RockvilleMDAngler

I expect to have my motor fixed in time, the parts shipped on Friday from Motorguide so hopefully they arrive at the shop by the middle of this week and can be installed soon. If not I will anchor around unless there is a ton of wind. Since I have never set foot on the warm side of Anna and I don't have a contour map of that side will anyone be willing to share some spots with me?

I have never done it but I hear it is a lot of fun. The Georgetown area gets packed with shad and they will put up a d**n good fight on light line. I have heard of people catching striper at the same time since they follow the shad in and have a feast.

I heard from the guys at the Sportsman's center today and they have handled all the warranty stuff and are waiting on the parts to arrive from motorguide. Hopefully it arrives in time and I can take out CMatthews.

I am really looking forward to this but I dropped my trolling motor off yesterday to get some work done (bad bearing) and there is no guarantee that I will have it back by the 31st. If it is not ready can I ride in someones boat or invite someone who owns a boat that I could ride in?

Because it's winter! I have been fishing the buddy in cold water since I joined my bass club and fished with a member who was on the silver buddy fishing team. If you think that blade baits are a secret on the river you are crazy.

I could do Sunday the 31st but not that Saturday :-( My club is having a seminar on the 30th with Jamie Fralick and Steve Chaconas and I have to be there.

Hey Steve I would LOVE to come and fish the hot side if there is room for another boater.

I fished 4mr, blue plains, and the spoils yesterday. 4mr was very "muddy" and the only thing that bit was a shad and a big carp that slammed a silver buddy. I nailed some nice bass (including a 3.5 pounder) in blue plains on a silver buddy and some really nice crappie on a Mann's stingray grub under the dock. Also caught one small bass in the spoils on a silver buddy but the water there was very cold. All ice was gone yesterday but there was a lot on Saturday which Steve can attest to.

That is the best article I have ever read on jig fishing. Thanks!

Sorry to hear about the theft! Thiefs drive me crazy! Make sure you speak to your boat insurance company and have them add some protection for tackle. I have $5000 of coverage for tackle on my policy from Progressive, it would not be enough to replace all the gear if my boat sank with all of it on board, but it would be enough to get me back fishing quickly.

Looking forward to fishing with you!!

Hey Steve, check your PM

It is supposed to be 49 degrees on Saturday and I am planning on fishing blue plains and four mile from 9:00 till 3:00 or until I have had enough. Will anyone else be out there? Is the Belle Haven ramp free of ice and if not how about Gravelly?

Awesome bait! It spits and chugs very well and has become my go-to topwater bait especially when I am fishing near pike and could lose my Lobina Ricos. They aren't cheap but they are really good for the money.

Pittsburgh is a great town! Cost of living is low, people are really nice, and football is king. I spent 4.5 of the happiest years of my life in that town while going to Pitt. I now live in the DC area but I fish Deep Creek Lake a lot and it is spectacular in the spring and fall (too crowded in the summer). Mapquest says it is a hair under 2 hours from Cannonsburg but I would estimate it at 1.5 hours if you don't have to deal with much traffic and leave early. You can still get Pittsburgh radio stations at Deep Creek so it isn't that far. The three rivers can be decent but Deep Creek is the best bass boat lake near Pittsburgh; it is loaded with Largemouth, Smallmouth, Northern Pike, trout, and walleye. Erie is awesome but can be a nightmare if the waves are up and you are in a bass boat, if you are going to make that drive up be sure to check the conditions first.

