Tpayneful

Hmmmm........The type of frog doesn't seem to matter to my hookup success. I am surprised that SPRO, Horny Toad or Ribbit are not on the list. Those are the best three frogs for me. I don't throw the SPRO as much because it is lighter and I don't get as much distance on my throws with them.

My buddy is going to Kerr - Buggs Island on April 23rd. Does anyone have any experience as to where to start fishing and what lures produce this time of year? He is thinking about fishing Nutbush or Buffalo Junction / Bluestone area. Which area warms up first? He is finding conflicting information as to what end of the lake warms up first.

Welcome to the board and the area FishOn84! A few of us have been in the area long enough to remember when there wasn't any shopping or stoplights! Good luck finding a partner. I am sure that you will find plenty of willing volunteers here! I would spend my time at the Potomac or Hunting Run. The Potomac is fantastic! I like to fish grass, lily pads or laydowns on the outgoing tide. Get a map and learn where you can and cannot run. You can take your boat into Hunting Run as long as you tilt up your gas motor, unplug your fuel tank and use your trolling motor. Good luck, have fun and let us know how you do!

I tried tungsten last year and was sold! In the places that I fish, brush piles, beaver huts, laydowns, rock piles and around lily pads I think the denser tungsten weight transmits the bottom content and cover type better. If I was fishing in Florida in Hydrilla clogged lakes it might not be that much of an advantage because the aquatic vegetation is so soft. Because it is so hard, it will come out of a fishes mouth on hookset and not get in the way of hook penetration. A bass can actually bitedown and hold a lead weight. I can afford them so they are in my box!

Congratulations on the new PB! Way to save the day!

A buddy of mine bought the same boat in Florida last month. It was advertised at $8,000 and he purchased it for $6,500. It had new carpeting and the rest of the boat was in excellent condition.

Did your boat shop set the timing by doing a "link and sync" after they rebuilt the carborators? If the carbs open at different times and the timing is off it will run erraticly.

JC, I fish a Watermellon seed Baby Brush Hog a lot and catch a ton of fish on them. In stained water I switch to a Junebug colored one. I tear the bottom side of the arm loop from the body on each side so that they flap around. I texas rig them with a 3/16oz tungsten bullet weight on a 3/0 EWG hook. I push the hook all the way thru and skin hook it on the other side. I throw the bait out and count it down. If the line stops, moves or I feel a tick.....I reel down and set the hook. For the rest of the retrieve I jiggle the rod tip and then move the bait a little. I do this all the way back to the boat. They work great just about anywhere.....docks, lily pads, hydrilla, brush piles, beaver huts....and the list goes on and on. Get a pack and give them a try. I agree with Brent about ponds. I try out many of the new lures that I buy on a pond. Once I catch a fish on a lure I am confident that it will work for me.

Welcome to the board and VA outdoorsman! I hope you caught fish at Lake Anna......Sam has dubbed it "One Fish Anna". I have to tend to agree with him! You really don't need to drive all the way down there when you have the Potomac in your backyard. The fishing on the Potomac is FANTASTIC and the fish are much easier to catch! My fishing on the Potomac revolves around the aquatic vegetation. Early before the hydrilla gets high, I like to throw a Bandit Footloose. Once the hydrilla is high I like to throw a horny toad on top. My partner likes a spinnerbait in sporadic grass but I prefer a chatterbait. Some guys like to toss brush hogs at grass clumps. If you find a hole or drop off a Blue fleck power worm or Black and Blue jig will catch nice fish as well. Moving water is the key and I like the outgoing tide best. Get a map and talk to someone about navigating the river. There are large sections that are less than a foot deep on low tide. There are stumps, logs and rocks waiting for you if you don't learn where you can run. If you are in a shallow creek keep track of the tide. If you wait too long the water may leave you high a dry until the tide comes back in. I prefer the Occoquan River with Aquia as my second choice. A lot of guys will say Mattawoman on the other side of the river. Study up on it and get out there and catch a ton of fish!

