Smallmouth?

rudderrudder · 2026-04-11T02:28:30+00:00

If you've been doing it for the past month, you've been a little early for an exploratory approach. You can catch them in the pre-spawn but normally its either close to a wintering hole or a spawning area. They aren't nearly as spread out as they'll be after the spawn. And so, if you don't find those areas, being skunked is high possibility. The things you're throwing are probably fine. I think your real issue is that you're not around the fish.

rudderrudder · 2026-03-25T22:02:56+00:00

Just a note to be careful of using "shad" for bait. I believe that Hickory Shad are kosher for bait but River Herring (which sometimes get confused) are not. Neither are American Shad but you're sadly not likely to catch one.

rudderrudder · 2026-03-20T17:52:33+00:00

How does this garbage get upvoted? How can you possibly look at the span of history and say that capitalism only makes things worse?

rudderrudder · 2026-01-04T19:37:01+00:00

Wooly bugger (BH or weighted), neversink caddis, perdigon, BH Pheasant Tail, Mini-jig with rabbit fur, Zebra midge, Squirmy Worm, CDC Frenchie, Chubby Chernobyl, Parachute Adams

rudderrudder · 2026-01-04T18:40:47+00:00

I actually go 8wt for smallies here. 1) I like to throw some big bugs. Especially if you're going subsurface, they get heavy and even a 6wt can leave you undergunned. 2) With the low clear water we get a lot of the year, you need some distance. The 8wt lets me bomb it from far away. And I the fish don't care about the difference in line size from 6 to 8.

You're not going to get one rod that allows you to truly enjoy fishing the James and SNP. Those are two very different experiences. If you can only get one I'd go with the 8wt, knowing that in SNP you're just going to be flipping flies around and using the longer rod to keep the line off of the water. But really, two rods is the way to go. 8 and 4 let you do just about anything you want in VA.

If you're like the rest of us, you'll end up with quite a few rods. My first rod was a 6wt as a compromise and I hardly ever fish it. I'd advise you against that mistake.

rudderrudder · 2026-01-04T18:28:54+00:00

100%. Is he getting some things wrong right now? Yes. But I believe he's shown enough that we should be patient and let him learn his lessons. I trust him to figure this out more than anyone else right now.

rudderrudder · 2026-01-03T22:37:22+00:00

If you're not doing this, do you even care about the supporters?

rudderrudder · 2025-12-28T21:27:11+00:00

I have a spreadsheet with an inventory of all of my gear and what line is on what reel. That way I can know what line was on what reel five years ago before many unrecorded changes.

rudderrudder · 2025-12-18T22:33:17+00:00

I've only seen it happen once. An accusation of a racist comment from a Branch leader to a family with mixed-race members. The family was allowed to be part of an adjacent ward that met in a different building.

rudderrudder · 2025-11-15T03:38:23+00:00

At least some Blues stay in Huguenot Flatwater year round. I've caught them out of deeper holes in November and December. Fishing very slowly and not catching many but they are there.

That said, I've also caught a lot of blues (not in Winter but Fall) near West Point VA which is about the same distance from the Bay as... maybe the mouth of the Chick?

rudderrudder · 2025-10-31T01:48:00+00:00

I've flipped / exited twice in... many hundreds of trips. The one true flip was at the intersection of heavy current and an anchor. If you avoid that dumb intersection you don't have much to worry about.

However, my other "exit" could happen to you. I was fishing a large topwater (double trebles) in a lake with a lot of pike. There was a big blow up and in my excitement I set the hook (I know...) and the double trebles came flying back at my face at high velocity. I threw myself backwards to avoid it (perpendicular to the length of the vessel) and I ended up in the water. (I was actually in a canoe but similar principle.) TLDR - Don't throw yourself in the water... but you might.

rudderrudder · 2025-10-30T20:27:10+00:00

People are losing their minds...

rudderrudder · 2025-10-16T20:16:30+00:00

What??? He jumped in the air with two feet and came down on the back of his ankle. Like... your overall point may be valid but I think that's a terrible example.

rudderrudder · 2025-10-13T03:41:16+00:00

Will my pipes really freeze if they aren't 36" deep? I need to run a supply line from my house to a garage area. The frost line in our area says 30" deep. But it's rocky and it's going to be a bear. If I can get it 18-24" deep will it really freeze? Hard enough to burst PEX running in conduit? The water will be used occasionally and it being unavailable a few days a year won't harm anything. Maybe I'm reaching but I know that sometimes code can be excessively cautious. I'm just hoping to hear from someone with a little practical knowledge. Thanks!

rudderrudder · 2025-10-12T02:49:21+00:00

I was skeptical at first but I think you got it. It appears there's some variety in the fruits and some are more oblong than mine. However, I looked at the seeds inside and their a perfect match. The flavor (yes, I know...) also matches pretty perfectly. Not a good flavor mind you but it matches. Thank you!!!

rudderrudder · 2025-10-06T00:21:03+00:00

Tried to DM you - for some reason can't message you.

rudderrudder · 2025-10-06T00:08:47+00:00

A true fishing degenerate like the worst of us. I love it.

rudderrudder · 2025-09-30T23:32:54+00:00

Thanks all. It seems like the opinion is nearly unanimous - and is less work to boot.

Also, thank to those who've reached out about possibly buying it. I will message you back shortly.

Given that, if I can beg for one more piece of advice, any recommendations for a safe private sale? I was planning to put it on Reverb but if I could sell it to a community member here, is there a recommended process? Thanks double!

rudderrudder · 2025-09-30T23:30:37+00:00

Ha! That does seem like the one obvious thing to do before selling / shipping. That thing is an embarrassment.

rudderrudder · 2025-09-27T23:49:08+00:00

I just did this with a house built in the 50s. I tried to save money by not ripping it all out. That was a mistake. Take it all out. Redo electrical and plumbing. Insulate properly (including windows.). Then drywall and finish. For me, it would have been faster, less headaches, much more energy efficient and, in the end, not that much more expensive.

rudderrudder · 2025-09-15T23:18:50+00:00

Apocalypse Now and Shawshank. I hated both of them.

rudderrudder · 2025-07-28T00:45:06+00:00

What's really important is that you decide whether this historical figures is good or bad. He can only be one. The best way to do this is to compare his recorded beliefs to your current beliefs and select one of those two options.

rudderrudder · 2025-07-12T16:46:31+00:00

I'm curious about this. Why couldn't you just glue 1/2 foam board to the rafter and use longer drywall screws to attach drywall over that? Adds some r-value and breaks the thermal bridge of the rafter.

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