SpinnerB

Steve and Scottie...I've been over here for a while but don't read/post too consistently. Check out the articles they have on this site...the information they have here is awesome! I recently moved to Upstate New York so I won't get to fish MD waters too much But on the other hand Upstate NY has a ton of great fishing ;D I always check in on any MD postings to see what's up in my old stomping grounds. Oh..MarcBorger is on this board too as RockvilleMDAngler. Hey Ben...Good Luck in the Junior World Championships. We'll be waiting to hear how you did.

Like everyone else said...start weeding out the average size fish. It sounds like you have stunted fish population. If the lake/pond can sustain the large biomass of fish that are apparently in there then I think you could start getting some bigger fish if you start removing some. Fish populations become stunted because there is only enough food to feed a certain biomass of fish. With too many fish competing for the same food they will never grow large. If you remove a significant number of average size fish there will be more food for the remaining fish which should start growing them larger. Just how large can they get...don't know...you'll have to see. Good luck.

I use search baits in the fall like spinnerbaits or lipless cranks. Fish will bunch up more in the fall. When I find them I'll slow down a bit more and catch more than one in a location. Larger fish will move shallower than during the summer months making them more likely to be caught. My local lake has tons of hydrilla along the banks so I fish the hydrilla edge and try to cover water. I key on points and inside turns especially. I know a lot of people say to head to the tributaries cause the bait will migrate that way but my local lake is too loaded with hydrilla to do that (the shallower areas are not navigable). So I work on steeper banks and points mostly. Had a good fall season last year...hope to do the same this year.

Several years back some hikers were near the top of a mountain in the Adirondacks when a storm blew in. They were heading back down when lightning struck the mountain. It did not hit any of them directly but the electricity passed through the water on the ground from the rains. A lot of hiking trails will act as a small river when it rains hard and there is a slope in the trail. They were all walking through this river on the trail when the lightning struck. The electric current passed through the small river in the trail and got them all. I think all survived but one person but the survivors all ended up in the hospital for a while. Be carefull when lightning is around and I know people say find the low ground...but don't go lying in a pool of water or anything.

Hey...It's your fishing spot. You worked to find it and get approval to fish it. I don't think you have to tell people it is good fishing. Your spots are yours and you deserve to keep it your secret. You don't have to disclose the information to anyone.

KVD is the man!!! My wife likes IKE...as long as he holds his temper Davy Hite - fell in love with him when he busted the dance moves on his boat before winning an Elite Series event last year Crews is my favorite up and comer....Have a friend who fished on his boat. Don't have any old timer favorites...always looking forward

Cool Topic. Here are some things I can add. #3. Spawning: I read an article about improving spawning success (I think it was from this site). You can increase spawning habitat in your local waters by using something to make a border (like cinder blocks) and then fill the center with gravel or small stones. Bass like to spawn on hard surfaces and if the area does not provide that they will not spawn or will not spawn successfully. So by adding some spawing areas you can help improve the spawn. #4. Predators: Yes they do have predators. I had a small pond growing up that I stocked with Bass. I had 2 problems...1. No spawning areas and 2. Osprey. The Osprey cleaned out every bass I ever put in that pond. The pond was only 3-4 feet deep and made the bass easy prey. You would be surprised at the size of fish big birds can pull from the water. I watched an Osprey pull a 16-18" bass from the water right in front of me! I was astonished. Larger fish like toothy critters will also feed on smaller bass but in the waters where toothy critters live this will most likely not hurt the bass population...in fact it may help by weeding out an over abundance of smaller fish. Solution: If you do have a predator problem then add plenty cover to the body of water (weeds, sunken trees, fallen trees, rock piles, docks). Bass will use cover for both protection and to ambush prey. It is a KEY ingredient to successful bass waters. A body of water with no cover/structure will not be good for bass. #8: Keeping Bass: I pretty much release all fish I catch but I am actually not doing the best thing for the body of water when I do so. Each body of water will have its own "Selective Harvest" needs. Many waters contain too many small bass or crappie or sunnies. These smaller fish should be harvested to keep their numbers down. Too many small fish will stunt fish growth because as a group they eat so much food that there is not enough food for fish to grow big. By harvesting smaller fish you allow the ones that don't get harvested to grow larger because they now have more food available to them. A perfectly balanced body of water will have a good range in the size of fish for all species. If there are lots of small fish... start harvesting! Keep some smaller fish and let the bigger ones go so they can grow big.