Flippin4it, You are right on the money! The fishing is starting off strong! I caught a 4.5lb LMB on a watermellon with gold flake swim senko in a pond this evening. I had a 1/4oz black lead bullet weight as well. I got the bit a foot off of shore. He killed it immediately after I turned the handle. Extremely stained water with 1 foot visibility. Caught a 2.5lber running down the edge of the pond as well. I have not sniffed a bite on a Money Minnow (Basstrix knockoff) yet. I am ready to give the Mattlures Baby Bass a try this Sunday in clear water. I did quite well with it in the tanic water in Florida last month!

Bullrun, Cart7t is right about the open cell foam in the bottom of these boats. They fill up with water and rot the stringers. The most significant result of this is that the boat weighs a ton because the foam and wood is waterlogged. I spent about $200 on wood and carpet materials to do mine. The storage hatches and liners cost more than the carpet and wood and the d@#$ hatches leak! I did mine knowing that I am going to use the boat for a couple more years until I can afford to purchase a newer boat. It has worked out for me but you could end up spending a ton of money and find something that is unfixable. Good luck and post pictures of how it turned out!

Here is the boat with carpet:

Bullrun, I have a 1980 Skeeter that is very similar to your boat. I ripped the flooring and carpeting out. I extended the deck and replaced all of the carpet in the boat. Here is how I built out the deck:

I am sold on fluorocarbon on baitcasters! The sensitivity is WAY better than mono! I catch more fish with it. I fished P-line 15lb all last year and loved it! I have original Seaguar and Invisix on two baitcasters right now because I couldn't find anything else before my first trip. I have found nothing wrong with either one. The regular Seaguar is thicker than both Invisix and P-Line though. I plan on trying the XPS this year. If I like it I will probably stick with it! I have spooled up one spinning reel with 8lb Invisix and will see how it performs. If it does well I will stick with it. PS.....HALO and Fluoroclear are not pure Fluorocarbon lines.

Welcome to the board! I don't have a biosonix but I am sure someone on here can answer your question.

Hmmm......I use ***, Zoom, Yamamoto, Roboworm, yum, power bait, BPS....and have caught fish on all of them. Don't see the need to stick to one brand of plastic.

I prefer to launch out of Occoquan at 123 and fish there as opposed to Aquia. The ramp fee is a lot cheeper. But I probably burn the difference in gas!

Hope Springs is a Marina that has a huge metal building with dry dock storage. It has two launch ramps and the launch fee is $15. There is a drop box to put the money in and they do check cars throughout the day. It is a good place to fish and will fill up with hydrilla! Stafford county purchased waterfront land near Hope Springs and many fisherman have requested a public boat ramp be built on the property. The original plan had no boat ramps. I am sure that Hope Springs doesn't want to see competition from the state or county. I concider $15 highway robbery to launch!

I am an idiot as far as rattle traps go and I couldn't catch a cold with one. Maybe it is just me or my lake with super clear water and not much grass. Of course I couldn't sniff a bite on one all day fishing in Florida.

12Outlaw, I have been doing the same thing that your friend does except for power bait and *** Brush Bugs. I keep "stinky" plastic baits in their original packaging and stick them in my 3700 boxes. My unbagged plastics are just fine. I keep my 3700 in a BPS Extreme bag which holds 6 boxes. I have a TON of tackle with me when I have that bag nearby!

You look at traffic cones, wheel chairs, shelves and shopping carts and think that they would make great cover on the bottom of your lake!

Welcome to the board Paul! I am more of a Central Virginia Angler. My home is halfway between Fredericksburg and Richmond. In NOVA I only fish the Potomac out of Occoquan and Aquia but that is by far the best fishing around! You can catch large numbers with some large ones in the mix. The other guys on here can give you tons of information on the lakes in NOVA. One lake that you guys should try out is Lunga on Quantico Marine Corp base. Some friends of mine in Fredericksburg LOVE that place! Good luck and I hope you find places to fish that you like. Welcome to you as well Chai!

I admire Rick Clunn's accomplishments but how many cuts has the guy made in the last 5 years? I am not going to hammer a nail with a screwdriver. I think KVD is more in touch with what is successful for a tournament angler currently. He uses different rods and reels for different techniques.

I have to say that this was one of the funniest threads that I have read yet

I bumped a Mattlures Baby Bass off of stumps on a moderate retreive at Stick Marsh / Farm 13 to catch nice fish. I was catching fish in 2- 3' of water. It was the first time that I had used the lure and had my first fish in the first 10 casts! Yes they will work in Florida!