Great points! Marcia I have read all your posts on this topic and I respect your passion; however, it appears as though you are so involved in the WBT that you see more interest in the WBT than actually exists. The WBT had a niche market and did not receive enough exposure to break out; however, bass fishing in general does not receive that much exposure. The people who follow the WBT are going to the events and are showing you the support but there aren't thousands of them at home who care but don't go. If BASS tournaments were in prime time and guys like KVD were household names throughout the US then a WBT would have a much better shot. The reality is that there is a passionate group of people who love fishing and follow the pros and are willing to get up on a Saturday morning to watch but they are not enough to get ratings in the primetime spots let alone support a women's tour. If you asked 100 random people who KVD was you would probably get 10-30% of the people who knew (not necessarily followed) who he was depending on the area you question. Since fishing means so much to those of us on this site we tend to surround ourselves with like-minded anglers and assume that more people are familiar with this stuff but that really isn't the case. The vast majority of tackle and boats are purchased by Men, these same men support the men's tours by buying advertiser's products but they buy them because the BEST ON EARTH are using it and winning with it. Why would these same Men watch a tour where the competitors are not as good (not trying to knock Women anglers but the Elite Series guys are the cream of the crop pulled from a larger pool of anglers who compete at many different levels while the WBT was struggling to get enough women to even sign up) when he can just as easily dedicate his time to follow the elite? If I am buying tackle do I want to buy the stuff that let KVD win or the stuff that let Kim Bain Moore win in a smaller field? If you were a tackle manufacturer in a tough economy would you want to support the Elite guys who have the attention of 88% of the tackle buying public or support the Women's tour that might get the attention of 12% of the tackle buying public? My wife is a d**n good angler and she fishes as a co-angler in my club (and has cashed several checks) but she is not as passionate about fishing as I am, she uses the gear I buy and watches the fishing shows I watch. I would wager that a majority of female anglers are the same way. Sure a properly supported Women's tour might get the attention of more Women and cause more Women to buy tackle and boats but it has not been a hobby that Women have traditionally been active in. It would be a big risk for any group be it ESPN, FLW, Ranger etc. to dedicate the funds to try and get more women to become boaters and anglers especially in this tough economy. The WNBA exists solely because the NBA is (actually was) so profitable that it could lose money on the WNBA and actually net profit because of the tax savings caused by the WNBA losses. Should a generation of young girls grow up watching the WNBA they may create a profitable market years down the line, but this would not be possible without the NBA paying the bill. NBA owners were fine with the tax savings and the possibility of an ROI years down the line but now that NBA owners are struggling the WNBA is barely breathing. The same is true with BASS except that BASS was not exactly printing cash like the NBA. I agree that the Elite guys should not fish in the Opens. The waitlist is still long because there are enough people who want to be pro anglers. While it sucks that not everyone gets the chance to fish the Opens I don't think it is a result of sexism it is just a numbers game. There are more men applying! I am sure that with enough persistence and skill anyone no matter the gender could get into an Open and fish their way to the Elite series. I wish you the best of luck with your fishing career and with your passion I think the sky is the limit!

Be sure you don't fall in as you will definitely get some hypothermia! I don't think I will make it out until we get back to the 40 degree weather.

Joining a bass club is the #1 best way to improve your fishing and learn. Make sure you joing one that is focused on teaching and not competition.

Danika Patrick races cars with men and I am sure they were not all thrilled to have her on the circuit when she started. Even if there is some sexism at the Open events (and I don't see why there would be, someone who thinks women are bad at fishing should be happy that they are contributing their entry fees to the pot that they won't win), these ladies should still sign up and prove themselves. The fish don't care what gender you are so there should be no seperate tour. I am sure a lot of these women would fare very well in the opens and I wouldn't be shocked if a few made it onto the elite series!

Looks like a good time! Steve I will let you know if I can make it ASAP. Do you know for sure that Swindle is speaking on Saturday? They have no schedule up for the seminars on the website.

I just organized all my tackle and I don't need another thing. Would it still be worth coming down from the DC area for the speakers? If I bring home even one more bag of soft plastics my wife will kill me, it took me all day Friday and 1/2 day Saturday to organize everything and put it in my new 6-drawer chest so that I can find what I am looking for!

