Fried Lemons

It's definitely not a braid problem. I fished the reel a few times and this is the first time the problem has occurred.

I have a casting reel only a few months old and barely used. I've caught a few fish on it and had no problems on any of my trips. After about two weeks of sitting at home, I decided to take this reel out today only to find I could not get it out of freespool. When I engage the reel line still plays out. I have tried tightening down the drag and even at maximum, the spool still plays out line freely. Does anyone have any idea what the problem might be and how I might fix it? I am pretty new to casting reels and have never opened one up before.

Caught 2 3lbers at Swain's Lock today on a spinnerbait. Surprise catch of the day was a 14" yellow perch on that same spinnerbait.

I decided to dedicate today to fishing jerkbaits, which I have had very little success with before. I decided to try the C&O around old angler's inn. I walked about a mile and caught this 5.7 on the edge of some fast current. I am now a believer.

Pad crasher for best bang for your buck. Live target if money is not a concern. The live target is more durable though so that could be a consideration.

I went to Swain's Lock today. Had to walk a long way, but I found the bigger fish. All caught on a 2" power grub on a 1/16 jig of all things. Also hooked into a 10lb+ carp but unfortunately the hook bent after a long tussle. 19" 20"

Swain's is a great place to go frogging in the summer once the surface mats up. I caught my pb there last year.

Went to the C&O today. The fish were hitting shallow crankbaits banged against cover.

Check out the exsence dc.

I've only fished fletcher's in the spring, but if you can make it during the shad runs, the fishing can be spectacular. White perch, american shad, striped bass, and blue catfish can all be had from shore. It gets very crowded on weekends though. I have heard the slackwater pools around the Chain Bridge hold snakeheads during the spring runs. There is a population which migrates up there to spawn. Supposedly they are difficult to catch at that time though.

They changed it back while I was checking out.

The river around Violette's lock is a good place to start. The river is shallow and rocky so you will have to wade to reach the main channel.

The C&O canal is a long body of water with easy shore access along its length. The bass fishing can be great if you know where to look. As a bonus it runs parallel to the Potomac river. There are a few good smallmouth spots which can be accessed from the canal towpath if you like wading.

One lure I haven't seen mentioned yet is 1/8 kastmaster spoons. These have the benefit of casting much farther than other lures in the same weight class.

I noticed these from a sale on TW and they caught my eye. Does anyone have experience with these baits? They look like a pretty solid leech imitation.

Congrats! Is that a gulp nightcrawler?

I've never used it before but the phenix x10 is rated for lures 1/4-1oz. Tackletour seems to support this though. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewphenixx10.html

Man, I saw those on sale on the Dick's site yesterday, checked out today and they were gone.

Managed a few fish today on a short outing.

I've been eyeing that reel and am somewhat torn between the 2500 and 3000. I'd like to know what you think of that reel once you've fished it a bit.

Sent pm.

Had a fantastic day at the C&O canal. The vegetation has died down so I brought out the ultralight gear. Caught 8 largemouth between 1-2 pounds, nothing big. I did get bit by something that ran in circles for about 3 minutes before spitting the hooks. I could not get it to come up with such light gear. The surprise of the day were the jumbo crappies which until today I didn't know were in that section of the canal. I caught half a dozen around 11-14". All the fish were caught on a gold kastmaster. Also spotted a snakehead sunning in the shallows. It would not take anything I threw at it. I thought they had been fished out from all the recent pressure but it seems they are very hard to eradicate.

After reading reports of crappie schooling near bridges and piers in the tidal potomac, I decided to try and catch them for a change of pace. Being shorebound, I went exploring some marinas in the Fort Washington area and located a school. All caught on a 2" chartreuse berkley power grub. The largest was 12".

My dad got into fishing when I was around 5 years old and would keep absolutely anything we caught. We didn't specifically target bass, we would just bait with some nightcrawlers and take whatever happened to come by. As I grew older and I started learning to target bass, I noticed that some of the productive areas I had been fishing since the beginning were no longer producing fish of any size. We were by no means the only fishermen in those areas with the harvest all mentality. I've seen firsthand the impact that over harvest even within legal limits can have on a local fishery. I now release almost all of the bass I catch. I feel it also sets a good example for people who are interested in getting into the sport.