All new instructional videos are out! If you are learning to cast, or trying
to teach a friend to cast, check them out! Most of us learn how to cast through
a method of “trial and error…and error, and error, etc!” I
have been able to break casting down into small digestible steps! If you can
only cast a bait caster with your dominant hand, then you need to check out
these FREE videos too! How to Fish VIDEO
What a difference a few days make! Wonderful fishing this time of the year…nice
to wear some of the great cool weather clothes! Still in the TEVA's! The Seal
Skinz Chillblockers make that possible! Fishing has been great, as water temps
have fallen into the low to mid 50's.
The water has cleared up again, making the jerkbait and crankbait bites awesome!
Some very nice fish as well! When the water gets a bit stained, slow rolling
the spinnerbait is great. You can use plastics, jigs, etc….but why? Too
much fun to get them on moving baits.
In the lowest tide, close to cover, the Mann's Baby 1-Minus, and Mann's Elite
C-4 are great. I still like to toss in the Lucky Craft LVR D-7 once in a while
to really cover water over grass. A slow crank is fine. I am still finding
that the wide wobble cranks are working better. Colors…reds, craws, chartreuse
with a brown back are the only ones I have used…they work…but try
your favorite colors first. Check your hooks on all cranks now! After getting
snagged and penetrating many fish, all hooks get dull…especially around
hard cover! I recommend replacing with Mustad Ultra Point trebles. Try adding
a feather Mustad treble to the tail of a Baby 1-Minus. BTW!!!! The BEST split
ring pliers ever!!!!!from Texas Tackle!!! http://texastackle.com/pliers.htm….none
like it anywhere! For cranks, I like the 7” medium action rod like the
2iG Ultra Strike, perfect to snap from grass and to set the hook! It is not
too limber or too stiff to keep you from landing fish.
By the way, there seems to be a lot of confusion over what licenses are required
to guide on the Tidal Potomac River. I worked very closely with the PRFC this
summer to come up with a grid of requirements to comply with DC, MD, VA and the
PRFC on the Tidal Potomac. If you would like a copy, let me know!
For the spinnerbait, there is only one…Mann's 3/8-ounce Classic. This bait
has gold blades, white skirt, and willow/Colorado blades. I cast it, let it fall
to the bottom, then reel as slowly as possible to just keep the bait moving as
slowly as possible, in constant contact with the bottom. Still using 17-pound
test. All of the bites, including the cranks have been light. The fish really
aren't even jumping much when hooked. Starting to find light colored bass with
a bit of silt on their bellies. For grass the _ ounce spinnerbait with Colorado
Indiana gold blades and a white skirt at low tides and a 3/8-ounce double when
the tide is higher. Try a firetiger skirt in clear water with the willow blades.
This doesn't work as well at high tide when the water is stained. You need to
switch to the Classic Indiana/Colorado with a white skirt. For my rods, the Ultra
Strike, 2iG rods are perfect. The med/hvy 6'6” rod is my spinnerbait rod.
I have been trying the new “made in the USA” ARDENT casting reel….so
far…AWESOME! Picked one up on one of my trips! Spooled with 17 and casting
spinnerbaits…putting a lot of miles on it. Stop me to check this machine
out! Light and tough! Casts spinnerbaits well even into the wind.
If you really want to toss bottom baits, try Texas rig big plastics and big
Stone jigs with Hardnose craw trailers …pitch to hard cover! If very sunny and
you can find isolated clumps of grass…go for it! Play with any plastic
rig…drop shot, shakey head or split shot….just keep it slow! Find
cuts in pads or drains when the tide is falling. Tubes are great ways to fish
docks where there is no grass around and bridge pilings. For drop shotting and
shaky head fishing I like the green pumpkin Mann's HardNose Finesse worm. The
head on this bait is very tough, while the body is very soft! The bait stays
on the hook and the pencil point tail does a whole lot of shaking! I use the
plain lead Gerkin jig heads for shaky head fishing…I heat the head and
coat with BROWN vinyl powdered coat available through lurecraft.com. Smoots
and Spoils are great for this. For grassy areas, I like to use an 18inch leader
on
my drop shot. For wood I keep it around 8 inches. In either case, I have found
the PERFECT drop shot tool! The FISHING Butler will secure your drop shot weight
to your rod when you want to put it away! No VELCRO or rubber bands! This device
is adjustable and can also be used to secure rods to each other. Fishingbutler.com
The Carolina rig is pretty good now too! In Spoils and Smoots and in areas
close to deep grass!
This is a good time to pour some great finesse worms and other soft plastics.
I like the molds from lurecraft.com. They have all of the supplies you would
ever need. They even have various plastic mixes for floating and for softness.
