Logan S

Mallows Bay is cool, if you fish the Potomac you need to go by at least once just to check it out. I would imagine a large percentage of that area could be accessed by kayak where a bass boat can't go. There's plenty of bass around those old wrecks, but I typically like to fish more isolated stuff...It's hard to pick apart that huge fleet! I've had some great days in Mallows though. There are plenty of other barges all over the river too...Mostly just old wood by now, but many hold fish. Some of the old barges used rocks as ballast so there's also bunch of rockpiles left where the wood has rotted away or been carried away by the tide. To me, these aren't 'shipwrecks' in the same sense as the ones the OP is talking about though...Since most of them are visible and you can flip/cast to them.

I've caught smallies off a wreck on Lake Erie. Saw the wreck icon on my GPS and it wasn't too far away from where I was fishing so I went and found it. Caught a few but nothing crazy.... It's likely the wrecks in your lake could hold fish, but there could also be a reason no one fishes them. It's possible that a 100+ year old wooden ship in a lake is nothing more than a silted-over pile of rubble by now. We also fish barge 'wrecks' on the Potomac all the time. They are good shallow cover for Largemouths, many of them are actually partially visable on lower tides. The ballast rocks are also the source of many rockpiles that hold fish and eat lower units on the river. In the ocean, a shipwreck creates an entire artificial reef ecosystem with tons of life. In a lake, a shipwreck is more like a big piece of cover...Whether it holds bass or not probably has more to do with it's location/depth/bottom composition/lake structure/etc....Just like any other piece of cover. I would still go check it out, you never know .

Between 30" and 36" at various spots around my house here in MD. I don't know if this is more than we got back in 2010 or not, but that was 2 storms back to back, this is definitely the most I've seen in 1...I haven't been here my whole life though. The snow drifts are huge, some around my house are 4 or 5 feet at least. I'm just glad I triple-covered my boat, should be OK once I can dig it out...It won't see the water for a while now I'm sure .

Pick-ups are the better all around choice for towing in my experience. In addition to all the mechanical reasons which have been covered already, the convenience factor of having the bed and tailgate for launching/loading is really nice. A full size pickup is typically a good bit longer than an SUV too, which is also a benefit. If you don't put a cap or huge toolbox in/on the bed, you also have a better field of view in a pick-up. I've used both, IMO the only advantage an SUV has is the ability to store more stuff inside...But a 4-door pick-up comes pretty close to that. You can tow with almost anything, I've seen a Crown Vic and a Mustang towing and launching bass boats at ramps on the Potomac before...They seemed to work well enough for their owners, but that doesn't mean it's a smart choice .

Honestly, I think the best thing you can do is start in an aluminum bass boat. Something in the 17 or 18 foot range with a 50 or 75hp outboard depending on the boat. It not the most popular advice, but it's the advice I give to every first time boat owner. It's not only easier to learn in an AL rig, it's cheaper to learn too. If you could already operate a boat and knew the in's and out's of basic maintenance/towing/navigation/etc...I'd say go for the full size. But with little to no boating experience I'd strongly consider something like a 17' AL rig as a starter boat. I'm not saying it's impossible or that you won't be able to handle it...Just friendly advice. FWIW, I started in a 12' john boat - then a 17' Tracker - then to my current 20' Stratos. If I could do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing, despite all the tournaments I fished out of the Tracker wishing I had more range/storage/speed. On any used boat, check the compression before signing on the dotted line. Either do it yourself, have a 3rd party do it, or have the shop/seller do it in front of you. It's easy and pretty quick, shouldn't hold the sale up. Don't overlook the trailer condition either, rust and/or flaking paint are signs of trouble down the road.

I've always liked Violets Lock for shoreline fishing and wading. In the summer the grass grows pretty good in the canal if you walk downstream half a mile or so, pretty good LM fishing. The backwater area between the canal and the main river is a cool place to fish too, lots of riffles and pools that hold SM. The fish are on the smaller side usually, but it's fun rock-hopping and sight fishing for them in the pools back there. 3" senkos, inline spinners, and small floating Rapala minnows were my top 3 baits when I used to fish there a lot. Part of the fun for me was the hiking/climbing/wading. It's a popular place so the areas that are easy to get to are crowded, but you'd be surprised how that changes with just a little bit of hiking/walking/wading off the beaten path... If you want to get off the bank and in the back seat of a bass boat, you guys might consider checking out a local club, there is a very welcoming club that just so happens to be right in this area and has been mentioned a few times in the big MD thread .

