 |
 |
|
|
I'm Steve Chaconas and I approve this report! Tired
of the election ads yet?
What a great time to be on the water! Water temps
in the low 50s have chilled the fish down a bit. Best techniques have been
drop shot, split shot, shakey head along with tubes and Stingray grubs. The
moving bait bite has been sporadic! The best bite when you find wind
blown areas is to slow roll a spinnerbait…along the bottom…VERY
SLOW. The fish seem to want a horizontal slow presentation.
Let’'s start with the spinnerbait. It is my favorite cool water technique.
In fact, I rely on spinnerbaits when the water is 45-55 more than any other
time of the year! My tackle is important. I like a 6' 6"” 2iG
Ultra Strike med/hvy casting rod with a slower reel. If you don't
have a slower (5:1) reel, just slightly under-spool your reel. Speed is the
key. You must slow down. I use 14-pound test Berkley XT with a Hank Parker
3/8-ounce willow/Colorado combo. I can fish up to 6 feet deep. I look for areas
with drops near flats with cover…rock, wood and grass. Cast and let
the bait drop to the bottom. Then, barely move the bait keeping it in touch
with the bottom at all times. If you don't feel the bottom, then stop.
Use your rod to drag the bait to slow it down further. The bite is a tap then
pull. The hookset is critical! You must set the hook right after the
tap or they will spit it out! They don't generally slam this presentation,
but will fight hard! This is producing my better fish!
For crankbaits, I am fishing shallow around warmed surfaces! Rocks, wood,
etc. On a med action graphite 2iG-casting rod, spooled with 12-pound
test Berkley XT, I like the Mann's Baby 4 and 8-Minus baits. Craw patterns
are best. You need to keep this bait on the bottom, pausing when you touch
the bottom. Again, control the speed by dragging the bait with the rod.
For plastics, the techniques that keep the bait in one place for a while are
working! Drop shot split shot, shakey head. For all soft plastics, use
an attractant like Jack's Juice garlic! I like this attractant,
because it soaks into the plastic and the fish hold on longer! For my
drop shot, split shot and shakey head, I am using the same bait…Mann's
Hard Nose finesse worm in green pumpkin or watermelon. This has the most action
and the hard nose keeps the bait on the hook! Using 8-10 pound test I
rig a 1/4 ounce weight for the drop shot, split shot and use a 1/4
ounce Gerkin Jig head. The Mustad Megalite wide gap hook is perfect. Gerkin
makes his jigs with Ultra Point Mustad hooks! Keep them in one place
for as long as you can! Have confidence the fish are there, especially
on the weekend. By the way, to fish on the weekend, avoid the tournaments and
go out around 1pm or so. It is warmer and the guys are all gone!
For the Mizmo tube and the Mann’'s Stingray grub, I am using Gerkin
tube heads and round jig heads both 1/4 ounce. Again, on spinning gear and
8-10 pound test, I am dragging the baits rather than lifting! Long casts
and slow presentations. For the 4” Mizmo tubes, I like the green pumpkin
colors and the blue/craw. The Stingray is a 3” avocado! This is
the only size and color I use. If I am going to get bites on the bigger bait,
I like to go back to the tubes.
Two other techniques are the Carolina rig and jerkbaits.
For the C-Rig, it is best to use a Tru-Tungsten 1 ounce weight. This weight
is smaller and has the sensitivity to offer more bottom feedback. You can find
subtle bottom changes and other cover.
For jerkbaits, there is one. The Lucky Craft Pointer is the best. I use the
78 and the 100 sizes, depending on water clarity. If it is very clear I will
go to the smaller 78. For colors, I like baby bass and aurora gold. These baits
work best on 10-12 pound test! I like a medium action graphite rod…6'
or 6' 6"”. Twitch, twitch, twitch, then pause. Vary the length of
the pause until you get the right rhythm. You might have to pause a while.
I use
this in water that is no more that 5 feet deep!
I have talked to a bunch of guys who are looking for Silver Buddy lures. I
have a few for sale, but you can only get them now through the silverbuddy.com
website! I would get there early. There are limited supplies in stock!
