with it and would recommend the ETEC line to anyone, very powerful and also fuel efficient. Of the choices you mentioned, I really don't think you can wrong...Find the best deal and roll with it (consider warranty too!). FWIW, I've seen every brand run perfectly and I've also seen every brand have issues, like it was said above maintenance is huge...The better you take care of it, the better it will take care of you.

If you try it and don't like it...Don't force it. Maybe come back to it later down the road when you have more or different experience...When flouro was still pretty new to the market (when it was basically Vanish or nothing) I tried it and hated it. Later down the road I went back to it and was much happier. The line didn't change, I was just more experienced at that point. I say this in every one of these threads, so I'll say it again...A huge part of the decision also depends on how much gear you have and can take on each trip. For me, all my gear rides in the rod locker so it's no big deal to have 15 or so setups to use as needed...If I was on the bank or was a co-angler my choices might be a different since the gear would need to be more universal. Something to think about... Personally, I use flouro on most setups. I use the other line types too when they are advantageous, but the majority of my line is flouro. Most of the guys I fish against are the same way.