Turtle135

My smallmouth fishing is almost always on a river. I will use a t-rigged tube or a "stupid tube" when I want to get my presentation down to the bottom in current.

nice largemouth! wow, that one has a huge mouth and head

Welcome to Bass Resource. I know what you mean about the center and right being blocked. I go through that aqueduct but of course I am in my kayak. I know powerboats use that ramp so they have to be going through the left side. If you try it definitely use your electric till you are beyond the mouth of Seneca Creek. If you don't feel like experimenting why not launch up river at the Edwards Ferry Boat Ramp? That is a free launch site and has no obstructions to deal with. IMHO the smallmouth fishing is better up in that section.

In the dead of winter I will "thin out" the weed guard considerably (I would rather lose a jig than miss the one bite I get that day). I will shorten the skirt when I want a smaller, less intimidating profile. I will turn the jig upside down and then trim the skirt which gives it that finesse cut.

Night crawlers are right up there as a great baits for channel cats (better than cut bait in my opinion). I would give it a couple of evenings. If you do not hook a something other than a bullhead I think you can book it that the lake only has a viable population of bullheads. Skin contact to chicken products causes you an allergic reaction?

To best attract channel cats I would try some chicken liver right after sunset into the evening. For all practical purposes the only way to find out if there are other species of catfish in that body of water is to fish it.

I believe Steveo-1969 is correct. Once you get them back in the water the bleeding will slow and coagulate so the sooner you can get them back in the water the less blood they will lose.

What do you mean? I routinely catch bass in excess of 15 pounds when I ice fish!

I am pretty sure in the Humminbird lineup that DI will force you to replace the transducers. See the image below. The top one is the transducer for the previous series of DI units and the bottom one is the transducer for the older, pre-down imaging, type units. They have a live chat on their contact page so if you get a picture of your transducers they can probably tell you what color units you could hook up. http://www.humminbird.com/Category/Company/Contact-Us/

While you are searching Craigslist, add a Wilderness Systems Ride 115 to your list, stable enough to stand and fish and I would suspect you could find a used one in your price range. They are built to last so even one with heavy use still has years and years of life left in her. Good luck!

about the 1:07 mark of this video they say the upper weight limit for the boat is 1500 pounds

While I can stand in my Wilderness Systems Ride 115 for flipping and pitching more frequently what I do is put my seat in the high position and pitch from that elevation. I can get an extremely accurate presentation with a near silent entry with my baitcasting gear. I believe my lower profile (seated) allows my to get very close to bass in cover without spooking them. My big for the year was caught on a pitched spinnerbait with about 12 feet of line out.

that is a green sunfish I believe, pugnacious little creatures as I have caught them on 10" plastic worms before http://www.tnfish.org/FishIdentificationID_TWRA/TWRA_Sunfish_Identification_Key.htm

They did not completely drain the lake during the draw down. After they reopened the lake I saw some reports where adult sized bass were caught (20" plus). I used to fish there prior to the first shut down and while the fishing there could be tough I always seemed to get at least one big bass per trip. Looks like the lake will be open until at least spring of 2017 and they now require a fee to fish there (detailed in the web link). Loudoun Water has partnered with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NOVA Parks) to manage recreational activities and public access until the spring/summer of 2017. At that time it will close to complete needed repairs to the infrastructure. After repairs are complete, expected to take approximately 1.5 to 2 years, the property will reopen for public access under the management responsibilities of NOVA Parks. https://www.novaparks.com/parks/beaverdam-reservoir/about

Does any manufacturer make a culling system that does not pop a hole in the lower jaw? Maybe a clamp on version like a miniature fish grip? I see these dime sized rips in the lower jaw of bass on bodies of water that get pounded by tournaments.

1. my DIY kayak cart, it is a little known fact that your kayak can gain 30-40 pounds of weight in a single day of fishing, my Wildy Ride comes in at 76 pounds at sunrise, magically at sunset that very same kayak has to go at least 120 pounds! 2. a fish grip on a 4 foot paracord tether, allows me to let my bass swim while I get the camera ready to go

I believe Preytorien is correct, if the females have dropped their eggs into a nest a male will continue to guard that nest. If a female has more eggs to drop she will likely hold off until the weather is to her liking. The warmer the water the faster the eggs will hatch, better survival rate from nest raiders, which is what she is looking for.

I like the Junebug, seems to work for me in both off color water and also in an extremely clear reservoir I fish.

I also have a couple of those Vendetta rods that used to be in my regular lineup. They are stiffer than the typical medium casting rod and I had no problem sticking bass with jigs or plastic worms with that rod. Due to the shape I find that the Draggin Heads sit on the bottom with the hook point up. On other weighted swimbait hooks the hook has a tendancy to fall over on it's side (exposing the point to more frequent snags).

I also have a couple of those Vendetta rods that used to be in my regular lineup. They are stiffer than the typical medium casting rod and I had no problem sticking bass with jigs or plastic worms with that rod. Due to the shape I find that the Draggin Heads sit on the bottom with the hook point up. On other weighted swimbait hooks the hook has a tendency to fall over on it's side (exposing the point to more frequent snags).

X3 - I imagine you are like me, you go fishing to enjoy the outdoors. If possible find a better environment with some peace and quiet. A call to the police about the problem area certainly would not hurt. You may not be the first to report an issue and if they have had a number of complaints maybe they can do something about it, maybe they can't. Good luck out there!

I use the 7" version a lot with a 3/0 or a 4/0 hook. Good producer for numbers of 14" - 17" largemouth. Have never tried the 6" but I have used the 9" (which is a whole lotta plastic) when hunting for bigs.

do you find certain conditions (water temp, clarity, etc.) that favor a straight tail worm (over a jig, a ribbontail worm)?

Original Culprit in 10" and 12". I fish them on 3/8th ounce Confidence Baits Draggin Heads. A big ribbontail worm will want to spin on the retrieve and the Draggin Head acts like a keel to prevent the spin (and line twist). I throw them on 7' medium heavy / fast Daiwa rods (but I throw everything on that setup). 17 pound test Trilene XT.

this video may help with casting lighter weights