BrianinMD

I agree with you Sam, while the length is important the width of a boat is what makes it safer. A bigger motor does nothing for safety, as long as the boat is powered enough to get on plane to get away from trouble that is all it can do. The wider the platform the more inherit stability it has which is truly safer especially in bigger seas.

For a jig rod, especially if 3/8oz and higher I use 20lb fluro. More specifically Abrasizx, has very good abrasion resistance, excellent strength and even on slack line the density of the line makes for good sensitivity. A lot of people do use braid with a fluro leader and it works great for them. The issues I had were feeling slack line bites, and personally I grew tired of tying the extra knot to attach the leader. Everyone is different your experiences will vary.

Thanks Snakehead Whisperer, kind of figured it was bogus with it being only one caught. Just couldn't find anything to confirm my suspicions.

To fish where the most snakeheads are would require a tidal license. There is not a whole lot of shore access to decent spots either. I am in Germantown MD just a few minutes away from where you will be.

Thanks, been thinking about getting one and stability is my main concern. Would prefer to have pedal power instead of paddle though.

what kayak did you get?

You will be in my neck of the woods, that area is not tidal and mainly a smallmouth fishery. A regular freshwater license is all you need. As far as snakehead, I have only heard one report of a snakehead in the upper potomac (the upper vs. lower potomac just differentiates non-tidal vs. tidal portions) I was never able to confirm that report.

Munkin, yeah I am sure we have surprised a few people who were not expecting 18 boats out there. Don't mind the BH tournies but lower Potomac and Gaston are more fun. Sean, you are the one who mentioned joining a club first.... Interesting you brought up the learning from being in a club. That is one of the best thing about ours, along with fishing a variety of places at the end of each tourney each person talks about where they caught their fish and what baits. I have learned a ton while fishing in this club.

Sean, ironic you mentioned joining a club....I just happen to know of a good one for you....

I set all of mine except my frog rod which is 65lb braid so not concerned about breaking it

Interesting action Sean, may have to stop by Dickerson tomorrow morning for a little bit to see if I can get a couple frog fish. Was going to a private pond with someone but that fell thru so will be heading out alone if I go out.

Outstanding picture, wish I was there instead of stuck in the office.

Just an idiot with no idea what he is talking about. Just ignore him and be proud of a great fish.

I got my limit and finished 2nd but it was a tough bite for most, normal fall fishing at BH. If you got into the right area you did well, otherwise it was a fight. Personally I would hit the upper potomac. If the cold front does not kill it off to much, or water didn't stain up real bad it could be a good bite there.

Hi Salenity, yes when I was laid off from a prior job I was paid 60 days admin leave then my severance package kicked in. I did not have to work those 60 days.

To me the boss/company is not relevant, it comes down to who I am and I want to do what is right. In these cases it is providing 2 weeks notice, if the boss/company acts like fools and kicks you out fine. They are the ones acting like fools I can hold my head up high knowing I did the right thing.

They do draw downs once in spring and once in fall each year, but I think this is earlier than normal and for a difference reason. I have heard it was due to some work being down at the dam but I am not 100% positive. Black Hills tends to get harder in fall, fish seem to get spread out. But I imagine the water color and draw down had an impact also. Hopefully it has picked up some I have a tourney there on Saturday.

Well I am taking care of two of them in September. 1. Deep see charter for marlin/tuna, doing that on September 8th 2. Skydive, that is scheduled for September 14th. Not sure after that, this is enough for now. Especially the skydive, afraid of heights so I am sure this will freak me out until I jump

Wear a life jacket, learn to swim, and be careful. I can't swim either but will learn next year once my degree is finished. Shallow water doesn't mean it is safe, a week or so ago in my hometown and smallmouth fisherman died in water barely over his ankle. He slipped, fell and hit his head. No one found him until it was to late, he was only 25. You can never be to careful.

If fishing for fun, not in a tourney, and its not illegal then no its not cheating.

When the decision becomes watcher soccer or paint drying....paint wins in a landslide.

There are a lot of great articles and video's on the site. Well worth the time to go thru them. There is a area of the forum for different sections of the country, a lot of times more specific answers to your general areas. Otherwise there are a lot of knowledgeable guys here who are happy to help answer any question you have. Welcome to the BR!!!

Go for it, you will never be 100% ready after losing a pet. But to me that is part of what a new one helps with. When my wife and I started with Italian Greyhounds we only adopted one and kept hearing that it is better for them with two. So we decided to adopt another and there was a noticeable difference in the dog. Having a companion is good for them.

Ha ha, no money left for upgrades at this point. One question for those with trucks without boats, any suggestions on transporting rods? They are way to long to go in the back, will fit up front but a little concerned about breaking tips. My wife suggested a hard rod tube, only problem with those are having to remove the reels to get them to fit.

Never tried it on purpose, but have gotten numerous strikes when reeling it in. Hookup ratio is not that good, pick up a few of these fish with a followup bait like a soft swimbait.