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Shad Success on the Rapp!

Shad season is in full swing on the Rappahannock. I fished it for a few hours on Tuesday evening and picked up five shad and had a few bumps that did not result in a hookup. As you can see from the pictures, the crowds were out enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. In addition to …

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Skad!!!

Once a year, the simple phase, “this Shad are in!” galvanizes anglers across northern and central Virginia to make immediate plans to visit either the James, Rappahannock or Fletcher’s on the Potomac. I was no exception. For the last week ,I had been waiting anxiously for that riveting call to come .. and it finally …

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Wading, Water and Survival

If you are not already a subscriber to Fly Fisherman Magazine, articles like this one in the February issue should convince you to subscribe. Ralph Cutter wrote a fantastic article called, “The Big Swim – How to Survive Dangerous Circumstances.” After reading it , I knew I had just gained information that might save my life. You should …

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The Fish Camp

As we roll up on steelhead season, many will head to “fish camps” as a part of that annual ritual. Living out of a true fish camp makes the expedition authentic – here’s the skinny. I was slow in school.  I never fully appreciated the definition of “lowest common denominator” until I walked into the …

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Don’t kiss your fish!

I remember when I was just starting to fish… my Dad introduced me to the ritual of kissing a fish for good luck when you threw it back. I’ve done that often on over the years joking around, but now I realize how lucky I have been. Dan Neuland wrote a great article in the …

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Smallmouth Bass and heat

“Know your enemy and know yourself and in a thousand battles you will never be in peril” – Sun Tzu I did not do well on my last two trips to the Potomac.  I caught a few fish, but nothing like a normal day.  What gives?  HOT Heat! I wanted to understand more about the …

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Pathetic Ponds

Back in 2007, I wrote about fishing on the small community pond in back of my in-laws apartment down in North Carolina. At best, that pond was 1/4 acre but it produced some nice bass. With that as a frame of reference, I’ve had to take a new look at small water. We went on …

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Bass Repellents

Way back in 2006, I put up a post on the impact of odor on trout.  In that article, I quoted the writing of Nick Anikijenko who pointed out that it is very easy to transfer human smells to your fly or lure. The simple act of tying the lure on is all it takes to transfer …

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Bass – Fall Lure Selection

A couple years ago, I took some notes out of the June 2008 issue of Bassmaster magazine on the right lure selection based on the water temperature. As we head into the fall, I thought it would be useful to hit the high points of this article by Don Wirth (“A seasonal guide to lure …

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Shad Run – Rappahannock

After three years of trying to find the time to participate in the shad run on the Rappahannock, I finally got out there last Friday. I have to admit that I am tragically depressed after this experience. I can’t believe I didn’t make time to do this earlier. This was a fantastic great time! The …

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Stay High and Dry

For the last few years, I used ziplock bags to keep stuff dry inside my day pack.  Sometimes that worked, sometimes it did not.  When I am after smallies, I will routinely wade up to chest high crossing the flat stretches of some of the rivers around here.  The ziplocks just were not built for …

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Don’t Lock Me Out!

Ever worry about losing your truck keys in the middle of the woods or watch them wash downstream when you take that header into the North Branch?  I do. I do not like the magnetic key holders – they fall off when you go off road onto some of the tough dirt tracks leading to …

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Redfish!

I had to go to Orlando for a business trip during the week after Thanksgiving.  Every time I go on a trip that extends to Thursday or Friday, I immediately evaluate the opportunity to extend that trip into a local fishing expedition.  In this case, I decided to take vacation and go down a few …

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4×4 and Fishing

The lure of open spaces, the challenge of getting there, a good set of bumps and the excitment of going off road; what could be better?  The challenge is that you don’t know where you can legally take that 4×4 you invested in fixing up, so you content yourself with just driving to the standard parking areas …

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Surf Fishing – Outer Banks, NC

It’s winter.  I’m cold.  I want sun. This summer, my son’s wedding was a destination wedding.  The bride’s family normally does a reunion on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, so they decide to wrap the wedding into that annual event.  The basswife, who is a beach lover from way, way back, instantly ratified that …

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Catch and Don’t Release

For trout, I’m a catch and release kind of guy.  I’ll eat any walleye that’s legal and keep a bass or two if they are larger than 15 inches, but trout have generally been off limits.  For one, they are a hassle to cook – have plenty of bones – and the ones I catch …

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Idea? Crappie Crossover?

