rickyg

Thanks!

I'd start this pool where it tails out into the next bit of fast water looking for current breaks. Any rock, log, etc. that a smallie could hide around, then I'd move towards the waterfall fishing any current breaks near the main current. Most of the fish I've caught have been a little bit away from the whitewater of the falls down to the tail out. The bigger fish, if feeding, will be where they can ambush prey while staying out of the main current (conservation of energy). Rick

Those Smith sunglasses look interesting! What model are they?

Thanks for the warning. Was thinking about taking the kayak out to Aquia Creek this week after work. Rick

Check the top of this page.... "Jig Fishing Questions". Helped me quite a bit. As for weedless, sometimes ya get caught up in weeds even with a "weedless" jig.

Hope Springs is on Aquia Creek in Stafford. Dumps into the Potomac. Supposed to be a fair number of snakeheads there.

Nice catch Flyfisher! I think I remember you from the old KBF forums. I really need to tie up some flies for bass and carry them out bass fishing. I went out one time for panfish and caught a 4lber on a size 12 Adams on a 3 wt. That was a lot of fun. Rick

Some good advice here. Here's mine: Comfort is priority one. After that, a lot is personal preference. I have a Wilderness Radar 135. I like the storage and stability. I don't like that it doesn't have a side handle and that it's heavy at 96 lbs. which makes it a bear to drag. The replaceable keel protector seems to magnify the dragging problem as I can more easily drag it backwards. There's a homemade cart coming. It's a bit of a sail in the wind too since I don't have the rudder. It is upgradeable to pedal drive although I haven't done that yet. It does seem fairly maneuverable for a 13.5' yak. All in all, I like it. As for a paddle, light is good if you're gonna be paddling but I found out that my carbon wants to blow off my lap pretty easily in a light breeze where my heavier one would stay put. I have to stow it when I'm fishing in a light breeze. Not a big deal, and I'm sure I'll like it better when I'm on bigger water. For a PFD, comfort is number one. I don't need a lot of storage in a PFD, so my Stohlquist fisherman is a bit of overkill but it is very comfy.

As of a few hours ago, the VDGIF facebook site had a reminder to practice social distancing while fishing which was posted today. They have closed some waters. Burke Lake and Merriweather (sp?) were closed. Oh yeah---did what ya said Sam and told my wife it was spawning season and time to rock and roll. She told me to take a cold shower!?

The thing that helped me with skipping was learning how to roll cast. Hammer 4 posted a good video. Gerald does a roll cast at around 3:22 ish. His stroke is a fair bit shorter than the one I use but he's a pro. If you can't figure out a roll cast from that video, there are a few on youtube. I didn't even know a roll cast existed outside of fly fishing until fairly recently. The two roll casts aren't even similar so don't try to learn from a fly fishing video.?

My dad buys some of the regular (Bone color) Wee R's on ebay. I like em too along with the Super R's. I've got a few of em in my box. Would love to see them bring back the R series. I'd also like to see the Nip-i-didee come back. I've caught a lot of river smallmouth on that bait. Ton of fun on that topwater.

You could head south on I-81 and fish the James around Lynchburg or head up into the Shenandoah Natl. Park and try your hand at native brook trout. I'm not super familiar with that area, sorry I couldn't be more help. Might want to check the VDGIF website for other possiblities. Rick

Oof! You had to go and remind me of that darned shop teacher who was always right.? Now that I've entered my 6th decade here on Earth, I've found that I need good light to do most anything. Thanks.

I just open them up using the edge of my thumbnail but I'll probably get some split ring pliers.

First off, I hate replacing trebles. I haven't tried it with split ring pliers. Do they make it that much easier? I usually just start the old hook off in the split ring and add the new one and rotate both around until the old falls off and the new one is now on. Anyway, on to the subject in the title. I've got some older Rebel wee r's and deep wee r's that have the tail (back) hook on an eyelet that is screwed in with no split ring. The hooks on these are getting pretty rusty. I'm assuming that the best way to replace these is to cut the hook off and put a split ring on the existing screw-in eyelet then put on a new treble. Any better way to go about it? Really wish Rebel still made those baits. Edit: What size split ring should I use in general for #4 or #6 hooks? I'm probably buying Owner brand rings.

There's a decent video of this on Youtube. I don't have a link, but I found it by searching "pitching from a kayak". There are few on there and you should be able to find one to help you. I found that my rod doesn't load enough to get much distance, but my accuracy is getting better. Next time out I'm gonna try a different rod and see if that helps.

My opinion: get a bed extender from Harbor Freight for about $60. Look on youtube for how to strap them down. The Aspire could be transported without the extender (really, both could), but the Native will benefit from the extender. Wrap a pool noodle around the extender with tie wraps where the Native will rest and place two under the kayaks between the bed and the bottom of the kayaks. Place some kind of cushioning between the end of the kayak and the bed where the kayak would touch the back of the bed nearest the cab of the truck. You can carry them with tailgate up, but they may be distorted on the bottom if left there for long (keel/bottom distortion). Also, half the Native will be outside of the truck with the tailgate up. Not the best for safe transport. Rick

Awesome! Way to go Justus. Seems like every time I go by Ruffins, it's that color and hard to see below the surface.

Been a while since I've been past Rufffin's. My nephew fishied it last yr I think, so it's still open to the public as far as I know. Didn't know Curtis held such big bass. Ever fished Goldman's in Port Royal? Don't know if it's still accessible but have always been curious about that pond. Ruffin's has lots of stumps/tree trunks just below the surface so be careful if ya fish it.

Late 70s or early 80s there was a Budweiser beer can bait that had something similar to a pop top for a spinner. Caught a fair number of bass, both small and largemouth on it before I lost it. Found a picture of it:

Been stuck past the barb three times. Once by my grandfather who ripped a broken back Jitterbug out of some lily pads and got me just below the eye. Hospital trip on that one. Dad got me in the upper arm with the same bait, same situation. Yes, I still throw a Jitterbug.... Got myself in the chin trying to set the hook on a bluegill with a popper using a fly rod when I was about 14. Nobody was home at the time, so I got a piece of ice and numbed it and pulled it out with some needle nosed pliers while sitting in front of a mirror. That was fun!

I've done a fair bit of it. Fly casting lessons will help but if you're a visual learner you can get by with youtube. I was targeting bluegill in a pond and caught a 4+ lber on a #14 Adams. I love catching bass on poppers and dries. I've seen flies that will mimic wacky rigged worms if you wanna go that route but topwater does it for me.

I need to start coming in this thread less often. My wallet will thank me (probably my wife too?). Rick

Check the "Fishing Tackle" forum. The "Latest Sale" thread will give ya all the info ya need.

If someone's on the dock, I'm not fishing it, especially if there are others that are empty. Same for anyone sitting close to the water trying to enjoy some privacy. Obviously, other folks don't think the same way as me. Do unto others....