Traveler2586

Maybe there should be a disclaimer that the M&G is not responsible for tackle broken while catching Snakeheads.

IMHO, Sandy was kind to us and had little affect from that of other storms. She pasted to the east out at sea before turning inland further north. Around the Mattawoman I saw the usual strong currents and debris moving down river. I can't say it had any affect on the fish, but it probably scoured sediments and SAV from the bottom in the main channel.

If you ever watch any of the underwater video ( like on Hook N Look ) I've noticed that a fish caught further from the boat descends back to depth when released slower than one caught closer to the boat. It appears the same between both LMB & SMB. That, to me, indicates the fish that had a longer opportunity to fight was too tired to swim quickly back to depth; they look as if they are sinking to depth with very little swim movement. I do not rip a fish out of the water, but I do get them in the boat as quickly as possible to reduce as much stress as I can. I find it interesting a bass will go directly to the deepest water in the area rather than swimming off horizontally somewhere.

Ya, we all were with you, but we just can't resist having some fun; laugh with us and enjoy yourself here, we enjoy your company.

Small stripers, 2 - 2 & 1/2 lbs, are still biting just outside of Penrod Cove at the WW Bridge on the Potomac. Got it on a drop-shot ( lower left corner ) BTW, the Strippers on the Bay are most active in Baltimore.

LOL,, When you get our age every night is slow

Try to attend the 2013 VA Meet & Greet, it will be a good way to meet fellow members.

BTW, don't know if you all have heard, or read August 2012 BASS TIMES pg-24, but Juan Duran caught a 18.37 lb Northern Snakehead in the Occoquan river on a TX rig soft bait. The article said "Exotic Snakeheads are not only thriving in the Potomac River system, they're also growing to world record proportions" So angler beware if you come to the Potomac........

OK, you made me go look at mine. Ya, that's them, the Pro Angler. Now to tell you how long they last, I got mine at the 2nd Richmond Bass Master Classic in 1989 (?) But I did have a fishing hiatus from 98 - 06 due to work travel, so they just sat in storage for those years; but I have used them each year from 06 on. Haven't used them yet this year, so this thread prompted me to go check them out, they're in excellent shape - ready to go. Never need to worry about rain, snow, ice, etc. you can put your hands in ice cold water to pull a fish anytime you want. I do believe these are the best outer wear investment I've ever made. http://glacierglove....pro-angler.html

Not that much, they have a fabric bonded to the inside that helps getting them on and off. But trapped moisture is part of how a wet-suit works. The neoprene is a tough rubber with very small air bubbles in it that make it supple, but it won't pass moisture like Gortex does.

Don't have a brand name for you but look for a pair of divers neoprene gloves with fold-back finger tips; I've been using the same pair for years now - they wear like iron. The neoprene is the same rubber as a divers wet suit. The demo at a fishing expo convinced me, they had a cooler full of ice-water with pocket change ( nickles, dimes, and pennies ) in the bottom. They had you stick your hand in the water for some period of time and then told you to find a dime; but by that time your hand was so cold you could not feel anything. Then I did it all again with a glove on with no problem at all, I even keep my hand in longer than normal just to see the effect. These gloves are thin so you can feel what your doing, and with the fingertips folded back I can tie any fishing knot on any lure I want. Look for a Diver's Supply shop on-line, they will tell you how to size your hand for the best fit.

This is true, we've come a long way in caring for the catch. However, with that said, I attended a Walmart sponsored tournament where the weigh-in was at a local store parking lot which was some twenty five to thirty minutes from the launch. After the weigh-in the fish were placed in a DNR Fisheries truck for transport to a "not to be disclosed" release point. I spoke with the DNR staff about holding the weigh-in so far from the river. They were not all that happy about it but said "we can only do so much" and indicated they planned to release the fish at the closest accessible location, which to me meant a local marina launch ramp some 15 or so minutes away. I have seen them releasing yearling's at a ramp before; the fish are dip netted in the tank, the net is handed to an assistant who walks it to, and places the net in, the water allowing the fish to swim off. I, myself, have never seen them just dumped from the truck to the water. Have a happy Ho, Ho, .......

