CMG

Anybody know what's causing this? I've lubed everything that can be lubed and then some. It's not the gears. It only does this when the spool is on, and only with a load on the line. Taking up slack line it doesn't do this. Other than the noise it operates perfectly fine and smooth.

Because they don't get eaten as fry and they grow very fast. The DC biologist said they've seen fish that have grown to 8lbs in three years.

I've been present at club meetings where DC and VA biologists have spoken about the Potomac and snakeheads. They say they don't have any solid evidence of fish spawning more than once. What is likely happening it that spawning occurs throughout the warmer months. They also say that blue cats are a far greater threat to the fishery. Once they get to 25" or so they become almost completely piscivorous.

Not the place I would go to target bass. I have caught a few small largemouth and smallmouth in that area using crankbaits.

Beaverdam Creek Reservoir, not Beaverdam Swamp Reservoir. It's between Leesburg and Ashburn.

Zoom Horny toads with the Stanley Ribbit hook First time using them I finally caught my first snakehead. An hour later I caught 4.5lb bass. And my next time using thme this past weekend I caught a 5.5lb bass among others. So yeah, I'm really fond of them now.

Looks like a hybrid that is part green.

No doubt there are bigger ones. Bigger ones have been shot with bows. I got myself a bow recently so if I happen to end up right on top of them I can take them out that way. No way they'll bite the frog when that close. I just caught my first last weekend. Only 22", still have a complete filet in my freezer.

I really avoid going out there when it's windy. More time spent trying to hold position and I just don't catch anything. The perch don't seem to bite when it's windy and if the perch aren't biting, nothing is it seems. At the reservoir I only fish weightless Texas rigged pro-senkos or Cold Steel finesse walking sticks. The stacked rocks actually were stacked, in a few spots there used to be stone walls. These areas usually produce a few fish, though nothing big. One day I caught a catfish, crappie and smallie from one small rocky area.

You're right about the lake being bare. A few spots are rocky, but otherwise a hard packed bottom. Very little in the way of submerged grasses which I would attribute to the lack of water clarity. Lots of stuff in the water keeping the light from reaching the bottom. I think this is because of the shad, lots of large gizzard shad. Eutrophication- http://sfrc.ufl.edu/allenlab/research/UF%20FINAL%20REPORT%20SHAD%20PROJECT%20CONTRACT%20SI40613.pdf I've never heard of any sunken boats. The bridge is easy to find though. I recently replaced an Eagle Cuda with a Lowrance Elite-5 DSI and now it actually looks like a bridge and not just a shallower area. Plastic worms in specific spots and crankbaits everywhere are what produce for me. The only type of fish in there that I haven't caught with a crankbait is a shad and I haven't caught one of those on anything.

They're crab traps. Last year I saw traps up to the northern part of the mouth of Occoquan. They wouldn't be there if they weren't catching anything. Last year I caught a blue crab at the mouth of Mattawoman.

Farm ponds Rayborn Lake Private property, 284 acre farm owned by Dr Betsee Parker McGhee Lake Private property, 121 acre farm owned by Marcia Carter and G A Horkan Jr. Formerly owned by Geo and Cecilia D. McGhee

http://www.wtop.com/46/3375647/Potomac-now-lighter-on-snakehead

Didn't find Capt. Mike Starrett did you? http://www.indianheadcharters.com/ He's doesn't advertise it, but he can certainly put you on snakeheads. He's booked for the summer as far as I know though. Andy Andrzejewski knows where to find them too. If you haven't contacted them, they might at least be able to suggest someone else.

If you think you need a bait that floats, make some doughballs and bake them a little. I recently made some to hopefully catch some massive grass carp one day. I used flour, corn meal, an egg and some strawberry jello. I tried them one day but I think the carp were too busy doing something other than eating.