vaparrothead

I am in my second club and fish strictly as a non-boater. The first club I was in was a great bunch of fellows but each was in it to win the $$. I wasn't good enough to compete with 'em. I joined a club that REQUIRES each member to talk about what tackle they used to catch fish. The club rules state they are in more for fun and to learn. We do have money on the tournment but it's a small amount (6.00) with some going to support the club kids fishing tournment. I'm so glad I'm hooked up with a club that requires it's members to share expertise with other members.

Anybody fishing the Minnow Rap? I've seen it used on several TV shows and looks interesting. Opinions??

Flippin: Don't know where you fish but I've pulled several 5lbs from Mercer. Have never fished Royal. Huntsman is almost overfished; plus I've seen alot of folks take fish home. Not too much catch and release on that lake.

Unless something happens to stop me I plan on being there. Huntsman or Mercer work for me

Very likely; next time introduce your self

Managed to get two my first outing of the year

Nothing to write home about but they are bass; caught Friday PM from Huntsman.

That's customer service. Wonder if you'd get that kind of service at BPS (yeah, right)??

Hammer: I own the Bass Hunter Stalker and really like it. Can't stand up to fish but it fits perfectly in the back of my Town & Country. If you get something wider (like 50"). You'll either need a truck or a trailer to transport. Just something to think about.

Is there a general rule on what size trailer to use with what weight of jig? I know the "bigger" heavier the jig the larger the trailer you could use but for example does a 3/8 oz jig generally use a 3 inch trailer?

New Horizon Bass Anglers

I belong to a club that doesn't have affliation with any of the national tournments (BASS, FLW, etc, etc). We are finding it more and more difficult to get access to launch ramps or find open weekends because the "big" clubs (usually 50 or more boats) are reserving the launch ramps. Are any other smaller clubs having this same problem and if so anybody got suggestions. Even if we get reservations in early if a big group asks for the same weekend they'll get it because they pay more. We've moved tournments to different locations (can't have away tournments every time, trying middle of the week but some of us still have to work >) Well thanks for reading and for any ideas you might have.

I use the X-Tools electronic scale. Very nice

Remember the Golden Rule "He who has the gold makes the rules"

Bottom Line Fishing Buddy. I've got a Bass Assasin plastic boat and the Fishing Buddy works great. C Clamp on the front of the boat and 4 D Cell batteries. It also has a side view option which is an added bonus.

It's very safe and anyway it's part of the adventure. They've only had one crash and that was pilot error; forgot to lower the wheels--he's not flying anymore. No one was hurt.

Yep, you're sure right about those dogfish. We had one guide who broke their teeth off and set 'em free

Spent Thanksgiving on the Rio Unini fishing for peacock bass. Caught biggest fish of the week (and my PB) at 23 pounds. The following link has pictures of my trip: http://s241.photobucket.com/albums/ff192/rgreenwell1_photo

I've used Smelly Jelly for years and really like it. When putting it on baits I either dip the front and back end of the bait into the jelly (dip the hooks also), or get a glob on your fingers and rub it on the bait. The stuff is so smelly that I think unless you've got gasoline or something like that on your hands the jelly will mask any natural human odor.

Virginia freshwater is $18 for a state license. You can get one for your local county for less not sure the amount. Also certain lakes/rivers require trout stamp and if you fish the Potomac you MAY need special Potomatc license or Maryland or DC license. That depends on what sections of the river you fish-- it gets very complicated.

Well I didn't think my simple question would generate so much interest; but very glad it did. Thanks for all the suggestions and helpful hints. The next time there's a hot top water bite going on I'll try some of them.

I was using the same baits as my boater; different colors he had on a black buzzbait and I was using white. How big a difference that was I don't know. I had braid when throwing the buzz, we were both going about the same speed on retrive. For poppers I had on 12 lb Triline XL. I think it's just me and wanting so bad to land a fish that I pull the hook before he's got the lure in his mouth. I was hoping (wishing) there was some special technique to learn to be able to wait that extra second or two before setting the hook. Ohh well patience is a virtue best learned; which is what I'm trying to do. 'Thanks for all the replies already

Had tournment this weekend and top water bite was hot!! As a nonboater I was fishing from the back of the boat and lost at least four fish because I pulled the hook out of his mouth before I felt tension. I was like a 3 year old at Christmas; just couldn't wait. I know you're supposed to wait until you feel the fish. Do you guys have techniques that you use to make sure you wait just the right amount of time before setting the hook. My boater was culling fish by 7:30 am (1 hour into the tournment) all topwater bites (buzzbaits, frogs and even poppers) I landed one fish all day--- blaming myself and trying to learn how to hook fish caught on topwater lures.

I do about 90% of my fishing from banks. Everything you hear about finding fish from a boat applies to fishing from the bank. Look for any change to the water; change in clarity or current movement. Look for shadows (large rocks or stumps in the water). Watch what the land does as it enters the water; if there's a gentle slope down to the waters edge chances are it'll continue into the water; steep drop offs the same way. Good luck.

Dave: I have a 9 1/2 ft Bass Assiassin "plastic" boat that I love. Don't need trailer; fits in the back of my Town & Country. I wouldn't take it out on the Potomac (I live in N. VA) or Lake Anna but for the smaller lakes around here it's great. Had it out on Burke Lake on fairly windy day. Got some splash into the boat but not that much. I think the boat was $480 shipped w/o trolling motor. I think we spent just about an even thousand for everything (I mean everything, paddles, battery, motor, PFDs). Overall I think it was a great bargin.