Go on -line to find out more! Lure Craft molds are precise and easy to use.
(www.lurecraft.com 1-800-925-9088 for a free catalog). Make straight tail finesse
worms for shakey
head fishing, drop shots, and split shots! They have a mold for anything and
all of the supplies to pour your own custom poured baits…they can even
make a mold for your design! Ask me to take a look at some of the baits I have
made or check them out on: www.nationalbass.com (articles/lure-craft.htm) check
out the NEW Lure Craft website…call now to put your orders in! 1-800-925-9088
I keep a few Frogg Toggs on board for sudden showers…whenever they come.
The new Elite Series has become my year-round windbreaker and rain suit. These
new Toggs are amazing and they are loaded with pockets and features…and
come with a very reasonable price tag! Stop me and check it out! Frogg Toggs
(www.froggtoggs.com) are always on board. They block the wind and are breathable!
I carry extras for my passengers!
There is a new style TEVA I just LOVE! Karnali Wraptor (http://teva.com/ProductDetails.aspx?g=m&productID=6960&model=Karnali+Wraptor)
have a toe guard! They are perfect for water sports…. they have drains
and are great for standing all day! Check out the new TEVA sandals. They are
sport shoes…especially water sports like bass fishing! If you do not
wear the sport sandals from TEVA, you should! Just cover your feet with sunscreen
and you'll feel better! I have tried other footwear, including expensive basketball
shoes. TEVA's are very comfortable and have boat safe surfaces along with anti-microbial
protection. These sandals are comfortable and keep me on my feet...no butt
seat
either! Check out www.teva.com.
Senior BASSMASTER writer, Robert Montgomery has taken his decades of writing
and fishing experience with the best in the fishing business and compiled it
into one huge E-Book. Ratio's KILLER BASS FISHING SECRETS contains nearly 300
VERY specific tips from pros to help you catch more fish! I found a TON of
great tips to help me. You can get your copy of RONTICO's KILLER BASS FISHING
SECRETS
here: www.killer-bass-fishing-secrets.com. It's only $19.95…that's about
a nickel a tip! Well worth it! The site has some FREE tips!
There are some great tackle specials this month at Jann's Netcraft! If you
want to be on the email list for these specials, contact me and I'll take care
of
it for you! Contact Jann's Netcraft for your free catalog! They have a great
assortment of do-it-yourself supplies, and they have a great line of soft plastics
too! By this time of the year, my rod tips are just about worn out on my cranking
rods. Sometimes the guides take a constant beating too! What do you do? Toss
out the rod that is really still in great shape? No way! I have learned how
to replace guides on some of my favorite rods and they are ready to go! Check
out
their rod building and repair supplies. Get a tip kit, with many sizes for
a variety of rods. If you want to learn how to make repairs or even build your
own custom rods, they have a great rod-building instructional book and all
of
the tools and parts! I also noticed they have everything you need to make crankbaits,
spinnerbaits, and buzzbaits. You can start from scratch or assemble the parts
to build the baits you like to your exact specs…and save money too! Jann's
Netcraft luremaking, flytying, rod building, and soft baits! They've been around
for a long time and have a great selection of lure making materials too! Check
them out at www.jannsnetcraft.com or call 1-800-NETCRAFT!
I have also found a new product that is awesome! Actually, I interviewed the
makers of Hawg Pockets after they won the ICAST award for the new product showcase.
I had the gadgets in my basement for a while. I took a fishing trip to West Virginia.
My wife started to freak out when I started to load my rods with crankbaits into
her new Passport Nissan Murano. She didn't want me to hook her leather interior.
I remembered the Hawg Pockets and read the instructions and snapped them into
place. They did their job. I also found out they didn't tangle when I moved them
and I could see my bait thru them! Check out the website. I am using them on
my boat now and it keeps my rods from tangling and I can see the baits on the
rods. This is the best fishing lure guard I have ever seen! Check them out! www.hawgpockets.com
If you are new to the river, get a map from GMCO. It is a pro-quality map for
fishing the Potomac and for other Virginia waters. Check out their site: www.gmcomaps.com.
They list some of the popular locations and some of the hidden dangers of navigating
the Potomac.
Have fun, and I would enjoy hearing from you. If you have questions, comments
or would like to book a trip, e-mail: info@nationalbass.com. I have a lot of
articles on various strategies and techniques on my site. If you have a suggestion
for an article, let me know. Check out my website: www.nationalbass.com. I can't
fish the entire river all of the time, so if you have some information to share,
let me know.
" Take me fishing!"
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Captain
Steve Chaconas
