Junger

This is my first year back to fishing from a long long, 25 year hiatus. I got some chatterbaits, which looked intimidating when I first got them, but now I love them. But I've gotten snagged on submerged branches/stumps on an open hook style chatterbait. I bought some of the Z-man free swinging chatterbaits and want to give those a try.

I have the Powell Max 3D 714 MH/EF spinning rod which I use for worms/t-rigs, and I compare it to my Daiwa Tatula 6'10 MH/F. The Powell has a more vibrant sensitivity feel compared to the Daiwa, for me. The Daiwa feels more "muted" when it gets hit and when I'm feeling for structure compared to the Powell Max 3D. I can't compare to the Dobyn's, but the Daiwa is a nice rod with a very nice tip, but I feel like the Max 3D is even better.

NC

You can add Zerust Plastabs to your tackle boxes. They're pretty inexpensive at Tackle Warehouse or Cabela's. I'm borderline OCD, so I carry an empty Flambeau open core 3600 tackle box with me, and whenever I switch out a lure, I throw it in there. When I'm done, I leave it open over night to dry out. Then I put the dried out lures from the 3600 back where they belong.

I'm a noob to that area even though I'm close. My problem is that I usually take my kids fishing, and the C&O Canal is no fun for them. Lakes that have parks and other activities are my go to's. Hopefully you hit up Great Falls before Noon...I went to Centennial Lake after lunch to get the lines wet and it was really windy, gusts around 40mph. I was able to hit the same protected cove left of the dam, and got another rainbow trout on the same Mepps XD. I tried to fish the rip rap, and lost that Mepps, and then a Luckycraft Pointer 100...then I called it a day at 3PM.

Yeah, first time I went to Widewater this summer, I was throwing a popper in the late afternoon near that water in-take level structure near the Anger's Inn path. I had no bites, but i saw a huge LM follow it from the deep and then turn around when it came near the bank. Do you fish the path side, or the Berma road side? The two times I've been out I didn't make it that far down the path...just to the path bridge walking from Angler's.

Widewater area? That's a nice clean blue cat! Way different looking that the ones pulled out of the Potomac, south of DC...nice pics!

Hit up Centennial Lake today, my first time there. I saw the DNR had stocked trout there a couple weeks ago, and I was dropping off my car to get fixed in the area so I figured I kill time while waiting for the car shop. I had never been there, but based on some older reports, it seemed like the riprap near the "east" side of the lake was where most people caught stuff. I was using white salmon egg power bait, and caught nothing on that. But I was throwing around a silver Mepps XD for bass but caught a trout over in the cove to the left of the rocks. I saw a bunch of juvenile bass and bluegill, but couldn't get any bigger bass to bite on a variety of lures (chatterbaits, jerkbaits, Keitechs, rattletraps). It's a very nice lake and I'll be back to check out the far side of the lake next time.

It looks really good doesn't it....I think it's because there's so much forage available. I saw hundreds of bluegill in all parts of the lake, even up into the creek that runs off from the homes. I'll probably give it a few more tries with horny toads, senkos, and maybe some punch jigs.

Anyone fish Gunners Lake in Germantown? I went there Saturday and got skunked. The water is crystal clear, but it's full of vegetation...stalks of green hair algae along the shoreline. I tried a weedless Keitech swimbait, and got nothing. I threw it beyond the vegetation, and swam it over the grass, then let it sink into any pockets hoping to pick up something. I walked around the whole lake and saw one spot next to the bank with a deep hole and saw a decent sized bass, but it was not interested in the Keitech, which is all I had with me that day. I'm going to try a weedless horny toad next time, but it doesn't look like there's much top water action in that lake. Hit up Lake Whetstone on Sunday with the kids. I managed a 1.5lber pretty quick after throwing near a laydown. It took my line before I could even start reeling in any slack. The water there was pretty low and stained.

Howdy, what part of VA? I rented a kayak and fished from it the first time and I'm hooked. Now I just need to convince my wife that I need another toy that will require me to leave the family for chunks of time. She already hates when I golf on the weekends....

Speaking of which, anyone hit the retention pond on West Montgomery Ave between Fallsgrove and Darnestown Road? https://www.google.com/maps/place/39°05'42.3"N+77°11'05.3"W/@39.095077,-77.1853402,222m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d39.0950759!4d-77.1847933?hl=en It's a decent size, and looks nice and grassy.

Triadelphia is closed until about summer of 2019 for a dam rehab project. I fished that reservoir from the rocky bank structures a ton as a kid and caught a lot of crappie.

I have the Cabelas Tourney Trail/President Combo in a 6'6 ML/MF for my panfish set up. It casts smooth, and has a great tip for the price (on sale). And of course Cabela's lifetime guarantee...can't beat that. Also, they added hook keepers, I got mine 6 months ago and it has one.