Blue Ridge Marine (www.BLUERIDGEMARINEINC.com) has Skeeters! Contact: Renee
or Leane. If you are considering a boat, new or used, check out the Skeeters
from Blue Ridge Marine (434-455-2995 Renee or Leane)! SKEETERS have plenty
of storage…I have enough room for all of my guide equipment and a spare
compartment for my clients to boot. The YAMAHA HPDI uses less oil and is lower
in fuel consumption with great power. You owe it to yourself to check
the SKEETERS out. Note the increasing number of SKEETERS on the Potomac! www.skeeterboats.com
Make your own baits using molds from Lure Craft that 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 new SWEET BEAVER look-alike!!!!!! 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. They have everything you need to make
some super handpours! They also have Poor Boys Gobys! One of the hottest lures
on the market is the Chatterbait. Rick Morris was using them to place 5th on
the Potomac and 2nd in the Classic! Lurecraft.com has a do it yourself
chatterbait kit to convert your favorite jig into a vibrating swimming jig.
Check them out! With blade and snap and split ring assembly turns most
jigs into a chatterbait. Supplies are limited and they are selling off the
shelf…call now to put your orders in! 1-800-925-9088. Try different
colors….Under bright conditions, I like the white.
My Sportsman’'s Magazine article will focus on the BASSMASTERS Elite
tournament and in the following issue; I will break down mat fishing with winner
Kelly Jordon, Denny Brauer and Greg Hackney. If you haven’'t tried
fishing the mats on this river, you should! Jordon says it’'s more
fun than topwater…but where do you start? What do you need? When
is it best? You'll have to wait until my article comes out!
I use specific products and mention them in my reports. These are products
I have used extensively and have confidence in. By mentioning product
names, it is easier for you to match up with what I am using. I also detail
the features of many of the products I use to demonstrate their benefits.
I am really excited about my upcoming article with Senior BASSMASTER writer,
Robert Montgomery. He has taken his decades of writing and fishing experience
with the best in the fishing business and compiling it into one huge E-Book.
RONTICO’'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! I will be reviewing the book for the Sportsman’'s
Magazine next month. 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!
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 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!
A note on one of my tools. I like to use PRO's Soft Bait Glue. While
a lot of anglers are really impressed by how much money they save gluing Senkos
back together, I really like the time I save! When I skip stickworms
under docks, eventually, baits tear. Rather than stopping and retying
and re-rigging, I just put a drop of glue on the tear and away I go. One
bait will stay rigged nearly all day! I also have started using with
my shakey heads. While the Mann’'s Hardnose bait is the only bait on
the market with a super hard nose to stay on the hook better, I still put a
drop
to keep it from going anywhere on the head!
I have also found a new product that is awesome! Actually, I interviewed
the makers of Hawg Pockets last year 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
Also look for my Tournament Talk column in Woods & Waters. A local outdoors
writer has issues with the way some tournament trails are run….I don't
agree with him! My opinion in this months W&W! I cover B.A.S.S. and
FLW tournament winners! Also check out www.woodsandwatersmagazine.com.
There is a limited supply of these FREE publications at Belle Haven Marina.
MIZMO tubes, Punisher Jigs, and most of the Lucky Craft and Mann’'s baits
are now in Bass Pro Shops latest catalog….look for them!
If you want the best polarized sunglasses for fishing, I suggest Maui Jim
HCL (high contrast lens) polarized sunglasses. These are the best for
picking up cover in the water and seeing the fish. Check around, most
of the serious anglers on the Potomac are wearing them. Eye protection
is important!!! Get a quality pair of polarized sunglasses. I recommend
the Maui Jims (www.mauijim.com). Sunglass Huts carry these. If you see
me on the water, I will let you check mine out. I am also trying the
polycarbonate lens Maui Sports….they are light as a feather and the
optics are great.
TEVA sandals are actually 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!
The TEVA sandals are perfect for fishing! 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.
For 2006 Tides information for the Potomac look under “-REPORTS AND
TIDES”. Print
a copy for your use.
If you like to weigh your fish or if you are a tournament angler, you NEED
the XTOOLS Digital fish scale and gripper. It is waterproof, floats,
and it grips the fish so I can weigh all of my clients fish without
having to punch a hole in their mouth. They are a sponsor of the FLW
trail and just about all of the pros are using them. I love mine. I
recently met the great people associated with the company and they demonstrated
some of XTOOLS other products. Get one of the scales…they also
have one for tournament anglers with a culling system that can't be
beat! www.xtools.us
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.
Check out the biggest bass ever caught on the Potomac. (www.nationalbass.com,
then REPORTS, then BIG FISH) Gary Kincheloe’'s record is likely to stand
longer that the previous record of nearly 30 years.
Are your boat batteries sluggish? If you have questions about battery care,
check out www.nationalbass.com, go to ARTICLES and then Boat Batteries. There
is also a discount offer on INTERSTATE Marine batteries.
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.
Captain Steve Chaconas
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
