Potomac River Smallmouth Club member Jed Woodill will discuss Fishing Nova Scotia at our February meeting.

• Where: McLean Governmental Center, 1437 Balls Hill Rd, McLean, VA 22101
• When: February 22, 2017 at 7:30 pm (doors open at 7:00 for socializing)

Jed Woodill

About Jed

Jed has been a member of PRSC since the spring of 2015 after he moved here from Ontario, Canada. He currently works in the Embassy of Canada and will be returning to Nova Scotia when his posting ends this year at the end of May.

“I started fishing at age five with my Dad. We would go to my uncle’s cabin in Cape Breton and fish for brook trout in the Lake and streams around his property. Eventually my dad got his own boat and we mostly fished the Lake. When we weren’t fishing for trout in Cape Breton we would go out around the Halifax area where we lived to fish for saltwater species like cod, pollock and smelts.

“I moved to Alberta in my twenties and didn’t find the time to go fishing while I started a career and then a family. Once my own kids were old enough I got back into fishing and discovered just how hard it is to find good places to fish when you don’t know the local waters and you aren’t familiar with the local species of fish. Northern Alberta fish are mostly northern pike, muskie, walleye and trout – but a different species of Trout – rainbows and browns. My efforts to teach my kids how to fish at the same time that I was trying to figure out new territory didn’t work out well. My kids are only today learning to appreciate fishing as much as I do.

“Two more moves and in 2010 I arrived at Gananoque, Ontario on the Saint Lawrence River in the Thousand Islands just below Lake Ontario. It is a beautiful area and a great place to fish. I decided it was time to get a boat and really get back into fishing. But I once again had the problem of unfamiliar waters and unfamiliar species, this time small and largemouth bass. I looked up information on the Internet, read books, watched the fishing shows, and bought all kinds of gear. I solicited dockside information and sought out fishing buddies at work and amongst neighbours. I was making progress in that I was catching some bass, but a lot more pike, and I bought a lot more gear.

“In 2014 I moved here and yet again – unknown waters. The big difference this time was something very unfamiliar to me, fishing clubs. So I signed up with PRSC and eventually New Horizons Bass Anglers, and between the two clubs I have made lots of friends, learned a whole lot about fishing these waters, fishing for bass, and what gear to buy and how to use it. More importantly I have had a lot of fun.

“Tonight’s presentation is my way to say thank you and I hope that I see you guys up on my old turf someday soon. I’ll do my best to make your foray into unfamiliar waters as productive as possible and we will have a lot of fun. Who knows? There might even be more gear to buy.”

Pete and Hanna Robbins will discuss bass fishing opportunities in Mexico, specifically those at Anglers Inn International’s properties at Lake El Salto and Lake Picachos, both near Mazatlan.

• Where: McLean Governmental Center, 1437 Balls Hill Rd, McLean, VA 22101
• When: January 25, 2017 at 7:30 pm (doors open at 7:00 for socializing)

About Pete & Hanna

Vienna residents Pete and Hanna Robbins spend most, if not all, of their free time traveling and chasing the next bite. In addition to domestic travel, they’ve fished the Amazon tributaries for peacock bass multiple times and recently returned from a tigerfish expedition to southern Africa.

Pete is a Senior Writer for Bassmaster Magazine and has also written for other publications, including In-Fisherman, Field & Stream, and Gary Yamamoto’s Inside Line. He also consults for a number of fishing tackle companies. Despite those credentials, Hanna often catches bigger fish.

Hanna Robbins with a 9′-12″ largemouth bass from Lake Picachos

They will join PRSC at the January meeting to discuss bass fishing opportunities to Mexico, specifically those at Anglers Inn International’s properties at Lake El Salto and Lake Picachos, both near Mazatlan. They’ve been there 10 times and consider it one of the most accessible “exotic” fishing trips available. They’ll discuss best times to go, key presentations, and some of the experiences they’ve had chasing big Mexican bass.


Pete Robbins with a big El Salto bass from last January

Pete has provided on-the-water tournament coverage for every Bassmaster Classic since 2010, and he has been known to bring bad weather with him to venues that have not previously experienced any. He’s blogged for Gary Yamamoto’s Inside Line since 2008, where he explores issues related to fishing, food and popular culture, with a particular interest in the intersection of those three seemingly unrelated topics. He has not yet been featured on “Hoarders,” although his tackle collection is beyond extensive, with a particular focus on rare Japanese hard baits.

Pete calls the Potomac River his home water, but has made multiple trips to the Amazon in search of peacock bass, and tries to make at least one trip per year to Mexico to chase big largemouths and drink margaritas.
He lives in Vienna, Virginia with his wife Hanna and their precocious Australian Shepherd Rooster, who has been known to herd small animals and children.

This ought to be an interesting presentation in the dead of winter.  Maybe Pete will be able to shed some warm Mexican sunshine during his talk.