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Hello everyone!
I'm Tim and I am new to this forum. I have been in NoVA for 2 years now and just started fishing in the area last month. I grew up fishing and am glad I got back to doing it. Anyways, for my first post, I'll show what I caught fishing the little pond at Claude Moore Park in Sterling. It's five minutes from my house and a nice place to wet a line and decompress. I fed the fish more than I caught them, but did manage to haul in a small channel cat, 1 1/4 lbs. I also got several small sunfish and three pain in the butt turtles. I hooked something huge, twice, just off shore and near some weeds. I'm sure it was a large bass, but it snapped my line twice. I may need to consider a newer, stronger pole for this lake and the chance I hook that bad boy again. Anyways, below is a pic of the catfish I got. I look forward to posting more pics and posts in the future.
P.S. I have no idea how to post pics, but just picture in your minds how big this massive 1 1/4 pound channel cat was. Its actually got pretty cool coloring.
P.S.S. Thanks for helping me out with the pic thing. Here's that catfish I mentioned.
Last edited by tjb1978 (Jun-02-16 6:16PM)
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Go here to see how to post pics.............
http://www.pacemakerfishing.com/forum/v … hp?id=4166
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and welcome!
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Welcome tjb.
Claude Moore was the very first pond I wet a line in when I moved to NOVA back in 2007. There were lots of small bass in there that were willing to eat weightless flukes and small 3 inch bass assasins. The area has lot's of great ponds, lakes and rivers to fish. Spend time searching this site, you'll find plenty of options within a short drive of where you live.
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Welcome aboard! Thanks for the report and looking forward to the pictures. There are also so nice sized carp in there!
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Welcome ...
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Welcome to the forums!
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Welcome aboard. I went through the same thing of fishing growing up and then getting back into it a few years ago; it's a whole new perspective but the same great experience. Yes definitely upgrade your equipment if you can afford to. Use Amazon (Prime is great for free shipping) to check out the reviews and prices are pretty competitive; you can also watch Dick's for a local sale, and the Tackle Warehouse website is great for prices on soft plastics and lures (sometimes for rods/reels; last year I got a Shimano Curado casting reel for 120). Check Craigslist too as sometimes people will be selling older gear that still works fine. Sure you can pay a lot for high-end stuff, but good casting reels can be had for ~$50, rods for $40-70 (don't sneeze at Ugly Stick GX2); spinning reels for ~30 (e.g., Shimano Sienna) and rods around there too. My suggestion is to start with one solid setup (or maybe 1 casting and 1 spinning) for like 100-150 for both rod/reel casting; 60-100 for spinning. Then just get used to it throwing various baits and trying different techniques.
Once you get advanced and feel comfortable, see if buying more gear makes sense. Although your line snapping has more to do with the pound test of the line itself versus the rod - and make sure your drag is set properly so if a big fish hits the drag will strip line if it puts on too much pressure. You can try braid line and normally get away with 30-50 lb. braid (today's braid is so thin that heavy braid is typically thinner in diameter than average monofilament line). You can also look at Fluorocarbon line (14lb - 17lb is typically fine) for finesse presentations and stuff like crank baits (but I know people who just prefer mono all the time and others who only use braid no matter what, so it really just depends on your own personal preference). Last thing is check YouTube for some great videos on gear setups and fishing techniques - there are a ton of new channels in the last year alone that really provide excellent information (lot's of younger fishermen in their teens and early-mid 20s too, as well as pros like Mike Iaconelli). Hope this helps a little and best of luck getting back in the swing.
Last edited by mkupchyk (Jun-02-16 1:02PM)
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Added my pic to the original post fyi....
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@mkupchyk turns out the reel kit I was using came stock worth 2lbs test, fml.
I switched it out with some stronger monofilament i have for building survival kits. Went back today and didn't snap one line or lose any lures.
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