Steveo-1969

Walter Payton was the greatest running back of all time. This is not an opinion. I know this is a FACT because I’m a Chicago Bears fan! Good night Irene……………..

I used to hold a spinning rod 2x2, then I watched a short video of Aaron Martens explaining he holds a spinning rod with his whole hand above the reel stem so he can put his index finger on the blank. I tried it and really liked it.

Upper Potomac River smallmouth: 1) 3/16 ounce skirted finesse jig with Baby Rage Craw or Baby Menace Grub trailer. This caught my new 21.5” PB this spring. 2) 2.8” Berkley Power Swimmer on 1/8 ounce jig head. 3) SK Ned Cut-R worm on 1/8 ounce jig head.

Sniper jigs are the nicest finesse jigs I’ve ever fished with but because of the amount of jigs I go through in my shallow rocky river I use a cheaper brand. At the $2 price point I couldn’t resist though and ordered 25 Sniper jigs on Saturday.

Maybe @cyclops2 is looking at this issue with only one eye open?

First props to the OP for asking so many good questions before trying to catch a musky. It’s nice to see he’s concerned about the health of the fish when released. With that said I hope the OP reads the above post a couple times until he really understands the high water temp concern. It was mentioned earlier in the thread but doesn’t seem to have sunk in yet. I caught a 40” musky while wading for smallmouth on my local river in August a couple years ago. I tried to get her in as quickly as possible but it was still a 7 minute fight. And of course no net. After I released her she laid on the bottom for a couple minutes and slowly swam off. I really hope she survived but there’s a good chance she didn’t. In hindsight I probably should have just broke her off quickly before she got tired but, you know….. ??

I use the Trilene knot for every line type and weight. I just adjust the number of wraps I use so that I get a snug knot when I tighten it.

Welcome to BR!! I am a shore bound or wading angler that fishes smallmouth in the Upper Potomac from Dam #5 down to Shepherdstown. I mainly fish around Williamsport. Yes, I’ve caught more young smallmouth this year than I have in the past couple years for sure. Unfortunately there’s no recent info on the MD DNR website to back it up. The last update I could find was from August 2020. But it seems the supplemental stocking and better spawns the past couple years are making a difference in smallmouth numbers!!

The Ned Cut-R worm in Moon Juice is probably my top producing Ned Rig plastic.

Same. They are usually on sale during the BPS Spring Classic sale and I stock up for the year.

Using braid on a spinning rod has been a game changer for me for the line manageability. Never say never, but…. I will NEVER spool a spinning reel with anything except braid!

I’ve never fished the lower Potomac, but I spend 98% of my fishing time on the Upper Potomac. Yes I love it!

My doctor just told me I should have gotten the shingles vaccine last year when I turned 50. I just finished my COVID vaccinations and the shingles is next on the list.

Haagen Dazs vanilla bean for the win! I’m very jealous of all the Blue Bell mentions as I can’t find it where I live. After HD it is my favorite brand! Sign me up for a good frozen custard over ice cream though! Like Culver’s serves. I’ve had other “frozen custard” that was more like heavy whipping cream. Dreadful stuff. My favorite frozen custard is Gilles in Fond du Lac, WI. No Culver’s where I live but I can get custard from The Meadows in Hagerstown, MD which is really good. Edit: Honorable mention goes to Turkey Hill All Natural (black lid, NOT red lid!!)

Is this your go-to color on the Upper Potomac for smallies? Asking for a friend…..

Ummmm. You have to GET to another Super Bowl before you can LOSE another Super Bowl. Uff Da!!!

Largemouth

Agree! I have a custom rod built by @Delaware Valley Tackle and couldn’t be happier!!

I use a ML power spinning rod for light t-rigs. Just make sure you are using a light wire hook and penetrating past the barb on the hookset won’t be an issue. Braid will help this too.

NO

Welcome to BR. To help you figure out what hasn’t changed in 40 years, and more importantly what HAS changed… This is the place to be!!

I use both with confidence. On Sunday I was catching smallmouth with a Maxscent flatnose minnow and the bite shut off. I changed color but had to use a Powerbait minnow instead. And started catching fish again.

Agree with the above. For 15# fluorocarbon I point the rod at the snag, reel the line tight, and pull straight back. For heavy braid wrap the line around something and pull the snag out with your hands instead of the rod.

Strike King. They make quality baits and every kind you can imagine.

I took a 13 year break from 1997-2010 and regret every day missing that much fishing time that I will never get back! Nowadays I fish year round and if I go more than a week without fishing I want to choke people. I can't imagine taking a fishing break because I thought I was getting too obsessed. I quit drinking 16 years ago because it was becoming a problem. Fishing isn't a problem, it's a blessing.