VABasser

Haha old school stuff there. Good find. I watched it and couldn't stop laughing at how awkward the host was. Don't mean to hijack your thread Ron but I'm going to make the switch on a few of my baitcasting setups this year to braid. Just curious what lb test/brand you guys that fish the Potomac like and whether you use a leader or not. I'm thinking 50lb. Good luck prefishing this weekend. Let us know how you do. I've been scanning through the section in Penrod's book and I'll try to type up some info on a few of the productive areas he talks about. If all goes as planned I'll be on the water next Wed, Thurs and Fri so I'll be sure to let you know if I'm on a solid pattern. I'll be fishing further south but who knows it could still be helpful

Thanks for the quick replies. What are some 2 piecers you would recommend, baitcasting that is? I haven't asked him specifically but I'd imagine he'd want something M or MH for jigs/plastics in the $100-250 range.

Congrats man, post up some pics

My dad mentioned to me that he wanted to get a nice two piece casting rod so he could take it when he traveled. I cautioned him and said he might just want to get a nice one piece and continue using the less than stellar two piece rods he's already got since he doesn't travel much to fish anyway. I've always heard that you sacrifice power and sensitivity for a two piece, but never really known how much. So my question to you all is how much of a difference is there when fishing a two piece? Is it noticeable or something that has been exaggerated? Thanks

Nah I haven't got into tourneys...yet. I thought I'd never want to do the tournament fishing thing but now I give it some thought so maybe my mind is changing. I saw in our collegiate paper (I go to VT) that our bass fishing team won some national tournament or something. I met a guy on the team last year who was trying to get me to come out. It'd be sweet but I dont know if I've got the time down here to do it. You know how that is I'm sure. Hey jcrzy I'll be sending you a PM in a bit

Do you have Ken Penrod's book? I imagine you do but if not I could look through those areas in my copy and see what he says. I skipped that section over because I didn't think I'd fish up that far north

Sounds like a good time. It has been a bit quiet compared to past years on the boards but maybe everyones getting a late start. I'll be back in the Fredericksburg/NoVA area in a week for the summer so I'll be able to hit the waters again and hopefully post some favorable reports

I think I'm gonna place an order in the next day or two. I was looking for that color but didn't see it. Has he renamed it? Heres the link so you don't have to bother finding it yourself http://www.custombassfishinglures.com/index.php/finesse-jigs

There's been a lot of good things posted by many who are more knowledgeable than myself but I will put my 2 cents in. First off, I don't think anyone here is advocating going out and buying a "snoopy" or "wally world" combo to replace solid fishing tackle so those posters who are comparing those to Loomis blanks are blowing it way out of proportion. What I imagine Bernie Mac is comparing are the differences between a quality $100 something rod to a $300+ rod. I see this situation as one with diminishing returns meaning for the extra money you pay, the actual increase in quality will be less than say the difference between a $20 ugly stik (or whatever they sell for) and a Shimano Crucial or BPS rod that sells for $100. I could continue but I'd just be repeating what others have already said. I think hawgchaser summed it up nicely important?yes, overrated? extremely.

I'll launch the majority of times from Quantico. My dad retired from the Marine Corps this past fall so its no hassle getting on base. We can launch for free from there. If theres one thing I hate its paying rip off launch fees at places like Hope Springs. That being said I'll launch from Leesylvania and Pohick some as well. Maybe Willow Landing from Aquia

Well I'm pretty stoked ;D. There's really no point to this post but you guys know how it is when you get a new boat, you gotta tell everyone. Once I came to the conclusion that the Potomac is the most productive body of water to spend your time on in NoVA, I had to convince my dad we needed to upgrade our boat. It took about 6 months and I almost gave up, but I came out on top haha. Although not technically my boat, whenever I'm home from college it pretty much is. I think you know what I'll be doing this summer. Makes getting through finals that much harder. But here she is, a 2004 model Bass Tracker 185 with a 2005 60 HP Merc. If you ever see a tall (6' 4") college age guy out there come up and say hi. On a side note, I'm sure there will be some trips with an empty seat and I'd love to meet some of you all and learn some things. Let me know if you'd like to go out and we'll try to make it happen