A Goretex suit is a MUST! Cabelas Guidewear is good as is the 100MPH Bass Pro gear. I have the Cabelas bib and jacket and it works wonders! When it is really cold I use a fleece liner underneath the jacket. I also use the jacket and bib in the fall when I expect rain, that suit is totally waterproof and you will thank God you have it when it is pouring rain in late October. Under Armour or similar longjohns is vital as people have already mentioned. I usually wear at least one sweatshirt and a long sleeve T-Shirt over top of the Under Armour. I have a real hard time fishing with gloves but I wear one on my reeling hand and a fingerless glove on my rod/casting hand when it is REALLY cold. The hand warmers work well but I usually keep them in my pocket and warm my hands as needed. be sure to grab several of those hand warmers as it is not uncommon to get a dud. If you intend on running on plane in cold weather I HIGHLY recommend a Save Phace mask. Making a 20 minute run at full throttle in 30 degree temps is miserable if you don't have one of these. Ski Goggles and a cloth face mask will work also but the Save Phace does not fog up as much. I like to spray mine with RainX the day before I use it to make sure it doesn't fog up while I am going full throttle.

I thought the senko came out in the late 90's? It still probably gets the #1 seed because everyone now has them in their box but I would vote for one of the following: - Chatterbaits - Definitely originated in the 00's and is fished by TONS of people. - Toads/Buzz frogs - They might have been around before (although I don't remember them) but in the last 5 years they have become the go-to lure for heavy grass. - Hollow body frogs - Yes they existed but the Spro version and it's knockoffs were much more effective than the old school versions. They quickly became a mainstay in the tackle box of heavy cover anglers everywhere. - Sweet Beaver - One of the most effective soft plastic innovations ever and imitated by every tackle manufacturer. Definitely entered the market in the 00's.

I like to fish points and deep humps with a CRig with a 18-30" leader and a 1/2-3/4 tungsten weight. I tend to drag it slowly most of the time and sweep set on anything that feels different. I tend to use the CRig in deeper water and a split shot rig in shallow (under 5 feet) water. I don't use either in grass unless it is very sparse.

1) I don't change floaters into suspenders, I just buy suspending jerkbaits. 2) I do both depending on the mood of the fish. In cold water (under 50 degrees) I like to jerk it on a slack line, if I feel the bait on the jerk then I need a bit more slack in the line. As the water gets into the high 50's I work the lure faster and will pull more and jerk with less slack in the line. If I come accross active fish in colder water I will jerk with less slack or use longer pulls but this is not my normal retrieve. LONGER pauses in colder water. 3) Depending on the activity level of the fish I will reel a few times (or pull) before beginning my retrieve, if I see surface activity or if I am getting bit shortly after the lure lands then I will start jerking immediately. If I am working a shallow flat I will not reel or pull the lure down at all. 4) Let the fish tell you what they prefer. I usually use neutral jerkbaits but I have some nose-down baits that I will tie on if the neutral ones are not getting bit. IMHO Jerkbaits always work in jerkbait conditions (<55 degrees, clear or lightly stained water) so if you are throwing a jerkbait in those conditions and not getting bit with various retrieves you should change your jerkbait color or go to one with a different action. When the water is between 45 and 55 degrees I will throw a jerkbait until my wrists are too sore to keep throwing it. 5) I will throw a deeper diving jerkbait along dropoffs and channels when the fish are not active enough to swim up to get a 3-4' jerkbait or hit a crankbait. I usually fish these with a long rod and a pulling motion with LONG pauses. If I jerk the bait it is with a very slight jerk. The deeper diving jerkbaits will wear your arms out quicker if you are retrieving them with hard jerks and shorter pauses. If the fish are deep but active I will throw a crankbait instead of a deep diving jerkbait. Even though you didn't ask I will tell you that my favorite suspending jerkbaits are the Lucky Craft Pointers (78 for finicky fish in clear water, 100 in stained water or when fish are hitting with abandon) and the Megabass Trick Darter. The Trick Darter in clown color will work really well even in heavily stained water, it is VERY bright and pauses perfectly so that fish can find it in dirty water. I will sometimes throw a Lucky Craft live series pointer if the fish are chasing bait, this lure looks VERY natural and has landed me a lot of big fish but there are times when they will not hit it at all but will slam a normal pointer. The live series lure is always in the back of my mind when throwing a jerkbait.