TOXIC

True but fish instinctively know if their eggs will survive in the water temperature. So if the lunar cycle is telling them it’s time to spawn and the water temperature is telling them their eggs will not survive, they will not spawn. If it goes on long enough they will just absorb the eggs and not spawn.

I fish with a retired marine. If you’re not 1/2 hour early, you’re late.

I agree with most on here. My area and the waters I fish when it drops below 60 and the baitfish are schooling is when I start my fall tactics. I find it’s close for both largemouth and smallmouth but the smallies will aggressively feed in colder waters when the largemouth will start getting dormant.

Smallmouth. Don’t. Give. Up.

For me it’s always based on water temperature. Mother nature doesn’t always follow the calendar.

I am pretty anal on my truck but right now we are having water restrictions and no vehicle washing is allowed. Luckily I did a good hand wash before they enacted the restrictions and I use a cover in between washings. I will never take my vehicle to an automated car wash. It makes my stomach cramp just thinking about it.? As a trial, we got one of those robot vacuums and it’s downright amazing. My daughter who has 3 dogs got a top of the line one that schedules its cleaning cycle and dumps its own bin. She said it’s been life changing. ?

I do it if the hook is positioned right. If it’s in the roof of the mouth or too far back, I use pliers. If it’s in the front corner and I can’t push it out with my finger inside in the hook bend, I will pop it out. I don’t hit the fish, I hit the hook and it’s at an angle where the eye of the hook and the fish are not aligned.

Having been to the Yamamoto factory in Page, AZ, where they have a “Japan Only” section and browsing through all of the baits they pour for the Japanese market only (used to average shipping 5 boxcars a month), I saw a lot of baits that I thought were totally ridiculous. One of them being the Yamatanuki. The new ownership decided to release it domestically and that’s a good thing. You’d be amazed how many others are made. ?

For me a few factors come into play. Species, largemouth vs smallmouth; bait type, more of a throwable bait vs solid hooks; treble hook vs single hook and finally cover. Playing too long can elongate the hook hole and bringing in green can cause more thrown lures. It’s always a guessing game. One thing I am never concerned with is breaking off. I have confidence in my line, drag and knots. If I’m in heavy cover or vegetation, you can bet I’m geared for it. If I do break off it’s more likely my fault for not re tying.

I will never forgive, I will never forget.

Glad it’s back. Had a hearty meal of meatloaf from the bull my daughter had processed tonight. A little more of a winter deal for us but I was in the mood for a hearty meal. Last weekend, finally got around to frying up the walleye I brought back from Lake St Clair. Paired with some hand cut fries all in peanut oil and we had a good old fashioned fish fry. Cole slaw and homemade tartar sauce balanced it out.

If I had to say the one thing I do really good is fishing plastics. Doesn’t matter what technique, I love fishing plastics. What I don’t do so well is fishing a whopper plopper or bladed jig. I have caught a lot of fish on the “walk the dog” baits. They are my favorite topwater. Especially a Sammy.

To me it’s a natural “cut” where the bank irregularities continue down the water column.

When teaching my guide clients how to cast, I always said that a fishing rod is no different than a tennis racket, baseball bat or golf club in the fact that it has an”sweet spot” where you’ll get a maximum cast with minimal effort. Couple that with an educated thumb, freespooled reel and knowing how to load the rod and casting becomes much more effortless. Many want to overpower a rod and throw it as hard as they can. The technique differs from baitcasters to spinning rods as well.

It’s getting pretty serious around here. We are under another heat advisory plus, mandatory water restrictions. We live in one of the most heavily concentrated high dollar horse areas of the country and these huge horse estates are having their wells run dry and there’s no moisture in the grass so horses are drinking much more water. WARRENTON, VIRGINIA, September 5, 2023: Due to record water usage in the New Baltimore Regional Water System during a drought watch advisory, the Fauquier County Water and Sanitation Authority (FCWSA) is issuing mandatory water restrictions for all customers in the New Baltimore service area. These restrictions are only for the New Baltimore system; all other FCWSA customers remain under voluntary water restrictions. Natl. Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory is in effect from noon to 7PM today. Heat index values up to 107°. Hot temperatures and high humidity. ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 PM EDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Heat index values up to 107 expected. * WHERE...Portions of central, north central, northeast, northern and southern Maryland, The District of Columbia and central, northern and northwest Virginia. * WHEN...From noon today to 7 PM EDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur.

