Munkin

Looks like Saturday I will be hitting up Black Hills or Big Slackwater not sure which yet. Allen

Sounds like you need to stock up on some spinnerbaits! Allen

Well they stocked trout in Beaver Creek at least which means Greenbrier and Cunnigham Falls are out. Allen

I have only fished Four Locks so far this year. Allen

Well I am going out somewhere on Sunday, I guess Black Hills is out. Upper Potomac, Cunnigham Falls, maybe Greenbrier are some options I just will have to see if they stocked trout in any of those. Trout stockings turn these places into a zoo and i do not feel like fighting with any trout fisherman that do not understand that a boat ramp is not a fishing pier. Allen

Maybe we can have a small get together Sunday at Black Hills? Allen

The stickups that everyone is fishing, is that the area right beside the boat ramp? Fish spawn on top of the submerged trees there but I rarely catch anything around them. Allen

I learned how to use a baitcaster in 1989 and can tell you it takes a lot of practice along with some trial in error. Since I have been fishing with one for so long I would not be a good teacher as I forget how to cast, it is just muscle memory now. Things I has learned over the years though are; cheap baitcasters are just that= cheap, trying to learn on a $30 baitcaster is frustrating and counterproductive. Now this does not mean you need a $500 Steez reel to learn on! Anything in the normal retail price range of $100-150 is fine. Brand and model is a matter of personal preference and if purchasing a new reel go to BPS to handle them before you buy. Steps to avoid professional overuns (aka backlashes); fill the spool only 1/2 to 3/4 full, pull out a cast length of line and place a piece of electrical tape on the spool. Use cheap line in 10-12lb mono until you get the hang of it, otherwise it gets expensive. Allen

Maybe this weekend? I just bought a new TM so it needs to be installed first. Allen

Fished the Upper Potomac Four Locks the past two weekends and the fishing has been good. Last weekend I caught a lot of small fish but I did manage 6 keepers. The thing the surprised me was most of the fish we were catching were LM? Normally only about 10% of the bass I catch in the UP are LM but last weekend it was like 75%. The fish are all in 5 FOW or less just look for areas without current and they should be there. Allen

Called the river report today and the current water temperature for the Upper Potomac is 54 degrees. Allen

20" SM I am guessing at about 4.5lbs caught on the UP at Four Locks yesterday. It was a good day as I caught 12 keepers in about 4 hours. Allen

I have a bunch of Netbait Macdaddy craws (discontinued beaver bait) NIP that I would sell for $2 per pack plus shipping. Can't remember all the colors but I know I have some junebug, watermelon, and alabama craw ones. Allen

I cannot give any information on the guides but I do have a rod using that blank. What size baits do you plan on throwing with it? That blank handles 1/4oz baits very well but anything above 3/8oz it sucks (IMO). It has become my shad rap and Bandit rod which sees very little use. Allen

Getting into jig making is easier and less startup cost if you buy the heads already made. I use less that 5 different jigheads so I can get them in bulk very reasonable. Start with making skirts for the pre-made jigheads to see if you like it before investing the money. Allen

Copper perch has been #1 for 3 years running for me. Actually every color I have tried works but the top 3 have been; copper perch, bull bream and the white shad one. Allen

For LM try any of the ponds or lakes mentioned above and a small johnboat will work in any of them. One thing to be aware of is in the early spring Greenbrier, Blairs Valley Lake and Cunnigham falls are stocked with trout. I mention this because it is very hard to bass fish because these guys will be elbow to elbow along the bank. You can use your boat which really helps but other boats will be out there trolling for trout. The other issue using your boat is many trout fisherman do not know that a boat ramp is for launching boats they think it is a fishing pier. I have just about ran over rods in the past because they did not want to move off the ramp. Now I just try to avoid that mess all together because of past problems. Allen

I would start off with one of the pre-cut bodies from lureparts.com, Jann's, etc. and try to duplicate a existing crank. Building a wooden crankbait is the hardest thing in tacklemaking I have done. By duplicating an existing crank you will learn about how they work. In the past 5 years I have made about 50 and still have trouble as there is a lot more involved than just assembly. Ballasting, line tie position, lip design are all a lot of trial and error (mostly error in my designs). Allen

This is how I do it as well. The only time I topcoat is for swim jigs that are painted not powdercoated. Allen

Weren't these the machines making terminators in "Rise of the Machines" Allen

I was wondering how someone could copyright a state name myself? Now I am against knock offs more than most people but I doubt she has any kind of rights to the alabama name. Allen

I use 2-3 tabs per bait depending on the effect I am going after. If you want a bulkier skirt try the Starflash skirts as they are great. Allen

Four Locks = You can run upriver for awhile but when you see a small ramp on the MD side stop as it starts to get shallow right past there. Big Slackwater = Same thing just stop when you see the water pump on the WVA side across from the Potomac fish and game ramp on the MD side. Allen

How old is your son? I ask because even though they charge $4 for adults (not sure about children?) they give away a rod to every kid under 12 (I think that is the age cutoff). As for deals the best one I was able to find was 12 new bags of Yamamoto senkos for $10. The guy beside me sold 34 new Rapala Dt's for $25! I wish I would have ask him first. Allen

If it is a plain tungsten sinker I saw somewhere that people were heating them with a torch to make them black. Allen