Logan S

It will happen. The hooks really don't get damaged when fighting a fish unless I hook a big pike/snakehead/catfish/striper/etc... Most of the time they are actually bent/broken from removing them with pliers from a fish repeatedly or from a fish shaking in the net/boat after being caught (especially smallies ). Any treble hook will get damaged after a while so I just keep a stock of trebles in the boat and replace as needed. I don't ever worry about it too much because I know it will happen and I'm prepared to replace them. As for the RC's, Lucky Craft made the RC line for BPS with Rick Clunn as the 'designer'...That's why they were called RC, also why they changed to LC/RTO or whatever they are now when he left for Luck-E-Strike. The reason the LES and Lucky Craft look the same is because Clunn is the guy originally behind both .

I'd say pretty much any reel will last as long as you'd like it to, provided you do your part in maintaining it....Even the cheap stuff. The perceived 'quality' of a reel has a heck of a lot to do with the user's experience level and desired function. To a first time angler, the $20 reel and the $200 reel are the same....To a seasoned angler the lower end stuff might be 'unusable' for his purposes, thus 'requiring' the $200 reel. Personally, I expect about 5 years of trouble free service for my reels (with annual winter cleaning/servicing)...At that point I begin cycling into new gear, while the old reels still have *some* resale value left to offset the new stuff. The reels still work perfectly, but I like to take advantage of the newer features when they come out. I generally have all the same reels and when I transition to a new model I replace each one over the course of a year or two (it's tough to go through 15 or so reels at once ) There is a point of diminishing returns when you start getting into the high dollar gear...Where that line falls is probably a little different for everyone.

I know it's not exactly what we're talking about here, but it talks about the subject of stretch as it relates to sensitivity.... Team9 touched on that with his post. The article was comparing the physical properties of flouro/mono...Not a multi-brand shootout test like what Tackle-Tour has done, which is probably why he didn't include a wide range of lines. Since the thread was talking about the physical properties of the lines I thought it was a good addition to the discussion .

Team9 is spot on... I posted this in another thread on the subject, it's a good read...(I'm not affiliated in any way to that site, just something I found a while ago) http://www.bigindianabass.com/big_indiana_bass/the-truth-about-fluorocarbon.html It would probably help with a project . Lot's of good info there, this entire stretch argument is covered in detail for those interested.

No, Big Hunting Creek a couple weeks ago. It's closer to my house, also my favorite stream...The Gunpowder is really the prime trout water unless you get all the way out to western MD, I'd go there more if it were closer. Hunting Creek is close by and offers consistent fishing, fish don't get much bigger than that one I posted though.

I do most of my fly fishing from late November through early March, after tournament season ends/before it begins. I can still get my boat out most of the winter, but I enjoy the change up. It will never overtake bass fishing for me, but a nice hike through the woods and some good looking trout is a great way to spend a day in the winter...Especially since in the winter time I'm often the only person out there. I fly fish because most of the better trout streams in my area are designated as fly fishing only and catch and release only...Most of these are managed this way because they actually support wild trout and are either not stocked at all or stocked very minimally. I rarely fish the put-and-take streams around here so I don't really get the chance to use spinning tackle anyway. It doesn't have to take a big investment either, there are some entry level setups that are very good for the money. In my eyes, fly fishing rods/reels are much less important than in bass fishing...You can have a good combo for $100 or less that will last you years (check out the Dogwood Canyon by BPS, I've had one for 10 years). Whether it's worth it or not is up to you. Personally, I enjoy the scenery, hiking, and catching wild trout like this one .

My first boat was a very old, hand-me-down, 12' modified-V hull I got at 13. I put a casting platform on and had bow/transom trolling motors. It was stable enough for 2 people to stand and fish without worry. Even with the V hull (not a flat-bottom) it was stable enough to where I didn't really have to think about it. I fished lakes up to about 800 acres and also the upper Potomac River out of this boat comfortably. Anything in the 12 to 14 foot range should be sufficient. John/small boats are great for learning the ropes and when/if you decide to move up they generally hold value pretty well. As for safety, if you're smart about it you'll likely never have any issue. Respect the water and the weather, keep the boat maintained, keep an eye on fuel/battery levels, and trust your gut feelings... Edited to add: As far as getting blown around...Yes, the wind will make things difficult but it's more of a fishing inconvenience and not necessarily a safety hazard (assuming the waters are small enough to where waves aren't a concern). Fish enough and you will learn how to fish and control your boat in the wind, but in a john boat sometimes it's just not practical and you'll need to look for calmer areas. A Cable-steer, foot control TM will help a tremendous amount when fishing in the wind, regardless of boat size.