While on vacation this year in Wisconsin, I noticed the side buttons on my Samsung phone case were not working and the case fit differently. Took it out of the case and the phone was expanding causing it to pull apart in the middle. Quick google search and call to my carrier discovered my battery was expanding and I was to not charge it and put it In a safe place outside away from anything flammable until I could bring it in. Took it in and confirmed the battery was expanding and not safe. Had to replace the phone and they really didn’t want to take the old one but they found a fireproof bag to put it in. Likewise after this last hurricane in florida, I was reading there were a lot of ev fires due to the salt water infusion into sitting vehicles.

And as an aside…..I started using earplugs years ago when we take our Lake St Clair trips because we sleep bunkhouse style most of the time. I then transitioned to using them all the time. It’s not necessarily from outside noise waking me up, it for the more pure silence from everything else. It’s very calming. You don’t realize how much natural noise there is until you remove it.

We are under a heat advisory today. We went out Sunday and like an idiot, I left my lunch and waters in my truck. Luckily my fishing partner always packs a few extra waters. Problem is that he drinks Propel and it’s too sweet for my liking. I prefer straight h2O. It was a weird day. Scorching hot but I didn’t feel like I was overheating at any time. Had on all of my sun gear and drank 3 propels during the day.

I’m good unless I’m going fishing in the morning.? My brother in law has apnea and insomnia and while we were in Wisconsin one year, I came into the cottage from fishing in the morning and plopped down on the couch and said that I was going to catch a quick hour or so nap. I woke up and he was in amazement that I could just go to sleep whenever I wanted. I normally don’t have a problem sleeping but if I wake up for too long it resets my “body clock” and I’m up for good.

Y’all have seen my posts here, it’d take me 2 hours to explain.? As has been said, fishing is not a competition to me. I’ll gladly give any info I have because as my old tournament partner used to say,….”You ain’t gonna catch another man’s fish”. I also gave out all my spots guiding because a good spot is going to be a good spot regardless. Patterns and locations on a tidal river are so specific that I could give you the full 411 and you may not catch a thing. ?

I’m not saying anybody disagreed with me, I’m just pointing out that rivers are different from lakes, they are more dangerous and you accept that on a daily basis. Sure we slow down if there’s been a recent rain and the river is flowing heavy with flotsam and we always keep a sharp eye out but “current conditions” are always elevated in rivers and more dangerous as a baseline. They only get more dangerous based on conditions. Also, I’m not talking about permanent hazards like stumps, rock piles, etc., rivers change on a regular basis. Current flows move sandbars and make new ones, heavy rains dislodge trees and other floaters and tides make every day a new day for floaters 4 times a day. We aren’t reckless but we do run on plane most every trip. They say that river rats are a different breed and we have a little bit of that attitude.

But why do smallmouth crush this color in the spring???

I fish rivers and it’s not uncommon to run 30-40-50 miles to fish the right tide and spots. The Potomac is always a risk with floating debris. There is some level of risk you get used to running rivers. That may sound callous and irresponsible but your other option is to idle everywhere. 99.9% of impact strikes that are serious are going to take out your prop first, lower unit next and motor last as the rarest. It’s no different than getting in your truck and accepting the inherent risk that someone is going to hit you. Not your fault, unavoidable. Sitting in the passenger seat, it’s also my responsibility to keep both eyes on the water as well. An added risk around here are seine nets and crab pots. Those normally are prop eaters but a few years ago anglers drowned when they were running through a storm and wrapped their prop in a crab pot line. Before they could get it untangled, their boat swamped. My point being, once again, there’s a level of risk associated with getting on the water and no one should ever forget it.

Let’s not forget you don’t have to hit anything either. I have a friend who was selling a bass boat and the potential buyer wanted to test drive. He and my friend headed out and the guy went wide open. He didn’t slow down for a barge wake and hit it at a 90 degree angle launching the boat airborne. Both went to the hospital, my friend with a broken back and the boat was totaled.

Those of us who fish rivers, especially big rivers are always in fear of this scenario. I’ve seen semi tires on the rim and various large kitchen appliances in the Potomac. There’s so many feeder creeks that in a heavy rain almost anything is possible. The Rappahonock while not clogged with junk is very heavily wooded and has a good tide swing so any day can dislodge big trees and logs.