I think PETA would jump all over Santa for the fur trim on his suit. As for his reindeer, scientist would capture Rudolf and dissect him to ascertain why his nose glows. Then given an opportunity to make a buck, home owners would probably sue Santa for screwing up their roofs with the Sleigh runners. Elsewhere, he would probably get blasted, by some gun happy resident, for home invasion, so Sammy would undoubtedly have Santa wearing full protection under his suit.

No, that would come under the EPA. Sammy would have to report each spill, then they would arrive in HazMat suits, shovel everything into drums and take it to a special land fill. It would cost the tax payers millions$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ And what about the sleigh? OSHA would require seat belts, pressurized heated cabin, emergency O2, and the FAA would require Nav lights, radio beacon for tracking, black box's, flight attendants, proper cargo containers, etc. It would be interesting to see a artist rendering of what such a sleigh would look like. I wouldn't blame Santa if he said the H.... with the U.S. and passed us by.

Safety?? We don't use no OSHA safety regulations.... What would OSHA do to the design of our Bass Boats if'n they saw us standing on the bow with one foot on the TM pedal, and both hands on the rod, fishin' a submerged hump on a wind blown lake with three foot waves???? They'd probably want a 42" guardrail around the gunnels and demand you wear a body harness with a three point tie-down to "D" rings on the deck.... Then there is the tackle; they'd probably want gards on the hooks...

Welcome Daniel, you've found a great place to hang out, enjoy!

Hope you remember I moved my vote from the Potomac to SML You'll see me at SML one way or another, I want to wet a line there

The biologist seam to agree that the mortality rate at, and post, weigh-in's is low relative to the event size and the fisheries capacity; they also seam to agree that human error at the weigh-in's, or on the release boats, are the more significant factor in tournament mortality. They also believe that close management by the states and accountability of tournament directors is the way to go for now. IMHO, I don't see the technology available that would eliminate the human factor of catch-and-release at the boat during tournaments; with just the angler and a Marshal on the boat, and with the money and rankings involved there are just no checks and balances available there and too much temptation. Between state fisheries restocking programs, the advancements in boat live-wells, tournament weigh-ins, and release boats, I don't at this time worry about the future of the Black Bass. If you look at the history of fishing, and tournaments for that matter, one would think there should be no fish left to catch, but we know that's not true. I can show you old fishing books showing photos of large numbers of bass hung up for display on boards with the angler next to them with a big grin on their faces. And this holds true for other fish species as well. Also, there were no controls over commercial fishing years ago that had significant adverse impacts on many fisheries across the country. The saving grace here is we have learned from the past and are paying more attention to the future. I believe the Black Bass will be fine, it's nature we can't control that I'm concerned about.

This is an area where I will keep both motors out of the water and use my push-pole to move around. I don't go in there much any more because it's so shallow and it's harder to push a glass boat as opposed to my old aluminum boat. It has been a good place for Snakeheads, they like the slack water & weeds. I completely forgot about Pohick Park as a camp site, I know it's a busy launch, and you can run into a mud flat if your not very careful, but I don't know anything about the park.

Flairs work. Also, if your flotation cushion is international orange or red that counts as a signaling device. But with your lungs I don't think you'll need to worry.

Can't help myself, I have FSD

You'll need a VA Tidal fishing lience, check out the VA Dept. of Natural Resources for info.

Well, you have two possible choices, 1. you could ride with one of us as a co-angler, or 2, you can use your boat in the upper Mattawoman at Slaven's ramp. How many will your boat hold, 1,2,3???

Here ya go Sam http://www.agfc.com/fishing/Documents/BBP_SOP-LiveReleaseBarge.pdf I don't have much time right now but I'll look further tomorrow. I have read that most of early designed release boats draw surface water through bulkhead connectors pulling the hotter surface water into the holding tanks; this is now under reconsideration opting for water to be drawn from a depth of three feet below the surface. Compressed O2 is also now seen as less affective than constant aeration. Got to run.... Cheers,

Since the Tidal Potomac sees so many tournaments there have been quite a few studies done on the release of Bass, i.e. http://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/bass/docs/Movement%20and%20Home%20Range%20of%20Largemouth%20Bass.pdf http://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/recreational/tidalbass/MattawomanBassKill09SFACFinalDraft.pdf http://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/bass/docs/Summary_of_2010_tournament_creel_surveys.pdf are a sample.