I was going to take the wife out on BH today, but she is not feeling well, so we will try again tomorrow! Been trying a lot of rubber stuff lately with mixed results. Tomorrow is going to be a crank bait day!

Good luck Hellbender...

Just got back from my tournament, finished in the money, 4th tourney in a row. And got lunker for the co-angler's at 3lbs 1oz. Was a very tough day for everyone. Had a good topwater bite to start the day, then the tide came in and not much was caught afterwards.

Btw, the tournament was at Mattawoman...

GREAT!

Congrats Brian. Exciting stuff.

I myself am not good enough to fish tourneys. :'( My friend and I went to Loch Raven today and rented a boat. I spent 13 hours on the water and managed a grand total of one fish, and it wasn't a bass. It was a 15 inch Chain Pickerel. But that's cool because it was my first catch of the species. My friend caught two bass on power worms, one about two pounds and the other a dink. It was still a really fun day though.

Sean! Can you make it Wed night at BH?

Sean! Can you make it Wed night at BH?

Will have to check to see if I have anything going on. I'll let you know as soon as I can!!!

I got out to the Potomac today for a couple hours. I caught three smallmouth, all on a green pumpkin Yum Buzzfrog. I had a lot of short hits on other topwaters, and some nibbles on crawbugs. The bass were very active. I saw a ton of jumping bass especially just below the riffles. Unfortunately those were just out of my casting range. I wish I was out in a boat.

About a year and half ago I bought an XML spinning rod from Cabellas, not cheap, not expensive, but a good solid rod. I bought it because I could add weights to the handle and balance the rod. Well, and I don't know how, one day the weight part snapped off the end of the rod and fell in the water, leaving me with a short handled rod that was really not usable. I considered sending it back to Cabellas, but what a pain in the carcass. So, it just stood in the corner until I got around to doing something with it. After thinking about it for a minute or thirty, I went to Lowes and bought a dowel slightly larger than the inside diameter of the exposed blank, mine was 7/16". Using a little hand sander, I sanded down the dowel until I could slide it well up into the rod, almost to the reel seat. I then epoxied the dowel into the rod. After it dried, I cut the dowel, leaving about six inches sticking out the bottom of the rod. I tried to drill a hole in a piece of larger oak dowel to slide over the rod dowel and be the butt of the rod. Thought it would look nice, but I don't have a drill press, and because I drink a lot I shouldn't be allowed to use power tools, anyway, I ordered some cork rings from Cabellas, took two days! I have never done anything like this before, but it was easy. I used a round file about 3/8 diameter, and reamed out the cork

rings to fit over the dowel. Then one by one I epoxied the rings to each other and the dowel. The Rings were much larger than the cork on the rod, so they had to be sanded down and the seams smoothed out. I used a palm sander and  finished by hand sanding. I left mine knobby on the end, but you can sand it anyway you want. This is so easy. If you have a rod in need of a new handle, don't hesitate to do it your self.

Sean! Can you make it Wed night at BH?

Will have to check to see if I have anything going on. I'll let you know as soon as I can!!!

I'm a go for wednesday! Same bat time? Same bat channel?  ;D

Don't forget your Cheez Wiz, or since its night fishing maybe some Velveeta.

I won't be out for this night fishing, first week of playing darts. As you found out saturday I need to be playing to get the rust off.....

Hopefully I will get out Thursday morning for a little fishing.

Hey Hellbenderman,

How did you make out last evening? Sorry again for having to bail out last evening.  :-[

Hey Sean! Did okay. Had four nice ones, largest right at 4. All on a big worm or...hellbender. Lost a bigger one next to the bridge. All were caught before it got dark...before 7:00...it got dead calm, and the fish went nada. Left about ten.

Good to hear Chris!

I was able to get out for a little while last evening. I hit the back wash area fishing around the tubes. The area was just how I wanted it too. Close, but not completely choked out with hydrilla. Only brought one rod with me and 2 boxes. Had my flippin stick, a box of tubes and a box of terminal tackle. Had one really good hit but failed to hook up on a 4" junebug tube. I'll have to head back there and give it another shot! 

Don't know exactly where the tubes are...hahaha. I stayed away from the the thick matted areas the other day, stayed deep. Went under the bridge, but didn't go way back to the rocks. Below 4lb. came right next to the bridge piling on the N. side. Going to take the wife out tomorrow afternoon/evening and will try some mats. Water temp was down to 80. One of these days I'll figure out how to get the whole fish in a picture.

Took the wife out yesterday afternoon at BH. Caught five all between 2.5 and 3.5. All were caught fishing drop offs that began at the edge of a flat and broke at about ten feet and dropped down to 20+ at a 45 degree angle or better. All were caught on a big worms or a hellbender, 3/2, fished tediously slowly along and down the face of these drop offs. Hits were barely perceptible. Lost one good one because I never felt the pick up and she ran right at me. I never got a real hook set and she broke free. Dead calm. Water back to 84. Saw a lot of small bass fry about 4 inches in schools up to 20. On our way back to the dock, we were attacked by a band of Somalian pirates, who took some Oreos, a grape Ne-Hi, and a can of Cheese Wiz. They said if we talked they would come back and take our fruit. I thought about just keeping my mouth shut, but if any of you went to BH and suffered a similar attack, and, God forbid, actually suffered a fruit loss. I would feel terrible. So, be fore warned! The only safe thing to do is stop fishing BH. Yep. That's what I'm going to do.

Don't know exactly where the tubes are...hahaha.

Here's a hint for ya Chris! You drive over them every time you take your boat there! The tubes are under the road that crosses over the lake.   ;D

Those tubes! Every time I go out I hit those trees in the middle, down from the tubes a hundred feet, and I haven't caught anything in that entire area since June.

Surprisingly, I've caught decent bass out of that backwash area this time of year. Only thing I can think of is with all the hydrilla in there this time of year, the O2 content has to be really high to keep some of  the bigger ones in there.

I haven't done well in the backwash area or out in front of those tubes at all this year. The last time or two that I tried it I haven't even seen the cruisers that I normally do.

I havent been able to fish much at all this year. But reading about the cant feel bites Hell mentioned, I am reminded of a trip exactly a year ago when I got my worlds record catch, never felt a thing, saw my line moving upwind / upcurrent. Keep tight lines and eyes on the line using worms this time of year and you may get a big reward. I gotta get out, reading these posts is making me want to call in sick.

Smallies for Lunch!

He is covered in dirt from flopping around after straightening my hook. I would guess he was about 2- 2.5 pounds or so. I cranked my lizard like a spinnerbait and he pounced on it. Bouncing and working the bottom slow was useless along the lower upper.

Great way to spend your lunches! Nice smallie too! I do that at Black Hills from time to time myself for largemouth.

Got out for the day on the upper potomac, put in at Whites Ferry. Overall a good day, both of us in the boat caught a couple dozen smallies. A lot of 10in fish, but each of us got a couple 14in smallies. Water was clear but very low, fortunately on hit one rock at 25mph. Got stuck on a few others as we floated down the river.

Only rough parts was loosing one good fish when my knot failed. First time that has happened in a long time. Lost another but have now idea why. Set the hook and as the rod loaded up everything went slack. The topwater was gone, the line was a clean cut. Looked like a 11in or so smallie, nothing that should have bit me off.

Went out on BH today and had a nice day. Five bass including the 6lb 1oz below and that nasty toothy critter with the stripes all over him!

TIGER!