-Drums-

Nice work!

So, I take it from this post that you are not a "weekend angler"? If so, what does that make you?

Yeah, big props to Matt & Trevor for whackin' em on Sunday. Beat the next closest by about 3lbs! We just never could get a kicker--and believe me, we TRIED. Alabama did stick a real nice one in some wood..THUNK!...but it got off. In the end, it was 13 & change for us as well. Oh, and thanks for the crackers, Matt. :-)

You hit that one right on the head.

1995 Stratos 268V, 16'8" 1995 Evinrude 90hp 46lb. Motorguide 32-35mph GPS (I've gotten it to 40mph, but that was way high on the RPMs.)

Yet another NoVA guy. I've fished the lakes/ponds all the other NoVA folks have mentioned, but like VABasser said, I'm pretty much now focusing all of my efforts on the mighty Potomac. It really is an amazing fishery with so much to offer, and even more to learn from. I do love Occoquan Reservoir too, though. That lake is FULL of quality fish. Oh, and the Upper Potomac is an incredible smallmouth fishery.

Yep. For my typical (95% of the time) pitching/flipping, I use a 3/8oz. tungsten bullet weight--often pegged, but not all the time. For the serious stuff (punching the mats), I use a 1oz. tungsten bullet weight.

G3 - thanks for the info! Like yours, my TM doesn't do too well in any sort of heavy grass beds. I'll have to look into the push-pole deal.

How do you do in Potomac Creek? I've heard some good things and promised myself I'm going to fish it this summer. Also anyone fish Quantico Creek much? Thats another one I want to put a little time into VABasser - last year was really my first season fishing on the Potomac, as that's when I got my new (to me) boat. I mostly stayed in and around Aquia Creek, and had a bunch of pretty good days. As for Potomac Creek, I had one day in mid-spring of last year that was spectacular. We had the trolling motor on high, just going down this one stretch of bank, pitching soft plastics (beavers, craws) tight to the bank, pads (well, pad-like vegetation), and wood. We got a ton of bites--caught quite a few nice keepers, and missed a bunch too. My buddy hooked and subsequently lost a monster. As far as I can tell, we were basically "blind" sight-fishing. The water was stained, so we couldn't really see anything, but the fish were acting like spawners. I'm convinced we were pitching to beds that we just couldn't see. Good times :-)

Hey Joe, Thanks for the clarity on the jerkbaits, it's something I'll have to toy around with this year. Also, thanks a bunch for the links, I'll be sure to check them out. As for the offer to get out on the Potomac together, sounds great! Though I'm betting it's the other way around--YOU can likely teach ME some things. :-) Let's stay in touch and try to plan something once the weather starts to get nicer. ~Rich

Hey Nitro, Thanks for the great tips! I also mostly fish Aquia Creek (as well as Potomac Creek at times). I keep my boat in the outside lot at Aquia Boat Storage, there at the end of Willow Landing Rd. I've got a few questions, inline below... Thanks, ~Rich Are you talking about a hard jerkbait here, or soft plastic (e.g., fluke)? I've got a (somewhat weak) 45lb. Motorguide TM on my Stratos. What is the "hydrilla hacker" you're talking about?

Hey Dan - I took the day off on Friday and went down with a buddy of Rob's and mine. It was nice to avoid the weekend crowds. Especially at Greentop, where it gets TIGHT.

I saw that too, it was funny! I also liked how he kept pitching that spinnerbait into the crowd, trying to get someone in the audience to swat at it--to demonstrate the reaction bite concept. He's a very good, engaging public speaker. It was really cool to finally see him in person.

Jay, First, congrats on the soon-to-be arriving little one. Your life is soon going to change in ways that you can't imagine. It's all good, and it's incredible! Second, take it from me--your decision to throttle way back on the fishing trips early is a very good one. Last July, my son surprised us by deciding to make his arrival a full month early (to the day). At the time when I got the "um, honey...my water broke" phone call, I was out in the middle of Beaverdam Reservoir with Rob (flippin4it). He was right there to see me get the news (and watch all the color run out of my face). Needless to say, that was a L-O-N-G and S-L-O-W trolling motor ride back to the landing, from where I still had a 35 minute drive to get back to Fairfax. The pucker factor was high! Interestingly enough, just that morning I had been saying to my wife (and to Rob) that it was going to be my last boat fishing excursion for a while. Doh! -Rich

Interesting, I noticed this last weekend in the no-wake area of Aquia you were speaking of Wayne; in the stretch with the houses on the right (or left, if heading upstream). There, the pads are in a hurting state...brown and withered. As you might expect, we barely got bit at all in the area with the dead pads. Where the pads were greener, the bite was better.