fishwizzard

I have a 2-part L rod from a budget manufacturer. I broke the rod tip twice, once carelessly in a car window and once on a rather nice SM that I caught by surprise while panfishing. It was only a 5'6" rod to begin with, but now it is closer to 5'2". Any sensitivity it once may have had is gone, but I cannot bring myself to trash it. So now it is use for jigging 1/8oz Kastmasters for white perch and will be the first "victim" whenever I decide to dabble in rod making.

Yesterday I had a meeting in DC that ran very short, so I decided to hit a few new spots on the way home. I started at Roseryville State Forest. There is a small, shallow pond there that looks somewhat promising. There is little to no shore access on the side nearest the road, but a few paths to downed trees you can stand and cast from. The water was clear but the wind kept visibility low. I was throwing a Ned rig and got a few light hits as soon as the lure splashed down, from sunfish or small bass I assume. Between the wind and trying to balance on logs, I was unable to get the hook set on any of the hits. It's not a very large pond and I don't think I will make a special trip out there, but it seems worth further exploration if I am ever down that way again. Next I went to Schoolhouse Pond by the Courthouse in Upper Marlboro. I had high hopes but when I got there it was clear that the water was super low, in places the waterline was 20' from where the bank line used to be. I fished where I could, but didn't have waders or boots with me and didn't want to leave a shoe in the muck. I ran into a park ranger as I was leaving and he said that a storm last year ruined the beaver dam that kept the lake filled. The beavers split and now the lake is maybe a third of it's old size and badly silted in. The ranger said that there were no plans to fit it and "to write a ton of letters" if we want the lake rehabbed. The last spot I hit was the Depot pond, behind the Home Depot on 301. It is large, weed choked, and if the internet is to be trusted, full of huge bass and snakeheads. I only had a ML rod with me and was very under gunned. The shore access is pretty awful, but I spent a few hours tossing sawtail worms rigged on weighted T-rig hooks, working them across the mats and trying to guide them into holes. I had three tail bite offs, two of which were on z-man lures, which must have been snakeheads or LBH's carrying box cutters. I kept running into an other fisherman who was using a weightless fluke, he had a few blow up, but didn't connect with anything. The banks are just awful, steep, full of trash and more full of thorns. Some of the more fruitful looking spots were almost impossible to cast from without risking smacking my rod tip into a tree or bush. When I come back I am bringing my 5' MH catfish rod and see if I can maneuver that a little better and try my hand at punching.

That kid looks really apprehensive about that pike.

I prefer chart ruse or bright red, but that is so I can see it better in the water and more easily work it around snags. Plus it is always cool to see your lure get hit. I love it when I can see the little chartreuse head flicking through the water, then suddenly it is gone and a second later I feel the hit.

I am going to assume that many Japanese fishermen utilize far more public transit then most Americans do, especially trains, to get to the water. I don't think a 7' rod would win you many friends if you were dragging it around the station, plus all the chances to break a tip.

I used to be very into shooting and eventually settled on regular old ATF fluid as my gun oil and white lithium grease as my gun grease. Obviously fishing reels don't have the same high temp issue as firearms, but I have been using both on my reels so far with no complaint. I will say this is mostly because I already have precision oilers for both already loaded up.

I just picked up a Lews Pro Speed Spin that I have been really impressed with so far. It comes with a spare braid spool, which I like as I am still trying out different lines and it is nice to be able to swap out on the water. My only other "nice" spinning reel is a Stradic FJ 1000. For a tiny reel it as pulled in some impressive fish and has held up great to a ton of salt/brackish use with a fairly neglectful owner.

I am going to focus on RG this season as my primary LBM water. I usually fish out of a kayak but also really like bank fishing. I plan on using this map: http://www.mgs.md.gov/coastal_geology/rockygorge.html to work structure until I get a FF installed on my yak.

I bought a few EcoPro Gnat Jigs to use in canals and shallow coves in reservoirs. Have not fished them yet but in the bathtub test they look great with both a 4" keitech impact and a small z-man batwing.

