RockvilleMDAngler

I fished last Saturday out of Fountainhead in the rain and caught a bunch of 2lbers. A bandit 300 in 12-18' over wood was the main producer but also caught some pitching soft plastics to shallow wood as long as there is 8'+ of water nearby. I hope to get out next Saturday and find them shallower. Also I keep seeing videos and hearing reports that people are catching fish on chatterbaits on the Rez but I have been unable to catch anything with them there. I do well with them on the River in grass but I must be doing something wrong. I fish them shallow, deep, in between, fast, slow etc. Nothing.

Has anyone seen the res in the last day or two who might be able to tell me if it is worth fishing at all tomorrow? I called Fountainhead and they said it was very muddy so I am thinking about launching at Lake Ridge if it isnt a total mess down there.

Great! Thanks!!!

Thanks for the info!!! So which launch should I use?

A few stupid questions about the Occoquan from someone who is trying to find new spots now that the Potomac is in a decline: 1) Can I fish the Occoquan with my trolling motor only if I have a 225hp on the back of my boat? 2) If I can fish the Occuquan in my boat this weekend where should I launch if I want to fish shallow for fish chasing bait? 3) Any other tips (if I can in fact fish this reservoir in my boat) would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Yup.

That shouldn't be hard to do! Bring spinnerbaits!

Hey guys, I haven't been on this site in a while as my fishing time has been dramatically cut since the birth of my daughter in 2010 and the birth of my son two months ago. I might be known to some of you as the guy who whipped the chatterbait into Brian's face, not one of my finer moments... Anyway I have been given the OK to get the boat out tomorrow and I am trying to decide between driving down to Aquia to fish the Potomac or driving to Black Hills. I fished black hills two weeks ago and only managed one dink but I know that when they get on beds that lake is the best in Maryland. I had fished exclusively in the Little Seneca Creek side and I am wondering if the Ten Mile side would be better. If they have moved up in the last few days Black Hills will be my choice but if not I will be slinging chatterbaits and traps on the River. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! And I did manage to run into Brian last time I was out and I know what bait was working for him, unfortunately I threw it for a few hours with nothing to show for it (probably fished all the water he had just been through after he vacuumed em all up!).

Burn a lipless crankbait over emerging grass and rip it free if it gets caught.

X3 on wasting your money. There are some real good sticks in these events. Even if you look at the weigh-in results and see that several guys zereod, realize that they probably had a limit that they knew wouldn't win so they bailed without weighing.

Yellow perch in Little Seneca is great news! Perch can get pretty big and will provide a big food source which can help get those big bass even bigger.

I only know this because it drives me crazy that they won't put shad in there. As good as that lake is, it would be even better with a big time schooling baitfish.

I am 100% positive that there are no shad at Black Hills. The main forage fish are bullhead minnows and bluegill.

I have canoed both and I think you will do better in the Rappahanock, but low water is always a concern on those rivers.

Is there any place we can go to follow the progress of the protest? Maybe there is a petition that we could sign? Here is the off limits area:

Know that boat carpeting is a time consuming job but it can be done at home if you have the time and patience. For the seat recovering I would probably call Nitro and see if they still make that seat and just buy a new middle seat. If they don't have it you should get it professionally re-upholstered, it shouldn't be too expensive for just that little seat.

Both of these boats seem to be money pits. A boat that age WILL have stringer and transom problems if it was stored outside, even if it was under a cover. I would bet that both of these boats will require a full rebuild or parting out within one year. Even if the fiberglass on the transom has not cracked, water has definitely gotten back to the transom (in both boats) and it's only a matter of time before that motor collapses the transom. If you are looking to buy a boat for under $2k I recommend saving for another year and buying something for $4-5k that will last you a lot longer.

Hey Steve, I would love to join you this winter but my wife is due with our first child in early November. If I can sneak off for a Saturday or Sunday later this winter I will send you a PM.

Way to go Steve! The size limit changes to 12" on the 15th but if you want to do well in any tournament on the river you need to have a limit of 15+" fish. Keep it up and you will be cashing checks in no time! Also tell Tammy I said congrats on the big fish!

Wow this thread is a blast from the past!!!

I have made the run fromo Leesylvania to Mattawoman numerous times in bad weather and I only have a 16'2" Skeeter with a 90hp Yamaha. Once I got caught in a totally unexpected hailstorm and had to run from Neabsco to Marshall Hall in a dark-as-night heavy storm. I should have just stayed in Neabsco until the storm passed but I was new to boating and panicked.

I was there last week and they don't have the bulk spools of 12lb. only 6 and 20. I have spooled up one rod with PLine Fluorocarbon and another set up with Gamma Edge 12lb. Hopefully one of these two will meet my specs so I can order a bunch of it. If not I will give the Berkley another shot and then probably go back to the XPS reluctantly.

Basics of fishing grass on the river: - At high tide fish the inside grass edge (the edge closest to shore) - At low tide fish the outside grass edge (the edge closer to the channel) - The grass edge that you can see is not necessarily the actual edge of the grass, use your electronics to locate the grass edge and fish it thoroughly with soft plastics and moving baits. Begin moving in towards the thicker stuff if you are not getting bit, once you find the area the fish are holding you can use that same technique and depth at other grass in similar tide situations (run the river chasing the tide). - Use a frog bait (either a buzz frog or a hollow body) to find fish in matted grass but be ready with a heavy (1-2 ounce weight) flipping rig to punch the mats when the frog reveals fish. Don't waste too much time on each flip, punch through the mat shake it then flip again, you are looking for a reaction bite from these fish. - If a high tide leaves a space from the top of the grass to the surface fish this with a Baby 1- crankbait, spinnerbait, or chatterbait. If there is a lot of wind with this situation a spinnerbait or chatterbait is your best bet. - Look for irregularities in the grass. Cuts, points, different grass types etc are good spots to target.

I am going to need this for texas rigs primarily. I fish texas rigs with a 7' Loomis GLX MH jig and worm rod with a new Curado (fishing deep or grass edges, used 90% of the time), or on my 6'6" JB Custon MH "Snake" with a zillion reel (around docks or when pitching to close cover). I always use KVD line and lure conditioner the night before so that the line is manageable. The XPS line is stiffer than all the others I have tried which to me transmits sensation far better. I can deal with some line memory since I usually have very little slack in my line unless I am fishing a drop off or fishing deep but even then I hold the line with my fingers when reeling up the slack so it stays on tight. For jigs/carolina rigs/punching I am throwing 20lb fluoro and I had good results with the Abrasx but the 12lb Abrasx was nowhere near as sensitive as the XPS. For most crankbaits I throw PLine fluoroclear in 12lb since it has some stretch but sinks (I use 12lb fluoro for lipless cranks as it rips them from grass better than the stretchier hybrid).

Is the Suffix as thick as the Vicious fluorocarbon? I hated that stuff, it was like fishing with pasta!