Logan S

I use a Flash Mob Jr and modify it a little for a compact A-Rig....Mine is modified for 2 hooks since my state (MD) has that limitation. I use this compact one for smallmouth in a clear mountain lake and it works well in the right conditions. Cut the wires shorter and use round-bend pliers to put loops back in them. I like the version with blades because I think it does 'hide' the wires a bit by flashing around them. Pic for reference with a S-Crank 1.2 for size comparison....It's really not that big at all. Baits are 3.5" Keitechs and the two heads are 1/4oz. I can throw this on any MH rod and 15 or 17lb FC (sometimes braid, but on this small rig not often).

Welcome from a fellow central MD'er.

Just realized I'm in the lead for the BR group ? Been so long between tournaments I forgot which groups I even entered ?

I'm a long way from retiring...But in my career I've always sought out jobs/companies with maximum PTO and/or flexibility to accommodate maximum fishing time. It's worked out well for me, I've been able to fish more than many I'm sure. Right now I have 2 young kids (4 and almost 2) so fishing time is limited to what it used to be, but I still get out enough...No complaints here. I also get to mix fishing and family time occasionally which is the best of both worlds

They look amazing...Retail is out of my price range but I'll be looking for them on the used market for sure . I like the Oneten Stick still being 6'5"...I love the X4 version. I was bummed when the XX and Destroyer models were made longer.

We've been using Paypal for years, it's worked fine...We also give members the option to mail in a check if they don't want to pay the Paypal fees, but must go for the the convenience of Paypal. For registration a simple email to the Tournament Director is sufficient. He keeps track of the registrations and the treasurer keeps track of the payments from Paypal or check. It's been working for us since before COVID...So we don't need to change any of this to comply with COVID stuff in our state (MD). FWIW our club is about 60 members and in normal, non-COVID years we hold 13 tournaments per season.

Local lake has always been popular, but now it's bordering on insane. The kayak/canoe/paddleboard/inflatable crowd have descended on it like locusts. Not meant to be a slight toward anyone, it's just the truth....Generally they are not fisherman and most probably just picked up their gear and are new to the water, so they are just not informed of the etiquette...I'm generally polite with them and wait it out, but man it's starting to wear on me. Parking lot with 20 trailer spaces is usually completely full of cars without trailers, which is frustrating when trying to park since there is a huge lot of single spaces for cars just above the trailer lot. This picture is from yesterday evening, a Wednesday, not a weekend . I can't wait for the virus situation to be resolved so all these people go back to doing whatever it is they were doing before...

I'd bet the tests would be different if the lines had been in the water when tested Maybe they did and I missed it, but I saw another video they did with the same test equipment and it was all dry lines....If they did test lines in the water, I'd admit to being wrong Nylon/mono absorbs water and it's properties change - less abrasion resistance, lower knot strength, and more stretch. Tackle Tour did a nice article about lines a while back and showed a 50% drop in abrasion resistance for nylon/mono when submerged. Most of the FC lines in their comparison were worse than the nylon/mono when dry too...But when wet the results flipped. TT is known for the methodical testing they do, much like the Salt Strong videos.

On the spawning in 80 degrees water stuff...I've seen some stuff that doesn't go 'by the book'. On the Potomac and Chesapeake there will sometimes be some fish that spawn again in August (mid-80's water), I've actually caught them off beds sight fishing. It's not a ton, but enough that I always check on it around full moons in August. My guess is the nature of tidal water is that sometimes during the normal spawn time the available spawning habitat is lower (less or no grass to break the current)...So some go for another round in summer when there is a lot more ideal habitat for it. There are no absolutes in bass fishing I don't make it a habit to eat bass, but I still think Smallies taste better than LM .

InvisX is a great line, I don't think the answer is upgrading to a more expensive one. AbrasX is great and I'm sure Tatsu is too (I haven't used it)...But this is a big reason why so many newer anglers get turned away from FC - Any thread about it inevitably turns into people saying "spend more on the extra magical line". I'm almost positive @Dirtyeggroll's issue is that his line is getting damaged in some way, not a fault of InvisX as a line.

I don't have a jet, but I've spent enough time on the flats to know they are somewhat rare out there ....I have seen them though. Not sure how much of an issue chopped up or loose grass is for a jet, but it can be an issue all over the Upper Bay, not just on the flats....Especially in the fall. But outside of that, you should be OK with trips down here. There are lanes in the grass on the flats that you can run in and at mid to high tides there are lots of areas where the grass isn't actually ON the surface. I'm sure it'd work out as long as you're smart about it. I have some buddies with jets that fish the Upper Bay just fine - They don't fish the flats much but that's their preference not because they can't get out there.

Sorta depends, every fish is different...Some fish thrash/headshake more than others. Boat flipping will put some extra stress on them too (but I still do it often). If you tie off the r-bend with some braid it will greatly reduce the amount of bending and your spinnerbait wire will last longer. IMO you get a better hookset too since it doesn't open up nearly as much when pressure is applied. With it tied off like this, a lot of times I don't even need a re-tune after catching and boat flipping a fish.

I do I was just going to post here that the timing of this thread back in 2009 was pretty good - With the new world record being caught 1 month later. I know it's officially a tie, but consider Kurita's bass to the "real" WR - We know for a fact it weighed exactly what it did and it was still heavier than Perry's bass which is now nearing 90 years old. I think the fact it was caught on live bait stunted what could have been more publicity - No "World Record Lure" to promote. One thing I remember reading back then was that Kurita said he had seen the bass in a school of other huge bass and had tried for multiple days to catch one. Can you imagine a school of 20+lbers? ?