I honestly don't believe there is significant, tangible advantage to them...I understand the selling points, but in the real world I think it's negligible... And I have fished with them enough to have what I believe is an informed opinion. Not to say you shouldn't buy one... I have several myself. If the rod feels good to you, it feels good...micro guides or not! I just wouldn't let the guide style sway me one way or the other.

Very few places I fish could be accessed without a boat. The other huge bonus is that it not only takes you where you want to go, its also a 20 foot floating tackle box . 15+ rods and all the tackle I own can follow me where ever I go!

I usually use spinning gear to skip under docks... Sliderhead with finesse or trick worm. Occasionally I'll use casting gear and a jig, but I'll swap out my normal pork trailer for a bigger craw/beaver because it seems to skip further that way.

The ones I've seen haven't been abused. I've known several people who have bought them over the years, one of John Crews' old boats is still in our club I also know a guy that will 'pre-sell' his staff boat every year...He will order it however the buyer wants so the buyer gets to customize it. Pretty good deal if you ask me, 1 year old boat customized exactly how you want for a significant discount.

Hey MD guys, Wanted to put a plug out there for our club, Fish On Bass Anglers. Our first meeting for 2015 will be Wednesday, January 7th at 7PM. The location is Dicks Sporting Goods in Gaithersburg. Come on out and check us out if you are interested. We meet the first Wednesday of every month and hold 13 tournaments a year from April through November. It's a great group of fisherman and a very friendly atmosphere with a big emphasis on sharing/learning. We hold tournaments on local waterways like Black Hills and the Potomac and we also visit places a little further away like Anna, Gaston, Deep Creek, and others. We also do things like an annual picnic/BBQ after a Black Hills tournament, a Kids Fishing Derby, and other informal fishing trips. The 2015 schedule has been posted on our site so if you are interested go check it out. Details on membership are on the site as well, membership is open to all...Boater or Non-Boater (Especially non-boaters!). The Boaters and Non-boaters are in separate divisions so the non-boaters never have to worry about 'financing' the boaters side of the payouts in tournaments like many other clubs. I know that we have several members who post here as well. I have been a member for 14 years so if you have any questions feel free to ask! www.fishonbassclub.com

I'm confused...Your original 'complaint' about my post on the ridiculously terrible idea of launching flipping weights at other boats was that I am somehow 'letting people get away with it' by not confronting them. What I've said (in that post and the ones following) is that I will put my boat in their way so they can't do what they are trying, or say something if it's really blatant.....How is that letting them get away with it? We are both talking about getting spot jumped by rude fisherman...You're also hung up on some societal aspect of it. I'm just hung up on fishing and I don't think it's that big of a deal. Either way, carry on with the thread. I'm out.

The picture is somewhat unrelated, just an anecdote on the thread. Go read what I've actually written, I know what bothers people...It bothers me too and I do address it. We're talking about the same thing. The difference is, it just doesn't bother me to the point where I worry about changing society. I worry about fishing.

Here's a picture from the Potomac this year. Including me, there are 5 boats in this picture... With another 3 or 4 that were behind me. This spot is about 100 yards long. This is normal for the river and even that boat closest to me wasn't too close by Potomac standards. Everyone got along and for the most part, everyone caught fish. Just to show that you can fish close to other boats and not get ugly.

I don't think so...In fact, I don't even think it actually is a problem and I definitely don't think of myself as a victim. It just doesn't bother me as much as it seems to bother you guys. I'm confident in my abiities to catch fish on a tournament day (or a regular day) whether I get crowded or not and there's never just one spot to fish for me. Being defensive isn't my only response. If you read what I wrote, I said that it's what I do IF I want to keep someone from getting to me for whatever reason I might have at the time. It may not 'change their future behavoir', but it keeps them from over-running me right then and there...And that's sort of the whole point right? Obviously, it's happened to me...A few times it's been over the top and I've let the offending boater know like any normal person would...But I don't have any delusions about them 'seeing the light and changing their ways'. It's just not that big of a deal to me, I try to focus my energy on actually catching fish. Only my opinion and it's worth exactly what you paid for it!

Good luck with that then.... Don't be surprised when you get stuck with a bill to fix someone else's boat one day. I'm not saying the person isn't a jerk... But that's not going to matter when it comes to the property damage inflicted by your weight. It's an almost certainty that even if it doesn't do damage, the guy will 'find' damage if he wanted to...Just not something I would want to get myself into.

