RockvilleMDAngler

I used a pair of Wiley X XL-1 this year and overall they were pretty good. I could see into the water extremely well with them but I did notice them fogging up, especially with the foam insert. Eventually I stopped using the insert except for when the glare was so high that it was worth the fogging to put them in. Towards the end of the season the straight earpiece started to give me headaches and irritate my ear. My brother-in-law just got me a pair of Costas for Christmas and I can't wait to try them out. They are much more comfortable than the Wiley X glasses, hopefully they don't fog up. I will keep and use both sets as they have different color lenses but I think the Costas will become my #1 seed due to the comfort.

I don't think I have ever missed a bite because my sinker was lead or felt a bite because of a tungsten sinker; however, the tungsten sinker does transmit the feel of the bottom better than lead. I have a better chance of telling if the bottom is a shell bed or just small rocks with tungsten, I agree that you should feel a bite no matter what sinker you use.

I guess it is impossible to prove but I definitely noticed an increase in the amount of fish I caught when I switched to the tungsten weights. I guess it could be that the tungsten weights are the same color as the worm which was not the case when I was using unpainted lead.

I only use Tungsten but for different reasons than the ones posted. I use high end rods (Loomis GLX, Dobyns ExTreme Champion) and fluorocarbon for my soft plastic fishing so I never complained about the sensitivity of lead weights, but the tungsten weights are smaller and are more exact. You never buy a 3/16 ounce tru tungsten worm weight and have it weigh anything other than 3/16 ounce, the same cannot be said for most lead weights. I have had lead weights vary drastically in actual weight from the same package. The smaller size of the weights gets me more bites than lead. Any sensitivity increase is just icing on the cake.

Are you rigging this with a soft plastic swimbait? The hook you pictured looks like a slider head which I love to use on finesse worms but normally would not use on a swimbait. If these are what I think they are then they are designed to be fished like a texas rig or s-l-o-w-l-y swimmed along the bottom, if they are rolling you are probably fishing them too fast and should switch to a standard texas rig or weighted hook. Try rigging a zoom finesse worm on a 1/8 ounce head and skipping it under a dock, they are spectacular for dock fishing.

I don't think one day would be enough. If I fished with any elite pro for a day I would probably end up with more bad habits then good since I would continually try to do what he did on that one day. The only way I would really come out of an experience like that with an improved fishing sense is if I fished with the pro for 10-20 times in a season and learned why he makes the decisions he makes. There is too much to learn for one day. I have been out on the Potomac River several times with well respected guides and each trip has improved my fishing but the drastic impact was felt on the 5th and 6th trips, not the first. Anyway if I could go for 10-20 trips I would want to fish with KVD, his knowledge of fish movements and migrations is second to none and I want to learn to fish better with the trolling motor on high.

Even though it is a hybrid I like the Lucky Craft Gunfish the best. It walks better than the non-cupped baits and can be cast a country mile. It makes a tiny bit more noise than a normal walk-the-dog bait and gets more strikes IMHO.

I got several of the Grandebass Megatail Rattlesnakes and Diamondbacks and a new battery charger for my boat from my wife, a pair of Costas from my brother-in-law, and a new chest of drawers from my mom for me to organize my soft plastics (I have too many). I used my BPS gift card on a 1000 yard spool of 6lb BPS fluoro. I also got several *** gift cards and I used them for the following: Stradic Mg FB Spinning Reel 1000 G. Loomis Shakyhead Spinning 6'10" Mag-Med TW T-Shirt Burnt Orange TW Hoodie Brown/Orange 2 Lucky Craft LV-0 American Shad 2 Lucky Craft LV-0 Mad Craw 2 Lucky Craft LV-0 Spring Craw 2 Lucky Craft LVR D-7 Fire Tiger 2 Lucky Craft LVR D-7 Mad Craw 2 Lucky Craft LVR D-7 Moss Green Craw 2 Lucky Craft LVR D-7 Spring Craw

Until we get a 40-45 degree Saturday or Sunday I will probably be staying home. Plus I am getting some work done on the boat right now so I haven't been out.

4 mile can be spectacular or very humbling. I have had 50 fish days throwing a weightless senko near any concrete structure and then been skunked the next day doing the same thing. The water is very clear most of the time so you can see the fish bite. I usually come down the left side by boat and if I have not been bit by the time I go under the route 1 bridge I can assume that the bite is off and I leave to fish the spoils or blue plains. If I get bit I fish the whole place thoroughly as all those bridge supports hold fish.

My parents have a 60 acre farm in VA near Front Royal and they have been planning a pond for a while now but it is a serious pain in the butt to get approval. They have a big creek that runs through their property and a smaller one that feeds the larger creek, they are planning to dam up the smaller one and make a 1.5 acre pond. The COE has yet to approve the plans but we are confident it will happen. Once you get approval you need to build the pond correctly, it is more than just digging a hole and filling it up. You need to have overflow protection so that the dam or pond walls don't collapse in a heavy rain sending thousands of gallons of water into your neighbor's house. If you are using a feeder creek you need to make sure that you don't introduce any species that are non-native (we cannot use shad to stock our pond as they would get into the creek which is currently shad-less). Once you have a pond you need to have it stocked and then within a year or two you need to harvest smaller bass so that they don't overpopulate the pond and stunt the growth of the rest of the fish. If you are catching a 10" bass on every cast then you need to start harvesting those 10" fish so that the bass don't get out of hand. There are a few farm ponds near my parents house that have that problem but the owners won't let you keep any fish >

LOL That was not intentional but it sure looks that way in the photo. Those guys behind me fished that same shoreline very slowly so we moved around them and hit paydirt, I did see them nail a few keepers before we called it a day. I don't rub anything in since i have been on the losing end enough to know how much it sucks; but I won't pretend I didn't get excited catching that fish behind some other guys who had just fished that area.

