My sister, who lives on the bank of the White River in Arkansas, sent these. What a great way to start thinking about how you are going to “tune up” your technique for the 2013 season! Episode 1 Episode 2 (check out the hatch and the fish exploding on the surface in the background) Episode 3 (fantastic …
New Fly Guy – Funny, funny instructional videos! Read More »
If you take a quick look at the map, it appears the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests cover most of western Virginia. The sad fact is that the actual boundary of the National Forest is a patchwork with private and public property blending together. I ran into this problem as I began to plan …
George Washington National Forest – What’s Public. Read More »
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 …
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 …
An even better discussion of this topic is on OutsideHow.com – Here’s the link! I rerun this article every Spring. I recently read that the bears will be bad this year because of the warm winter. They will be out of hibernation early… and hungry. Be alert. If you have old bear spray, check the …
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 …
All I want for Christmas is a Kitchen Pass. Guilt free fishing! Here’s a form you can accidentally let your wife or girl friend “find.” Now… if I can just slip this to the Basswife…. Download a copy by clicking here. Tell a friend about this article by clicking on this link Unless stated otherwise, this …
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 …
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 …
“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 …
As we head into July, be prepared for the explosive growth of submerged vegetation in the Potomac and other rivers. As I discuss in my book, some places are better than others in terms of avoiding the thick growth that can totally close you out. In particular, if you want to fish off Sycamore Landing (upstream …
In April last year, I had to go to Florida on business. Without a second thought, I added a vacation day onto the end of the trip and called my old friend, Eph, who lives in the Orlando area. Given that he is another dedicated fisherman, I did not have to ask twice and he …
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 …
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 …
If you ever found yourself wondering whether the water would be fishable in the coming weekend, you need to visit the National Weather Service website then drill down into the section that discusses water levels. For example, the Potomac Section covers the river from Paw Paw down through the District. As you can see from the graph below, the …
Predictive Gages from the National Weather Service Read More »
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 …
You can get this map set for free by sending an email with your request and mailing address to Angie King at AKing@dnr.state.md.us North Branch Potomac River Water TrailThe Potomac River Water Trail North Branch in Allegany County: Westernport, MD to Cumberland, MD is a three-map set depicting the North Branch of the Potomac River in …
Upper Potomac – Maps from the Maryland DNR (Updated) Read More »
If you have not discovered Google local and its satellite views as a way to preview any fishing location, you’re not using the most significant tool available (other than this website, of course) that allows you to keep from going to a dead area. Prior to going to any river, you should pop open the …
Satellite Recon – Use Google Local to find good water! Read More »
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 …
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 …
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 …
Every once in a while you run across the perfect picture that expresses the joy of fishing in general and fly fishing in particular. With permission from mikescatchreport (another local VA/MD blogger), I just had to share these shots. Mike is a passionate angler who manages to find time to fish places I can only dream about. …
Other – Dazzling Pictures from MikesCatchReport.com Read More »
In the last post on Owens Creek, I posed the question of overlooked fishing spots. While I did not see the potential of Owens when I fished it last April, as I wrote the post, I came to realize I was looking at Owens with my 48 years of spin fishing affecting my perspective. Maybe all …
Random Rocks = Trout? The Fly Advantage over Spin Read More »
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 …
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 …
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 …
Walleye fishing has always been off and on for me. My buddy, Jeff, started taking me out once a year in what has become an annual event with his Dad. Known as the Hawg Hunter by the fishing crowd that claims the Cranberry Cove Marina on Lake Erie as their turf, he is the consummate fishing guide and fish …
Lake Erie – Annual Walleye Expedition; Fall 2007 Read More »
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
When I joined the Army, it only took an hour or so before I truly appreciated the value of a three day pass. When hunting season rolled around, I heard the First Sergeant comment that he could go if he could get a “kitchen pass”. The need for and the value of this type of …
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 …
I’m not sure how I found this book. I was browsing on some website and probably saw an obscure reference to it. Anyway, I popped over the Amazon and browsed the table of contents. As soon as I realized that this was a treasure trove of locations on the level of Harry Stone’s book ( Virginia …
Other – Flyfisher’s Guide to Virginia (Book Review) Read More »
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
In an earlier post, I discussed the new technology out there that will help you defeat poison ivy and oak. This last summer, I used the block and cleanse elements pretty well. I guess it worked because the only time I did not use it, I got nailed. I was fishing on the Gunpowder and did not …
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 …
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 …
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 …
One of the things I noticed when I fished the North Branch from Laurel Run up to Wallman was the camping available in the Potomac State Forest. The Park has many clean, well maintained sites. In Fact, there are 16 sites split between the Wallman and Laurel Run roads and 6 over by the Lostland Run. …
While visiting my fishing buddy Jeff and his wife in Ocean Pines, we had a few hours to fill before we could head to the beach. So, we decided to go kayaking/canoeing. I hauled the basscanoe down with me and it does not go anywhere without the fishing rod. We dropped into the water on …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
I am really sensitive to poison ivy. When I was in the Army, I caught a bad case of it that took me out of the game for almost 4 days and 2 visits to the hospital for creams and other drugs. Yuk. Thankfully, the science has evolved over the last 30 years and now …
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 …