Really? Some of you guys need to get a grip on reality. This type of statement is one that I've seen/heard a lot and it makes me laugh every time. With very few exceptions, there is no 'private' water...Meaning that even if the other guy isn't following common courteseys and is being a jerk, he has just as much right to be out there as you do. The guy could very easily get your hull number and file a complaint, there would likely be witnesses, and you would undoubtably be on the hook for damages if the guy wanted to take it that far. (A two-ounce weight could to definately damage a bassboat's gelcoat...Not mention the multi-thousand $$ electronics setups on many boats now...You would not be getting away from me) Anyone who has spent time on any of the very popular bass fishing waters in our country has experienced crowding and the 'bent-rod pattern'. It's part of the game...Most guys don't partake in it, but there are enough that do to make it pretty common. The tidal Potomac River is probably one of the most heavily fished bass fisheries in the entire country...I have spent a considerable amount of time on it and I have pretty much seen it all. Fishing defensivly (protecting your area) is actually a thing here. You just adapt to it, the fish are still there to be caught. As long as someone doesn't jump literally right in front of me, I don't even really care...Like I said, part of the game on some waterways. It sucks to get crowded, but if you can't or don't want to move...Be defensive. Position your boat so the other guy can't get past, start working towards the other guy, anything to keep him from getting to your water. As long as I see someone coming, I can usually defend a spot pretty well if I want to.

Pretty much everywhere in MD will get stockers, doesn't mean there aren't wild trout that hold over though. For something close to you, try the Patuxent River above Triadelphia, its C&R and artificial only. Its stocked once a year but it does have wild brown trout according to DNR...Its shaded enough to stay cool in the summer. If you want a completely unstocked stream, there are two that come to mind. The Savage River below the dam in Garret county is probably the most famous one... Supposedly one of the best trout fisheries on the entire east coast. Its on my list to hit this winter. Big Hunting Creek above the lake is not stocked and is managed as a wild brook and brown trout stream. Its small and the fish are very spooky and smart, definitely a challenge. I always fish below the lake, its stocked with all 3 species annually but there are plenty of holdovers that live there naturally. It's fly-fishing only though, don't know if it makes difference to you. As stated already, Brookies are the only trout that are 'native' to MD but plenty of places have wild (naturally reproducing) brown trout as a result of stocking. I don't think there are very many Rainbows, if any, that are wild in MD.

It won't. It doesn't handle quite as well as mono, but it's pretty easy to get over/get used to. All 3 line types have their time/place, most guys have a mix of everything on their setups depending on each rod's usage.

Yesterday on the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, PA....Caught while bass fishing It's great to have friends with jet boats

J is right that it's all about the change...Change in weather are what fish react to. If you want to get deep into the barometric pressure discussion, realize this... The number you see in the weather report is not the exact physical value for where you are standing. Pressure changes with elevation, the higher you go - the lower it gets. It's reported/predicted/calculated as if it were 'brought' down to sea level to keep everything normalized. If you look at a weather report for Denver, you'll see normal value...Something between 990 and 1030mb. However the 'raw' number there is probably somewhere around 800mb since it's a mile above sea level (could be off, just guessed...Haven't worked on this stuff in a while). It's standardized to sea level so that it can be useful in forecasting. How does it relate to bass fishing? Well, it really doesn't. The biggest short term change you'll EVER see in Baro Pressure (think hurricane-type event) is the equivalent of moving up or down maybe foot or two underwater. Think of how many times a day a fish might move a foot or two in depth and you'll soon realize that the atmospheric pressure is pretty much irrelevant to the fish. What is IS...is a symptom of the larger weather pattern. The pressure changes with things like fronts/storms/ridges. Those things bring wind, clouds, rain, cold, etc...Those are the things that drive fish mood, the pressure is just a symptom of those (as it relates to Bass Fishing). I wouldn't worry about the pressure, I'd worry about the other things...But most importantly, just go fish! Having a degree in Meteorology certainly helps with some things in the fishing world, at least I'm using it for something since I never became a weatherman .

The 'standard' pressure is 1013mb or 29.92 in-hg. So high or low from that number .

I use Red Label for everything. It's a good combination of performance and price. The Sunline Super FC feels spongy compared to RL, I personally don't like it. You can't really go wrong with RL. It's not the best, obviously...But I actually prefer it to some of the higher end stuff. If you go through a ton of line like I do it's almost a necessity. Bulk spools of RL hurt a lot less than Sniper or others.

Honestly, I think it's banned because those organizations didn't want nearly every event to be dominated by it....It would get boring for the anglers and the fans. Trolling catches a lot of bass too, you still need to find them, still need the right bait, etc... But no one complains? Their organization, their rules... Doesn't bother me at all.