I went out on Saturday and caught a big girl weighing 5 lbs exactly in the spoils. She bit a peanut butter and jelly jig with a chigger craw trailer.

I had heard that Manassas was made off limits due to a golf course that didn't want boats to ruin the "view", they used terrorism fears to enforce the closing of the ramp (Saying that the water could be contaminated by a terrorist on a bass boat). Maybe I was misinformed. Either way I would love to finally fish that lake!!!!!

I might get out on Saturday depending on the weather. I was supposed to fish this past weekend but the snow kept me home. I think I will hit up the spoils/blue plains area if I make it out.

As someone who fished several Warbird tournaments in 2009 I have to warn you that if you don't have 20lbs you will not cash a check, same with LAPR. It might take 25 pounds to cash a check in the early spring tournaments. They are run very well but they are expensive and there are a lot of guys who are sponsored and competing in big money events. For tournaments that are not loaded with guys trying to make it onto the elite series try: www.fishonbassclub.com. Lots of really nice guys who know how to fish but are happy to teach as well. After every weigh-in each person says where and how they caught their fish. I have learned more in the two years I fished as a co-angler and one year as a boater than I did anywhere else. We also hold monthly meetings and periodic seminars, last year's seminar featured Elite Series angler John Crews and Potomac Guide Steve Chaconas. We are open to boaters but we are in need of more co-anglers as well!

I have the 101B on my Carolina Rig rod and it is stupendous. Casts like a dream and very light. I don't think you can get a smoother reel under $300.

I like the spot remover and Megastrike Shake2 heads. I use both jigheads in the lightest weights I can get away with. If I am skipping docks I use the spot remover in 1/8 or 1/16 ounce, the 1/8 is better on windy days. I use the Shake2 in open water where I can cast it out, usually I throw the 3/16 since it is the lightest size they make but is still heavy enough to get down quickly. I use finesse worms like the zoom finesse worm, zoom trick worm, squirrel tail worm, strike king 3x etc. in watermelon candy, green pumpkin, or mardi gras (for clear water) or black, junebug, plum or redbug (stained water). I throw all of my shakey heads on spinning gear. I use 6'M action rods (they are better for skipping docks than the larger rods IMHO), with 6lb fluoro on a daiwa exceler 1500 (no need to spend big money on a spinning reel IMHO, the diawa is very good for the money). Shakey heads are great in cool weather or any time the bite is tough. In the colder water be sure to throw as close as possible to hard cover (pilings, rip rap, laydowns, standing timber etc.) and let it sit motionless for 10-15 seconds, then barely shake the rod tip on a controlled slack line. DO NOT OVERWORK THE BAIT especially in cold weather. Many of your bites will come on the fall so watch your line. Keep your drag light when using light line. Another similar lure I crush on is the slider head. I throw a 1/16 or 1/8 ounce spider slider head year round with finesse worms and 3" senkos and they are one of my best producers especially when the bite is tough. I don't consider them a shaky head since I reel them very slowly and they look like a minnow slowly sliding on the bottom. A slider head works great in grass and can be very effective fishing deep drop offs. Throwing a slider head up against a steep bank and letting it fall with the bail open is a great way to generate bites from suspending bass, be sure to watch the line! Almost all hits come on the fall but don't be surprised when it gets slammed as you slowly reel it back. The slider head has a light wire hook so be sure to keep your drag loose and only use a light hook set (I rarely set at all, instead I just reel and that sharp hook sets itself). I have landed bass over 6lbs on a 1/16 ounce slider head but always be sure to check the hook after a fish as it may have bent and need to be replaced or bent back into shape. When fish are active under docks this lure is unbeatable when skipped way under and reeled back with a steady retrieve and the occaisional twitch.

I will be fishing out of Gravelly or Belle Haven on Saturday. I intend to fish Blue Plains and the spoils, a buddy of mine might come but he is not 100%. If he bails I will post up here if anyone wants to join.

The problem for the Piranha at Anna would be the Stripers. A solitary piranha or two would have a tough time surviving with those huge schools or rockfish eating everything in their path.

I have GPS.

So when can we go? :-)

I would love to fish the hotside of Anna, I will sleep in my car if I have to! When can we do this?

Hey Josh sorry to hear about your wallett! My boat is in storage in Damascus but I will be using her again on Friday and I will see if you might have left it onboard, I will also check my car as it may have fallen out when you drove the trailer out of the water. Saturday was a great time and it would have been a lot better if the fish cooperated. I had a monster blue catfish kick my butt for 5-10 minutes only to finally break my 6lb line at the boat, that dropshot rod broke a few casts later while trying to free a snag and I think it was a result of the 40lb catfish wearing it out. We had several short fish and lost a lot more. I was surprised at the amount of grass that is still looking good in Occoquan, if I were to go fish a tournament there today I would focus on that grass with soft plastics. To Chris and Josh I apologize for not getting us on fish. We focused too long on docks and didn't hit up some of my other spots out closer to the mouth. The spots we fished were better spots in the winter and early spring, I should have realized that the water was not quite cold enough to push those fish on bridge pilings. Well there is always next time! When is the Potomac Fish Off v2.0?

The balls do float. I take the metal piece on the clip and slide it behind the gills of the fish then clip it shut, no puncturing the fish. Works great!