I would imagine that different metals could transmit vibrations/movement differently...Whether Magnesium is 'more sensitive' (transmits better) than Aluminum or vice-versa I can't say. I have noticed that different reels on the same rod can have a different feeling, but I've always chalked that up to ergonomics. Interesting idea though...

I have never had a co-angler break a rod in my boat, but I have broken several of my own as a boater . Nearly all of them were broken in some way related to a rod locker...I think you might be safer in the back! Just be careful with rod covers on while running, they catch wind and move around. I've noticed a few of my co-anglers will carry those foam-covered flexible gear tie things to keep all their rods together while running (while also strapped into the boat).

There's a dock with the same thing set up in a popular creek off the Potomac....It got me once this summer, I actually appreciated it since it was about 95 degrees that day.... Caught a fish off the dock too .

My favorite is the ZMan Custom which is a TW exclusive. 4/0 Mustad jig hook, a wire trailer keeper, same attachment as the Project Z, and great color choices (IMO). It has the classic chatterbait action and can be slow-rolled or burned/waked without fouling. The best feature is the wire keeper though, the trailer stays locked in place...Which is big deal when fishing through grass.

On spinning gear I use 10 lb Power Pro with a 10 lb Flouro leader. With a 6'10" M/XF rod, any fish up to about 3.5 lbs is a simple crank-to-the-boat fight. On bigger fish I'm more careful, but the fight is still relatively quick. I generally prefer flouro over braid for most things, but in this specific case (skipping on spinning tackle) braid is the better choice for me...I get stronger main line without management issues on 2000-sized spinning reels. It's usually relatively short casts and shallower water, so none of the other braid/flouro comparisons come into play as much IMO. I always use a flouro leader for abrasion resistance, I make it a little longer than normal (8-10 feet or so). On casting gear I use straight 15 lb flouro.

He's not the only one to make comments about pro anglers 'getting help'. Unfortunately, there's not really an effective way to enforce restrictions on information sharing. The point about all waypoints being erased at the start of official practice is interesting, but it would also eliminate waypoints an angler would find 'legitimately' from past years or the allowed pre-practice times. Aaron Martens is one angler that I've seen several times publicly state that he never gets 'help'...Everything he does is what he finds on his own. I don't think other anglers are breaking rules by getting whatever help they can, but it does make me respect guys like Martens a little more.

I generally agree with the article...But I've seen enough on the water that would justify a home/dock/land owner disliking fisherman. Unfortunately, that's simply not true for all fisherman. A close friend has a house on a popular lake here, many tournaments are held on the lake. I can fill tackleboxes with the amount of hooks and lures we've pulled off his dock, ropes, boats, covers, shoreline... It has a financial impact too since boat covers, seats, etc are pretty darn expensive. Thankfully, no one's grabbed a rope with a hook in it yet. As always, the actions of a few ruin it for everyone else.

Just a follow up to my post on the previous page...FOBA's first meeting of 2016 is this Wednesday(Jan 6th) at 7PM at Seneca Valley High School in Germantown. If interested, shoot me a PM and I'll give you the room number and more information... We are open to all and encourage any bass fisherman in the area to check us out. Our website is on my profile as allowed by BR rules. Please feel free to ask about anything, I've been a member for 15 years and have all the answers . We have quite a few members here on BR as well. Would love to see some more added!

Guess you don't need anymore convincing, but I'll just agree with everyone else that it's an awesome reel. I love mine and I keep thinking about adding another... For the price you won't find a more feature packed reel. If there were a few different options for gear ratio's I'd likely already have a few more, the 8:1 gears are FAST. I use flouro on mine, but I've found the flouro (F) brake setting to be a little conservative...It's good in heavy wind or for skipping but distance-wise it's not really any different from a normal reel. I typically use the minimum brake setting and it will flat out bomb a 3/8 or 1/2 jig while still keeping the spool in check. I don't really use the SP mode since distance is poor, but it's basically thumb-free casting which is impressive. The DC whine is also strangely addicting . Mine is on my casting jig rod. The combination of extra long casts and an extra fast retrieve make it perfect for that application for me.

He gives you the option for pretty much any combination which is why there are so many styles available. If you're not sure what to start with, the Supreme category seems like the base model with the others being 'upgrades'. Pick a main category, pick a head, pick a color... In general, Arky and Bullet heads are very universal, either will work in just about any scenario. I really like his Dock Rocker (very similar to an Arky) and Bullet heads. I also like the Deep Throat hook option (Dredge series).