I really like Red Label 15lb on my squarebill rods and many others...It's my most commonly used line. All FC lines have a lifespan once spooled up and fished...The 'nicer' FC lines tend to last longer than the cheaper ones, but they all have a lifespan. If your line is breaking unexpectedly, something is wrong...Hard to say what but it's time to respool. Other than being old - you said 2 years, which would be definitely be too old - but I'm assuming that's total time and you've respooled in between....FC gets damaged if it gets overstretched and you won't really notice it most of the time. If you've pulled off a few snags from a distance that could explain it, a fairly long section of damaged line. When it's been overstretched it gets more brittle and can definitely break unexpectedly.

Navionics is pretty good on the Potomac, but on tidal waters you're primarily using mapping for not running into things or up on mud flats...Not so much for finer details of structure. I don't have the option of LakeMaster since I use Lowrance, but my understanding is that Humminbird hasn't done much if anything with LM on the Potomac yet. LM is a big step above Navionics on Anna and SML though. I'm interested in the new C-Map Precision Contour charts but they are not available for VA or MD yet. The look amazing for the states they've mapped so far (AL, TN, NC)...They will rival Lakemaster from what I've seen, just need to wait for them to map VA and MD.

@Armtx77 Can't argue with any of your points on observation...It's a powerful tool.

I'll disagree with this (respectfully of course)....Before SI/DI existed and before GPS was common I found plenty of offshore cover and structure with 2D sonar and paper maps. I would also argue that using your technology to it's fullest potential is another developed skill, plenty of people out there with thousands of dollars worth of graphs but can barely use them beyond seeing how deep the water is. Waypointing someone's spot and rationalizing it as "I could have found it too if I had his gear," is a big assumption...IMO this line of thought is basically the same as copying the answers on a test from someone because, "I could know this too If I studied/prepared for it." Maybe you would, but in both cases - You didn't.

I listened to the whole thing. I sympathize with him since pretty much everyone has dealt with it at some point, I'm sure him being a pro with wrapped boat really exaggerates it for him too, it's amazing how glued people get to a wrapped boat on the water. Whenever one is out on the river or bay, literally everyone I run into comments on it..."Did you see that Berkeley boat? I saw him in front of Chickamuxin..." They don't have a clue who the person is or why their boat is wrapped, but it's location is accounted for nearly all day ?. I know some guys that freely admit they drive around looking for the flotilla of bass boats because, "that must be where the fish are." I can't imagine having that mentality, but so many people do and think nothing of it. I think he's a little overboard on how hard he tries to ignore others on the water. I get it, he's going out of his way not to be seen as 'that guy' that does the bent pole thing....But anyone that matters to him (friends, other tour anglers, etc) will all know he's not like that, so who cares what the random others out there think? Nice sentiment, but maybe some unneeded stress on him?

I use 2 rods for bladed jigs, they are both mod-fast/regular actions - MH power - 7'1" and 7'2" - Graphite...I use flouro for line. I use this style setup because I've found it to be better suited to the shallow water, thick grass method of bladed jig fishing which is how I'm fishing them 90+% of the time. The little extra rebound makes a difference in how the bait pops in and out of the grass during the retrieve. IMO there is a difference between the two rod styles, but it's one of the more nuanced rod selection choices....I don't think you NEED to have one or the other to be successful, but if you fish bladed jigs a lot it's nice to specialize your rod for it. I know a lot of people compare the Mod-Fast style rods to cranking rods, but IMO a good chatter rod isn't really an ideal cranking rod except for squarebills with heavier wire trebles....A true/typical cranking rod is generally a bit too soft to be a good chatter rod for me.

In general, a bass club is a great way to get started in tournaments, fish more, fish new places, learn, and have fun...For relatively low cost. All clubs are going to be a little different....Some are more competitive, some more laid back - Some will be open to everyone, some are OK staying as a close-knit group - Etc, Etc.... Many clubs are affiliated with BASS or FLW (or both) so be aware that you'll need to be a member of those organization in addition to the club if they are. The best thing to do is attend a club meeting to get a feel for how the group is and if it all looks good to you, jump in.

Since it's a tournament situation, a big part of the decision is what you've already got in the livewell. If you've got a decent bag already and are looking for upgrades, it's a lot easier to hang around...If not it's a bit harder. Beyond that, it's tough to say. I think we've all been in that situation before and can sympathize, it's not an easy decision. For me, it sometimes can be dictated on specific things like the time of year or type of water. Unfortunately, the answer is the always unsatisfying, "It depends....."

@Sam Mentioned it earlier...But Blue Crabs influence color choices in the tidal waters around here - Potomac, Upper Chesapeake, James/Chick Rivers, etc...

Good news! Now we just need to get into Stage 2 so that tournaments can start back up! I hope some of the other parks, lakes, ramps open up...Poor little Black Hill has been getting annihilated by 'sustenance' fishing - Can only imagine what it will look like now that DNR's little ro*** on recreational fishing is gone.

I don't think it's out of line, but I don't think I'd bother these days. The only time I've done it is when someone posted a report about a lake and included details on what I did in a tournament that he heard at weigh in (on this site actually). I asked the person not to do it again, but I look back and think I probably should have just left it alone, not worth the ensuing awkwardness. Between super popular YouTube fisherman publishing videos on some small local lakes and the BASS/FLW tournaments pinpointing exactly where all the top anglers are fishing on the Potomac and Upper Bay...Everything around me is essentially 'spot burned' ?. IMO, 10% of the anglers have 90% of the success...So there might be extra people out there, but most aren't hurting anything. It keeps you on your toes .

I would stay away from the FICHT, personal experience . I had an ETEC on my previous boat and it was flawless, great motor. I think the ETEC's and G2's are just as good as anything else out there right now...So no, I wouldn't avoid the more recent models.