I have only caught a few bass at Allen's Pond, but I have seen a few monsters cruising around the dock, which keeps me coming back. At Governor's Bridge, I have only really had luck in the smaller ponds. Nothing too big, but constant smaller ones. I was just there today throwing a chatterbait and a Jelly worm for a while. Had a few nips on the former, nothing on the big worm. I have always managed at least a fish or two there in the last few weeks, no idea why today was so off. In anycase, I saw some bluegill today and the SAV seems to be coming in now, so the pond should turn on soon.

Nice job. I clearly need to explore those two areas more, I usually stick to Allen Pond and Governors Bridge when I am in that area.

Yea, last summer was my first where I really focused on bass, and I mostly used a Ned rig. Im excited to get out and try some other stuff. Anyone ever fish the Widewater section of the canal by Angler's Inn? It looks like it was designed as bass habitat but I have only ever caught anything in a shallow muddy corner of it. I really need to drag my kayak out there some day.

The Swains lock area is where I do most of my fishing on the canal. You day is totally dependent on the water level. I have caught 4 fish on 5 casts in the spillway right next to the parking lot, on other days I have hiked 6 miles and been totally skunked. My general sense of the canal up that way is "plentiful small bass, plentiful small sunnies". I have seen reports of bass in the 3-4lb range but I have never caught one. I cut my teeth on that section of the canal and it is really a good school, as the cover and structure changes so much over a mile or three, that you can practice a bunch of different stuff in one afternoon. This summer I am going to try my hand at finesse flippin (Tiny Brush Hog and a 1/16oz bullet weight) once the SAV comes in, there are always a ton of clear holes among the downed trees. Near Tacoma Park there is a stretch of Northwest Branch above Burnt Mills that is about 2 miles of deepish slackwater behind the old dam. It is very very heavily pressured, but I have seen some decent bass swimming right by my lures. It is a nice little trail in any case, and there is always the fallback of panfishing.

This is the best I have come up with as well. I use the 1/16oz ones on the 3.8 FIs, I think the smaller amount of weight keeps the action intact better when fishing them slowly and gives a little weight to help them dive and flounder a bit when you stop cranking. I use the same jig for the 4" Impacts when I want a smaller presentation.

I tried some internal weights but all the bell sinkers I had were too large for the smaller tubes I want to use. I need to find some smaller sinkers i guess. I went out yesterday for a few hours to try some of the rigs out. The Draggin head and the Rugby heads both had great action, the Draggin giving a more spiraled fall and the Rugby being better for a bottom hop retrieve. The Draggin head did snag a bit more but I never lost a jig, just had the tube stripped off once. The Arkie didnt do well at all, very little action and pretty prone to snag. I think it is out of the running. The Stupid jig and tube preformed very well, with good action and no snagging. I really wish they fit the Powerteam tubes. Once home I came up with one more idea to try: It's a Moaner swimbait hook. They are cheaper than the Draggin heads and I already use them for small swimbaits. They can also be rigged internally if I pop the twist lock off. Looks like the testing will continue.

This was my first cast with a Rage Tail Anaconda. It flew an impressive distance. My heaviest (well, non-surf) rod is only a M so I was trying to make up for it with a ton of force. Now I just give them a gentle flip and find they go decently far. I had a two of their 7" Pro Snake lures in my sample bag, both were hit on their first cast. I lost one to a biteoff and landed the second. Within five or six casts it was hit again and bit off. I am going to order more just as soon as I can figure out how to rig them to get better hook-ups. I was t-rigging them sideways, they moved a ton even with a super slow retrieve.

Yeah, I do plan to use them more when I can paddle or wade over to retrieve them. I like the 3/8oz ones for worms, so I might as well order some more of the 1/8s to play with. It does look good: These heads are from Eiron Breaker, at 1/4oz. They are well made and under $2 per. They are too long for the Food Chain tubes, but the Secret Lures ones fit perfectly.

