Scott F

First of all, none of the 4 items you listed could be classified as scientific studies. Second, the first study you listed compares fishing success to moon phases, not spawning activity The others merely repeat what they have heard or believe about moon phases and the spawn. None of them did anything to prove or disprove that moon phases effect spawning activity. There is actually conclusive evidence that moon phases have no effect on the spawn. The book "Black Bass: Ecology, Conservation and Management" edited by David P. Philip and Mark S. Ridgway, is a collection of scientific studies done over the years concerning large and smallmouth bass. None of the studies referenced could show any connection to moon phases and the spawn. The effects of water temperature, photo periods, and water levels were all shown to influence the spawn but the phase of the moon has never shown to have any effect at all on fresh water black bass spawning activity.

I'm not the best one to answer this question. I bring less gear on a two week fishing trip than a lot of the guys who post here do for a couple hour bank excursion. Instead of bringing several reels with you in case you lose a lot of line, why don't you just bring a couple of reels and extra spools of line?

Rainbow trout are stocked in PA waters because there is very little natural reproduction. Those fish are there to be taken. No reason to feel bad about taking a fish that was very unlikely to have a successful spawn anyway.

As you can see, there is no "Best" answer for everyone. I'm in the straight braid on my spinning reels, no leader group. 10lb Suffix 832, Power Pro or Fireline, They all work well for me. 10lb is strong enough but not so strong that I can't break it off when I have to. 10lb will also let me cast farther than thicker heavier braid or any mono/FC line. For where I fish, leaders are never necessary. I use braid because I don't like lines that stretch.

There is a third option for holding your position in any depth of water. It's called an anchor. I've got spot lock but it isn't perfect. My anchor holds me firm in any depth and the electric winch makes bringing it up a snap. This one, cost almost as much as a power pole or Talon, but also holds me better in the fast current I often encounter on the river.

Plain old white vinegar will remove lime deposits.

That was what I learned to fly fish with. Compared to all the other fly reels, it’s pretty heavy. I still have mine from 50 years ago. If I took up fly fishing again, I’d still use it. Very handy to hit the lever with your little finger and have all the line disappear onto the reel.

Please show me where ANY scientific research shows that a full moon has ANY effect on the spawning activity of fresh water large or smallmouth bass.

Have you tried an electric razor? I've been using Norelco's for 45 years. Of course I've had a full beard for 35 of those years. I still shave my neck though and they are fast, easy and do a good job for me.

I fish them unweighted, T rigged in place of a regular Senko.

Most fishing forums, (but not so much on this one) have issues with guys hiding behind an alias and saying a lot of rude things that they might not say to someone face to face. On a forum that I moderate, we don't allow people to use an alias or nicknames at all. So I've always used my real first name on every forum I sign up for.

I expect my rods to last MUCH longer than my reels. I started upgrading my rods just a few years ago, and my reels have been lasting about 10 years. I am probably the least picky person with rods. I really can't tell much difference between $60-$70 rods and $300 rods. I've been buying all St. Croix Avids the last few years not so much because I can feel the difference but because I can afford them. I can't be seen using inexpensive gear, I have appearances I must keep up. They are a bit more expensive than my reels which are all $150-$200 spinning or baitcasting.

My Ranger trailer used those piggyback connectors and after 30 years, none of them have ever failed. I serviced commercial food equipment from every major manufacturer for over 35 years and never saw solder on any connector anywhere. Commercial dishwashers have a lot of water, steam and corrosive chemicals and corrosion on wires and connectors was seldom found except on circuit boards which have soldered components. Use what you have confidence in, I've never needed to solder connections.

You don't need to water proof the connectors unless you plan on leaving your trailer in the water. If you try and water proof the connection and even a little water gets in, it will do more damage because once the water gets in, it will stay in the connector and not dry out like it would if left out in the air.

I just bought a big spool of it. I haven’t even put it on the reel yet. I like 832 but I didn’t buy it because I care what the fish think of it, I got it so I could tell just by looking at it what is on that reel.

Do you break a lot of pins? In 30 years and 3 trolling motors, I've yet to break my first one.

I regularly catch smallmouth and largemouth from the same spots at the same time. Where I get them, there is almost always a combination of rocks and weeds that hold both species.

Try Big Hammer swimbaits.

Without seeing what you have, it’s hard to answer your questions. You should always try and avoid splicing your trolling motor wires whenever you can. The 8 gauge wire could be fine. How long is the distance between the motor and the battery? What does the plug on your old motor look like? You should be able to take it apart, remove the old wires and replace with the new. Which model Garmin are you using? I’ve got 2 Garmins and neither have a “puck” for the GPS. You should use the current wires to power your new depthfinder. Running one power cord to power both units is fine as long as each unit has it’s own fuse.

First off, I know nothing about Goose Creek or the Potomac, BUT, in general, smallmouth often will migrate up smaller rivers in the spring to spawn and if conditions are right, can spend the entire summer in the tributary or creek and then migrate back to the main river in the fall to spend the winter there. Some fish stay in the main river all year some don't. Those who spend a lot of time on the water can follow the fish and predict where to look and intersect those migrating fish. They'll also see the patterns that emerge to see if the fishing is better or more consistent in the main river or the tributary. As an outsider who's never fished that area, I'd have no way of knowing what conditions exist to say which might be better. I'd suggest you get out, spend a lot of time and learn what works in your water.

Is it possible the transducer is seeing the lower unit of your motor? Raise the motor up and see if it goes away.

I’m curious as to why you need such rugged, steel toe boots when fishing from a boat? Do you drop anchors on your feet very often?

How many worms do you think a bass sees? Worm style baits have probably caught more bass than any other shape. You certainly don’t find night crawlers swimming around in a lake but they sure do catch bass.

Daily surface temps changes are normal. In spring, when the temps drop over night, the surface will cool a bit then come up as the day warms up. When the days stay warm and the night time temps don't drop too much, the water a couple of feet down gradually warms up which gets the bass in the spawning mood. A continued cold spell with gradually falling water temps definitely shuts down the bite where I fish.

If you use spinner baits with the closed loop, you can use a snap. If you use the "R" bend style, The snap will ride up and hang up on the blades, so you'll want to tie direct on those. Some guys are able to close off the R bend with line or rubber bands so they can use a leader. But I haven't found a method I like so I use spinner baits that have the closed loop.