Yeah that is what that video suggested, soldering wire. Seems like the best bet because it wouldn't interfere with hookups like Wayne pointed out. I think I'll have to give it a try this summer

Haha yeah that whole video is my favorite of them all. I crack up everytime I see him looking at his "fish finder" and then chucking a buoy over. The fish finder looks like a sirius radio. "I've been fishin pretty deep lately, I may go 4 or 5 hundred feet deep." "Holy buckets"

I wasn't taking it "seriously" I was just asking a simple question, I think that's pretty obvious. You asked if he was playing around. I said it wasn't supposed to be taken seriously. Thereby meaning he was joking around. But it would be stupid to get in an argument over it

I was watching some random fishing videos on youtube and came across this one about fishing frogs. The first bit is all basic info but right around 1:30 it brings up a technique of how to add more weight to the frog in order for it to ride lower in the water. Thus creating more disturbance. Seems worthy of trying but I've never heard anyone talk about it. Anybody do this?

It's not supposed to be taken seriously, I think that's pretty obvious

I know these have been posted up here before but I'm sure there are a lot that haven't seen them yet. They're downright hilarious. So many subtle jokes that only a bass fisherman would understand. Prepare to be amazed by the new angler sweeping the Bassmaster tour

How many packs did they have left? I'd run up there but I'm stuck at VT another 2 weeks. Looks like I'll have to assign an errand to my dad

Hmm Rick Clunn, a day on the lake for Bassmaster? Only thing comes to mind, unless he just wanted to fish the Res real bad ;D

done, thanks

Yeah I read that when you posted it, thats a nice bag. Had me wishing I was able to fish the river. Thats Hope Springs in the back right? On a side note, I just talked to a buddy who caught close to 30 shad in 45 minutes at the Rapp today. I dont think they're up there in full force but theres a decent number. He said everyone else was only catching a few so I guess we've got the technique down. They're calling for showers all weekend though so hopefully that doesn't mess things up.

Anybody been out on the Potomac lately? From the reports I've been reading from the guide services it sounds like there's some good fishin going on. I wasn't sure if I'd get to go home for Easter but I made up my mind I was. Skipping classes Friday to go home Thursday night . I'm bringing a buddy with me who has never bass fished before so the pressure is on me to produce. I'm thinking we'll fish the Potomac Friday and try for some shad in the Rapp on Sat. It doesn't sound like the shad are up in full force yet though but we'll see. Anybody got any info on the Potomac lately? Baits or general areas that are hot? PM me if you want. I'll be glad to return the favor in the summer (about 1 month ;D) when I should be fishing it 3+ times a week.

Yeah the bearing is behind the drive pin. I'm at college now but going home next weekend so I will have to give the things suggested a try and may have to resurrect the thread if my problem isn't solved

Haha. I've got one that I haven't used in years but whichever poster complained about the weight I can agree. Dang thing tired my wrist out after a few hours fishing. It was a 7 footer

I know there is a relatively new Shimano support forum, which is pretty cool, so maybe this should go there but this is sort of a question for Reel Mech and idk if he visits there. But anybody please feel free to chime in with your opinion on what could be my problem. So here's the deal. I have an older (the greenish blue) Curado 200B. Using Reel Mech's step by step book I broke it down to give it the yearly cleaning. I have done this past years so although I'm no expert, I'm not a total noob. The reel is in good shape and everything appeared fine. After doing the normal oiling and greasing I put it back together, strung it up with new line and was ready to take it out fishing the next day. I had a 1/2 oz rattletrap tied on and when I threw a cast out I heard an odd whining/whirring sound. Thats the best way I can describe it. The sound would last about halfway through the flight of the lure then would stop and sound normal. If I did a short cast without much force behind it then there was no odd sound. So my question is what is this? Is there a part that is worn out that needs replacing or am I overlooking something very obvious? Any help would be much appreciated, thanks