Dan:

Is basic boat safety so complicated that it needs an expert to teach it? I mean, we're not talking about rocket science here.

Neither problem is unusual. There isn't much you can do about it except to melt or glue them back together.

lol, no worries. Just for future reference, I believe there is only one local NOVA lake that has smallies and that is Beaverdam Creek Reservoir in Ashburn. The rest will be in the rivers and some smaller creeks. I've heard of the occasional smallmouth in the Occoquan up near Bull Run but I don't know if that is common enough to be worth mentioning. Once you get used to catching each species you'll be able to tell them apart with no problems.

Whoa! you caught a smallie in huntsman? I never knew they were in there.. :-/ :-X

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating/education/boating-safety-education-requirement.asp They aren't enforcing it because it's not a legal requirement yet. The only Virginians that are required to have taken a boating safety course as of now are PWC operators aged 20 or under. PWC operators 30 and under will also need the certificate at the beginning of July.

Any input, JFranchot? I know you like turtles...

5/0 Superline hook should help a lot but sometimes it's not enough and you might have to use a keel weighted hook. If that is the case, I usually use the lightest keel weighted hook I can find.

Don't forget to use Google Maps or Bing Maps. There are lots of little ponds in the Woodbridge/Springfield area worth exploring.

I didn't catch it. Was it better than the TCU/FSU game the other night? The one with the 8th inning rally and grand slam that allowed TCU to come back from a 5 run deficit.

Try fishing upstream as well. I've caught some nice fish above the Kepheart area as well.

where are you going to crank? The trouble I've been having is going anywhere that is deep enough/isn't weed entangled. I guess a jon would help with that though.

that would be a dinosaur fish. ;D

I'd bet the website doesn't say anything about the ponds being private because its intended audience are AV members. That and the signs are fairly obvious.

here

PM replied. The AV Ponds ARE IN FACT PRIVATE. Making posts that encourage trespassing is against forum rules.

What are you mistakenly assuming is a lie? The AV ponds ARE in fact private. There are posted signs stating such at most if not all of them.

I don't think he was lying, I think he was just mistaken.

For the record, Ashburn ponds are NOT public. LOL "code for dont fish there cuz its my spot" Code for I have friends who live there and wish to respect their property and the money they pay for maintenance by establishing its private status on a public message board. We have BR members who live in that community and are quite generous about giving C&R fisherman permission to fish as guests but knowing some of the poaching and trespassing problems they have had and the amount of money that the community spends to maintain the ponds, I hate to see people advertising those ponds as public to everyone.

Wikipedia says they are actually native to Texas.

Are you throwing the two different kinds of baits with the same reel and line?

For the record, Ashburn ponds are NOT public.

More "flex" will typically allow you to cast farther.

^I have a friend who has a boat made by James River Jets. He has been very happy with it. He tells me the owner has a very good reputation for great service.

Yes, I saw that website when I was searching for a weight. Still no number.

Probably not... At any rate, the boots are just an option the Sam might want to consider. Someone needs to get a pair and weigh them. I am calling BS on them weighing less than my New Balance 574s. There's just way too much additional rubber and material. Even if they are light, why would you want to wear something that covers that much of ankle? I don't know about you guys but when it's hot I try to go for as little covering me as possible.