I have recently decided to get into tube fishing. I wade/hike a lot of small rivers and wanted a larger profile bait then the Ned Rig I usually fish there. I also wanted a way to rig the tubes weedless and if possible to make it so that I can replace a tube without retying the head. I decided to test two brands of jigs, Secret Lures and PowerTeam. The Secret Lures tubes match up perfectly with their Stupid Tub heads, so I will fish them like that. However, the PowerTeam tubes a a bit small for the Stupid Jigs: Rooting through my jig collection, I came up with the following ideas. I would love any feedback on them. I will give them all a test in the coming weeks, but would like any insight I can get. First I used a Confidence Baits Draggin Head, the full sized 1/8oz version: They are well made and well regarded, but fairly pricy and I will feel the sting of each lost one. I feel they might gather weeds and the like due to being more exposed then some of my other options. I also am not sure how they will fair in super clear, still water. Next up I have a VMC 1/16oz Rugby fig: The hook just catches the end of the tube but is solidly in there. I like these jigs alot and they are my goto for most 3-4" swimbaits and small worms. I have a good stock of these from some sale and they are decently priced in any case. My concern with them is how they will affect the action of the tube due to the weight being out front. I also worry that the hook being so far back will hurt the action. Next is a 1/16" Arkie head: These are from Walmart and are very very cheap. I like how the hook still leaves plenty of tube to wiggle, but my concerns about the action are the same as the VMC head. Also they will snag more, but their low price makes that sting much less. Lastly, I have a 1/16thoz jig from Oldhams: A more traditional type, the hook is long enough that it does not pierce the tube at all, but the head is well jammed into the body and I have little worry that it will move. However, this style will require retying whenever a tube is damaged. These jigs are also very cheap so I will be more inclined to toss them into risky places. My last option is to rig them weightless, but a 3/0 hook seems too long, and I don't have any 2/0 on hand to test. but I suspect they will do fine. So, there we are. Like I said, any feedback or suggestions are welcome, especially any recommendations for other jigs/hooks that I have overlooked.

I went to the pond at Governors Bridge road yesterday. I was determened to finally give senkos a try, but I am so d**n impatient I gave up after a few short strikes I switched out to a 4" Impact and immediately caught two little 12" guys. I returned to the senkos and fished the entire small pond and got nothing else. After dusk fell I switched back to the Impact and caught one more 12"er. I am not a good-slow fisher. Nice job! So far my local ponds have never produced anything nearly that size.

A guy local to me is a big booster for their saltwater sister company, 12 Fathom. He gave me a sample pack and I have caught fish will every lure I have tried. They make a great little ribbon tailed worm, lots of action and very light weight for the size. Their stuff in general seems to be a good balance between soft/durable and buoyant/weighted.

I am south of Annapolis and am getting into big worms with an eye to use them at Rocky Gorge this season. Most of the reports from last year seem to say that 1/2oz slow rolled spinners, lipless cranks, and big worms seem to be the ticket for big bass there. I am going to focus on RG this year as my primary bass lake, might make a thread about it later to look of advice about the gear and tactics I am looking at using.

I bought a Stormr surf top to use while kayaking in the winter. It is insane and almost too much insulation in anything above 20f. During the little blizzard this winter I was able to wander around outside in just the surf top and a light poly undershirt comfortable for hours when the tem was in the high 20's with a ton of wind. If you are standing still it might be a good choice but I have never gotten it to work when I am exerting myself at all without over heating. For more normal rain jackets, I find the Marmot Precip to be a great choice under $100. My main hiking rain coat is a Marmot Artemis. It is about twice as much as the Precip but is much more breathable and pack up super small. If you hate money but want something to last a lifetime, then look up the Arcteryx Beta AR. Precip: https://www.rei.com/product/859278/marmot-precip-rain-jacket-mens Artemis: https://marmot.com/products/details/artemis-jacket] Beta AR: http://www.arcteryx.com/product.aspx?language=EN&model=Beta-AR-Jacket

It just needs marketing, how does "Crunchy Fried Pike on a Stick" sound?

Now that is a cool idea. Maybe even using a Molle/PALs system for a more secure attachment?

I only started fishing about 2 years ago and started with L and UL rods, due to white perch being the first species I targeted. When I became more interested in bass fishing it was hard going for a while in terms of finding the right lures and getting good hooksets. Only in the last few months have I grudgingly accepted that I am doing my self a disservice and have moved up to ML and M rods as my mainstays. I will go against the grain and suggest you start with a shorter rod, in the 5'-6' range, especially if fishing from shore. It will be much more forgiving to learn to cast with shorter rod when standing among trees and brush, and you should be working on accuracy and repeatability before distance. After you get past the fishing for trees stage, you can step up to a longer rod. If you are going to start from a boat or clear shorelines, then disregard.