Yep - I've mastered what I call a "squat flick" cast! I literally squad down to my knees and can flick an overhand cast with about 70% the distance of a full cast when the occasion arises. The tackle monkey wouldn't get off my shoulder this morning until I hit "order" on that 6'10 MH Tatula from Amazon. So I had to pick that up and I'll figure out a use for it. But I think I'm leading toward the Megabass Diablo Spec-R based on what I mostly fish. Thanks all, appreciate the time taken to read and input. Any tips to cage the bait/tacklemoney??? =)

What conditions do you throw the Yo-Zuri 3DB? I have a couple of those and never got a single hit, where other poppers have produced. I do a straight retrieve and a rip-rip-stop retrieve.

Wow that's a crazy good price for the Tatula! I just got the 6'9 ML for poppers/jerkbaits and love it.

Too stiff for chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, and swimbaits? Sorry for the noobness, moving baits are spinnerbaits/chatterbaits? If so, that's probably what I want to throw 50% of the time with this new rod. I enjoy throwing those more than texas/wacky rigging senkos, as I find it kinda boring, but it does produce in pressured shore lines and that's when I throw it. I was hoping the Tatula H/F would be on the lower power end of a heavy rod. Do you think a Daiwa Steez XT 7'2 MH/R would be too soft for T-rigs? So many rods to look at.....

Sorry, I know the best all around topic has been beaten to death, but some of the threads I've been reading go back to 2015, and there are newer rod releases that may not have been covered. I primarily fish from the shore, and sometimes walk a couple miles to spots. So I typically only take 1-2 rods, and a backpack with 2/3 3600 tackle boxes. I'm starting to invest more money into my gear, and I'm now looking for a rod around $300 to pair with a 7.3:1 Daiwa Tatula Type-R baitcaster. I'm envisioning that this rod will be throwing senkos (Texas/Wacky), plastic swimbaits (Keitech Swing Fact Impacts), chatterbaits, and spinnerbaits in the 7'1-7'3 MH range with a MF/F tip. I've been using a Powell Max 3D 714 MH/EF spinning rod for those applications, and my hook up ratio is probably around 60%. I love the sensitivity, but I think that tip is just a little too stiff for those techniques...and I'm tired of flipping a bale. Some of the rods I'm coming up with are the Dobyns Champion 734, Megabass Orochi Diablo 7'2 Spec-R, and Daiwa Tatula 7'2 H/F. I just want to nail this rod purchase with zero regrets, hence why I'm asking. Thank you in advance.

Interesting, I guess it's because it's a college heavy town. Well, if you're set on buying a home, sign up for immediate alerts. https://www.coldwellbanker.com/homes-for-sale/list/morgantown-wv/by-city/Morgantown,WV-16752/detailed I used Coldwell Banker's website and customized it for a specific neighborhood in the DC area, and as soon as something got listed I got an email. I actually bought my house 3 days after it listed using that tool. I think there are other realtors like Redfin that have that tool, but I haven't looked at houses in 12 years =] Also, sellers look for strong financials. If you found your dream home, don't be afraid to put down $10,000 or more in good faith money, it will show the seller you're really committed to the purchase and closing. Don't give them a reason to sit on your offer and wait for others. Good luck!

You're both in grad school and soon to be married...how long do you plan to be in the same area? Do you plan to have kids, if so does the school district matter to you? Do you plan to do some work on the house or do you want new construction? Basically, what's driving your decision to buy a house now? There's nothing wrong with renting, as long as you're continually saving and investing the difference between the rent vs. mortgage (and other home ownership costs such as insurance, real estate taxes, maintenance, etc). The biggest mistake is buying a house without the right reasons, because you may end up finding a dream job in a different area after grad school, and then you're handcuffed with a home in a depressed market where you either short sell or eat the loss. Wait for the next housing correction and when you have that stash of cash, swoop in on your dream home in that buyer's market after you're settled on long-term life decisions (kids, job, school etc).

Definitely wind.

Wow...the 70's! The lake looks pretty good if it's that old. I haven't tried fishing on the water yet, but the kids who work the dock rental site say most of the big bass are on the opposite side that's inaccessible from the trail.

Went out to Lake Whetstone for about 2 hours on Saturday. My kids caught some bluegill, lots of action on live worms for them to keep them interested. Mommy took them on a paddle boat ride when they needed a change of pace. Ended up with a pounder on a texas rigged pink super fluke, and missed 2 others on a wacky rigged pink senko.

I just got the Fenwick Silverhawk II on sale at Cabelas, 6'6 medium power/fast action....I intend to use it for poppers.