I was wandering around, totally unsupervised by the Basswife, in Gander Mountain the other day and saw the Crappie section.  I was struck by the fact that there were a wide variety of plastics specifically targeted for this species.  They are small, interesting and, most of all, fishable on a fly rig. In the picture …

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Other – Guidance on Guides

I’m not much of a fisherman today, but I shudder to think about how bad I would really be without the timely advice and mentoring I have had from a few guides.  My inventory of guides is not really long – maybe 6 or 7 different individuals.  All provided me great advice and instruction while …

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Trout Tip – Garden Shears

Well, I think I’ve gone through a second pair of waders in as many years.  It’s my own fault as I did not follow the tip I am about to share.  But… I’ve learned my lesson and will heed this advice next spring. When I was fishing on Dog Creek, the guide (Steve Bertrand) and I …

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Other – Up or Downstream?

With high anticipation, you make the final turn to bounce along the rough road leading to the parking area at the stream.  As you wheel around the last curve and enter the lot, you realize you have one of two problems: There are one or two cars already there The parking lot is jammed In …

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Other – Whitewater Sites

Even with all the public information on places to go, there is sometimes doubt and confusion about exactly where to go, how to get access and where to park.  The various State DNR sites are great sources of information – I know I rarely go back to the same place for trout twice in a …

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Other – Buzz Off Clothing

I hate bugs.  The worst thing about being on the stream is having to deal with them. I also hate insect repellant. Mostly because once I put on the sunscreen and the poison ivy block, I am reluctant to add another toxic chemical to the mix. Two years ago, I was browsing around and ran …

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Other – Dogs vs Bears

Sorry for the inflammatory title, but I always worry about bears.  I’ve had a few encounters with them, so I am very “bear aware”.  As a result of that, I always carry a cannister of bear spray when I am in a bear prone location – like the SNP.  I was fishing on Seneca Creek in Gaithersburg …

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Other – You Ticked Off by Ticks?

I hate ticks.  I really hate ’em Is there a more disgusting creature than this?  Please, no mother-in-law feedback. Hopefully, it will warm up here and I’ll be back on the water writing more interesting trip reports shortly.  In the meantime, I decided I needed to review the immediate action drill and other tick related …

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Switchfisher Rating System

Now that I have been writing about the various places to fish in the area, I realize that I need some kind of a quick view that summarizes my assessment of the water. The table to the right has the rating categories I am going to start with.  I may add or delete from this …

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Sign on the Road

Every time I go through Burlington, West Virginia, I get a kick out of this sign.  While all will appreciate the humor associated with combining two operations that do not normally go together, it’s really a classic example of thinking out of the box.  The very nature of fire and rescue involves plenty of water …

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Trout Tip – Dress for Success

This is the time of year when thousands of college kids start their job hunt.  Many of them will heed their mother’s advice – wear clean underwear and dress nice.  For guidance to define “nice”, they will turn to books like Dress for Success or Dress Smart.  Those who take the right advice may find their ability to …

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Rant – Pick up the Trash!

I’ve got to vent about trash.  I expect to see some on the major streams as they flow down from built-up areas.  This would typically consist of plastic bottles and some paper stuff.  But when you go to a nice place like Laurel Run on the North Branch and see the garbage shown in these …

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Trout Tip – You Stink!

You have probably seen plenty of ads for stuff on the web that, when you click thru, you end up on a pretty cheesy site.  For some reason, I clicked on a link to a site that promised to tell me everything I needed to know about trout fishing.  Being bored, I started to read …

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Surf Fishing

If there is one thing that the Basswife likes better than bass fishing, it’s baking on a beach.  Well… there are actually a bunch of things she likes better, but beaching is way up there. So, when my friend Jeff and his wife Maria invited us to stay at their home in Ocean Pines for the weekend, …

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Walleyes! – Lake Erie

It’s June… must be time for the annual pilgrimage to Lake Erie in pursuit of the elusive Walleye.   My history with the Walleye go back to 1975 when a gang of us decided to hit the Boundary Waters Canoe Area up in Minnisota based on the advertised lure of great fishing.  Once there, we discovered …

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Trout Flickin’

I have not seen much published on casting techniques for trout.  Plenty of stuff out there on bass – you can read about flipping, drop shotting, tube zipping and any number of other techniques.  Working trout is inherently different given the tight holes you find yourself in – especially on the narrow streams here in …

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The Magazines – Color Secrets

Great issue of BassMaster this month.  It had a super article on the hot colors to use.  It basically matched the optimum color choice with the clarity of the water. Here’s the bottom line: Clear water – use lures in the range of green to brown (Pumpkin) Stained water – use lures that vary from …

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Be Bear Aware

In Virginia, we have to deal with Black Bears.  According to the book, Bear Aware Survival Guide, you never run or play dead with a Black Bear – instead, you fight.  The Colorado Division of Wildlife publishes these rules for bear encounters: IF YOU MEET A BEAR STAY CALM! NEVER RUN. Running can make a bear …

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