Riazuli

Also, try to never buy stuff at full price. Wait until the lure you want is 15% or so off and then buy in bulk to stock up. Try to never pay for shipping, through either promo codes or ordering over 50 bucks which a lot of places ship for free after a certain amount. Also find out when some places do free shipping with no minimum order so you can order what you want without having to worry about spending a certain amount. Patience is key with all this... Don't go splurging and stock up unless you know you can't really get a much better deal, otherwise you might regret it later if and when you do see a better price.

The places you listed, when there is a sale going (or at least the stuff you want is on sale). For bass pro and cabelas it's free shipping for orders over 50, so you're better off doing that rather than waste money on shipping. Academy sports, tacklewarehouse, tackle trap, dick's when there is a sale and you can use a 10 off 50 coupon, etc. Ebay is a good place too - btw those deals at lightinthebox.com look good but they're also lower quality lures. Might not be bad for starting out with but you'll realize over time that they're not worth it. The color selection is usually not the best for those either.

Landing it was a pain for sure... Thought he was going to tangle up in my transducer arm for a bit and then he gave me hell as I had to one hand manage him, my action cam which had full memory and I didn't know how to take snapshots with yet, and not bring him in the kayak cause I didn't want his slimy mess in there lol. With his size and occasional flopping, it sure put a number on my hand! Also reminded me to keep my grippers close by next time... Luckily my pliers were!

You just reminded me we're not supposed to air grievances on here...it was really my fault for not supporting smaller businesses and at least ones geared directly toward outdoors (which I mainly support, just happened to take advantage of black friday/winter sales at several retailers).

I just quit Dick's today. Horrible customer service on something I purchased but had lost the receipts to...after I spend several hundred with them over the year on fishing gear. All I wanted to do was a direct exchange for fishing line in the same brand and type, just different test...nope. Edit: a more experienced manager actually called me personally to rectify the situation by offering to do my exchange and even providing me with a gift card. They've won me back lol. All I look for in a business is being confident that I'll be taken care of in a reasonable way. This reassures that over the previous decision.

I paddled Neabsco creek all day yesterday, and just as I was about pack up with a skunk on my belt, I landed this guy...on a spinnerbait At first I thought I had my new pb bass, but instead I ended up with my pb (blue) catfish Look at that bowling ball in its belly!

I would just alternate between what you haven't used rather than limit yourself to one lure...once a lure catches a few fish, take it out of the rotation until you've used em all. And once you get down to one or two lures, doesn't hurt to throw in a lure you've already used but you're confident in - the fish just might not want whatever particular lure you're throwing that day, so it helps to change it up. I like what you're trying to do here, but no need to punish yourself over it!

I was skeptical at first, but after that first cast with treated line, that's all she wrote. Smoother and longer casts with less backlashes...totally worth it.

I agree with what everyone is saying about starting off with a knock off from Amazon... You can get a 4k setup with all accessories for under or around $100. If you end up getting really into and wanting more features, durability, quality, etc., then dish out the extra couple hundred dollars or so for something better. I make crystal clear 4k videos with my camera, and I don't plan on becoming a professional YouTuber anytime soon, so I'm all set for now. Same mentality goes for fishing gear in general. Start out with the cheaper stuff that's still good quality and then if you're really into it, invest in what makes you happy. Just my 2 cents.

I'm new to fish finders (apart from using the deeper pro plus) - thank you for clarifying!

Saturday is looking good as far as wind goes, fellas. I'll be out all day if I'm able to. Does anyone have any idea if I can launch my kayak from Neabsco without a fee? I've got a state park pass for Leesylvania, but I'm hoping to try the other side of the park - seems like there might be access through the park. Will call tomorrow. I likely be getting a pass for the rez/lake ridge too

I hope you're wrong on this one! Although, what you're saying makes sense. That grass was my best friend last summer Interesting to know about the salt line moving up that far. Would you say striper are more active towards Aquia as opposed to say, Powells creek/Mattawoman?

Defintiely a confidence thing for me - seems like it's only increasing my odds, whatever those odds may be.

Thanks for the comments, guys. I'm at least content with being able to get some readings and bottom structure if it's super muddy and those particulates are causing interfence. Will look to lower sensitivity if things look too cloudy.

I'm heading out from Leesylvania state park - Powells creek and Neabsco will be by focus for now. I am planning to drive over to the Maryland side to give Mattawoman a swirl when I can. I just asked the same question in another thread - it was basically confirmed that I am going with dark, loud/strong vibration, and big for chocolate milk, which the Potomac is the color of right now. I had also asked when that might clear up... It's been really windy and rainy consistently but things are looking to calm down this week, so I'm hoping we get some clearer water within a couple of weeks (the grass getting bigger will help too).

Thank you. I had heard otherwise, so I wanted to see what yalls experience was with it. Does anyone know if you need to change settings if the water is muddy vs clear? @sully420 @Jig Man I've got an auto tuning Lowrance coming in - will that take of my needs without needing to adjust settings?

Let's get this thread going again! Tis the season I'll be taking my kayak out Saturday, with the wind being calm that day. I'll be on the water all day and will report back afterwards.

That is very good to know, as I have a Lowrance coming in today! Cannot wait to set it up

Thanks a lot for your thought out comment. I am eager to try to a lot of different techniques and have been stockpiling tackle over the winter for that purpose. I just "full on" got back into bass fishin last summer after moving near the Potomac, while being a bass fisherman since I was little. The river opened up a whole new world for me in terms of fishing, not to mention the abundance of lakes and ponds around here. I'll end up trying just about everything before the summer is over, if not the spring! Edit: @Sam, where does scent rank on the order of how bass locate a lure/prey? Would you go with bigger baits that are natural colored? I plan to step up to 3/4 oz for a lot of stuff this wkd where I mainly fish 1/2 oz.

I beg to differ on your expert status Great post! Thank you for your well thought out response.

I can live with that.

Hey everyone, the Potomac is chocolate brown right now. Should I just stick to dark colors, big lures, and loud/lots of vibration for lures? Also going to add scent to whatever takes it...I don't even think a fish could see firetiger from a foot away in this water right now.

That makes perfect sense with the grass acting as a filter... Do you think the grass will pop up this month? I can deal with a week, but I'm not holding my breath! I'll still be going out, just curious as the creek I fish can get super clear at times.

Hey everyone, what are yalls experiences with a good fish finder in muddy water (chocolate milk color)? Does it still give you meaningful data to work with? Any thoughts are appreciated!

I know this doesn't have a clear cut answer, and I know it has to do with wind, rain, and tides, but I've never seen it this brown for this long... Granted, it has been pretty windy somewhat consistently for a while... When the wind starts settling, should we see the river clear up? What have been yalls experiences over the years? I'm new to the river, having just moved to the area not too long ago. @Sam, I though I would tag you as you seem to be very knowledgeable about the river, and I was interested in your input on this.