Snakehead Whisperer

The white perch in Maryland are closely related to white bass and striped bass. They're good eating. Not a true perch, though.

So true. It reminds me of when I'm vertical jigging in deep water (like 60 feet or more) and get snagged and break off. It usually still feels like I have an ounce of lead or more on my line until I get it up near the boat.

5 weight fly rod. Comparable to a light or ultra light power rod.

True, but then again we also need flashy Stradic CI4's.

I remember my first cast with a baitcaster. My friend and I were pond fishing for crappie, and I had one of those little crappie baitcast reels (pun intended.) I had practiced a bit at home, so I was confident that I was going to launch it out there. I looked at my friend and said "Watch this." I then proceeded to cast the jig about 2 feet behind me and backlash the entire spool. He still gives me a hard time about it. I use casting reels a lot these days, but I don't quite understand all of the spinning reel hate in bass fishing. The right tool for the job is always the best choice. Won't see me throwing anything light on a casting outfit. It's kind of similar to fly fishing. I love tossing flies when it's the best way to present my offering, but I've never understood those that insist on fly fishing when it's not the best way to get your lure to the fish. A friend of mine throws big streamers on sinking line, and he does ok... but I usually do better with a jig on a spinning rod.

Mine is almost always on, although I usually fish the deepest water I can find bass in. I just upgraded to a down imaging/side scan last year for the bow, and for the most part I use raw sonar and GPS split screen with that unit.

Check out this book. It's very good. You should consider wading the river when water levels are safe to do so. http://www.switchfisher.com/admin/CatchGuides/CG-UPCatchguide.html

Check out tackleunderground.com. It's a forum like Bass Resource, but dedicated solely to lure/tackle making.

As usual, I agree with Tom. Don't over think it. Bass will congregate in the same type of areas that they will in a reservoir, but will ambush prey much like they do in a free flowing river. Current direction can be difficult to discern if you have a strong wind blowing the opposite direction of the tide. Surface water will appear to be flowing against the tide, but in actuality it is moving with it. A good way to get a grip on tidal fishing is to find and area where current is funneled (like a saddle, culvert, etc.) and fish that on all levels of the tides. You will begin to learn where fish congregate during the different tidal phases. It's easier to do this in a small area, then once you have a good understanding of where the fish will position themselves you can apply that to the entire river system. Slack tides are always going to be tough, because of the lack of current. Once it starts moving again, it's likely the fish will become active.

Just about every place I've been to has something that is all it's own. My favorite 'outdoor state' is any place on Earth.

I could possibly help you find some DC shore fishing spots for smallies (Washington, that is.) But seriously, it looks like you're doing pretty well as is. Welcome to the site, Pete. You might want to check out this.

In my mind location is key, what bait I'm throwing is secondary at best. I'm usually trying to match the size of whatever the natural forage is, and at this time of year it's usually 4" or less. Caught most of my big fish on small finesse baits that were less than 5", like a dropshot or a jig and grub. 17lb. snakehead in my avatar pic was caught on a 3" Havoc Sick Fish on a dropshot. It is kind of difficult to argue with the results that the guys who throw big swimbaits achieve, though.

Ouch, that's a bummer. Glad nobody was hurt. In the 3rd pic you can see the blood that the Ranger spilled onto the concrete.

What Tom said. Think somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-15' deep, possibly deeper. Check primary points in the main lake/river and secondary points in creek arms for staging females. I usually drag a Carolina Rig or fish a jig/dropshot, but deep cranking and slow rolling heavy spinnerbaits can be effective if the fish are active. If you're consistently catching bucks, back out to the nearest point with quick access to deeper water like a creek channel. If there is hard cover in these locations, all the better. Deeper is relative. In some bodies of water deep is 6 feet, while in gin clear lakes deep may be 30+ feet or more.

Nice one.

I do this same thing, but I use foam earplugs in the tube. The foam also holds scent really well, so I'll usually douse it in anise scent.

I agree with Team9nine. The article also doesn't state whether the aluminum boat was underway or not. A wake at 20-30-40mph is a totally different beast in a flat bottom boat.

You should get at least a 1436, since you said you'd be fishing with 1-2. The wider the better. If you can find a 1448, even better. I'd advise against the casting deck though. Jon boats are great, but they are far more stable when the center of gravity is low (e.g. standing on the floor.)

I target perch, crappie, bluegill, etc. with a dropshot quite a bit. Just downsize the line to 2lb or so, hook to 6-8-10 and bait to 1" or less. Killer for lethargic smallies too.

Pair the Stradic with a St.Croix Premier 7 foot-ish M-F/XF and you'll be happy. Get a Triumph rod if the Premier is out of your price range.

Then what do the sunfish eat? I would guess that there is some other forage species available in that lake (shiners, fatheads, dace, darters, killifish, etc.) Maybe they want something smaller in size. A trout streamer or nymph/midge might do the trick.

It's likely that the baitfish are somewhere deeper in the water column, and are being chased up to the surface by bass/sunfish. If it were me I would try a suspending jerkbait/slashbait, or something that sinks; then you can count it down until you find where the active fish are feeding.

That depends. In some markets where pure petrol gasoline is available, it is sold as premium (91 or 93 octane.) At most gas stations in the US, however, the 91 & 93 octane is E10 (10% ethanol.) Ethanol free will be clearly marked, and usually cost more. As a preface, there are several methods of determining the octane rating for gasoline. In the US the AKI or (R+M)/2 method is the standard. Different methods will yield entirely different numbers, and the AKI is the number that most of us are familiar with. The major difference between regular (87) and premium (93) is that higher octane fuels are designed to withstand more compression before detonation. In newer engines with higher compression ratios (not to be confused with cylinder compression,) you need the higher octane fuel to prevent pre-ignition (e.g. pinging, knocking, etc.) Igniting premium fuel requires a higher activation energy, which only a high compression engine will deliver. Without the high compression in the cylinder at the time of ignition, there will be un-burnt fuel remaining in the cylinder. A good example is that my old '89 Mercury runs terribly on premium gasoline, as it doesn't burn all of the fuel. I get more power and better economy on 87. I almost always fill it with E10 nowadays, but rarely does a tank of gas go unused in my boat for more than a few days. Most modern outboards recommend either 87 or 89 octane fuel.

Not sure, I've never owned one. I do have an old Coleman canoe that is constructed similarly, and you can move the seats and supports easily.

That's a great looking blue!