Probably won't get out for at least few weeks so everything came out of the boat, plus UPS dropped off a new rod . Finally grabbed the XX Spinnerbait Special, I think I'm going to pair it with the Scorpion DC and use it for dock skipping in addition to spinnerbaits...But any of the reels in the pile might find a home on it. The rods from the boat (except the new one), can you tell I like St Croix? Although MB is starting to make it's presence known . And why not throw a fish in there too, a dink from last Sunday on Lake Anna...Caught on the rod I'm likely reassigning now that the SS is in my lineup. Unfortunately not many fish bigger than this made in the boat, but being on the water without the cold weather gear on Dec 27th was good enough...

Always wanted to give the Bullflat a try...Might have went a little overboard, but I had to get enough to make it worthwhile shipping from Japan...Right?

I don't really look for anything, most of the tournaments I fish are random draw anyway...So I'm not choosing my co-anglers for the most part. When I do pick my partners I care more about travelling/lodging together, skill never really factors for me. Any co-angler is welcome in my boat as long as they are on time and follow the rules of the tournament/club.

-Most of my co-anglers bring 5 or 6 rods, some more and some less. I have a 20' boat so I don't care how many they bring since I have the room, but in a smaller boat more could get in the way. -Yep, Plano's in a tackle bag is the most common. -Some are, some aren't.... I share a good amount if the co-angler seems receptive to it. Some days I'll be quieter than others, but generally speaking I'm not up front trying to keep secrets. -I don't think you need to get together, but you should at least call or email to touch base. Talk about things like when/where to meetup, the fishing plan, and anything else that might come up. -As for other advice, get some of the club members to teach you how to back a trailer, launch/load the boat, and run a trolling motor as soon as you can....Those are awesome skills for a co-angler to have, makes things a lot easier on the boater . Make sure you have a good PFD and a good set of rain gear, those are two items that I've seen a lot of new co's overlook. I started as a co-angler when I was 15 and learned more in my first season than I did in my entire life prior to that. Bought a boat at 16 and fished that season about 1/2 and 1/2 between boater/co. The following season I was boater full time and have been ever since.

I have an Excense DC too, also a great reel...However picking between the two specifically for skipping I'd go with the Scorpion, but it's not a wide margain. You can't go wrong with either reel...I use the Excense on my casting jig rod and would have no issues hitting docks with it if I didn't have the skipping rod on the deck. I know a lot of guys like the high speed reels for docks, but I actually like the slower ones and use the 6.3 Scorpion. I don't want it moving too fast when I bring it in for the next cast, gives a fish a chance to swipe at it...Doesn't happen all the time, but I've caught enough like that to make me think about it. That's just me though, if you like the fast reels that Excense really moves line...You go to pull in the jig from under a dock and feels like it's back at the boat in 2 or 3 cranks

I spent about half my day on the water yesterday skipping docks with a recently acquired Scorpion DC...It's an awesome reel. I had been using a Core 100 for this task for a long time prior to giving the Scorpion a try and I won't be switching back. I don't think it makes it easier skill-wise, but it seems to be more efficient. Felt like I didn't need to use quite as much force to get 4, 5, or even 6 poles deep under the docks. If you're still learning to skip, the F setting makes it very hard to backlash but you sacrifice distance...After the first few skips it loses steam quickly and stops. If you already know what you're doing, the N mode is awesome...You can back off the thumb a little and let the jig carry it's speed under the dock without worrying. They are right around $205 on JLS right now . FWIW, I use 3/8 jigs and 15lb flouro most of the time.

They can be similar in certain situations and are completely different in others. Both are staples in my boat and are rigged and ready to go everywhere/everytime, usually on multiple rods of each. In general, I like jigs when fishing away from grass and especially in open water...Will fish either/or when fishing over/thru/around grass...And if I'm fishing 'in' the grass I like a Texas rig. There are exceptions, but most of the time that's how I differentiate. I also like a jig for dock fishing, but will occasionally skip a Texas rigged creature or paddle-tail too. Most of the time I have my weights pegged on Texas rigs, but I do like to keep it sliding and add a bead sometimes like Tom also mentioned.

Interesting, I've never noticed it with mine but I believe you...Wouldn't bother me too much because I'm usually not using super long pauses, maybe 1 or 2 seconds at the most in cold water. Just another reason for me to like the original more, more versatility in the slow-floater .

The whole "fiberglass big rich boat" thing just seems like a little bit of jealousy to me...But what do I know, I'm one of those fiberglass guys that rips up and down the river. BRB, gotta go find an AL boat to wake. I'm glad you think I'm rich, could you pass that information along to my bank? Where do plastic boats fit into the hierarchy? Kidding aside, no body of water is immune to inexperienced or inconsiderate boaters. You just learn to deal with it. I've seen boneheads in everything from canoes to yachts, has nothing to do with financial status.