The Potomac River is one of the few venues in big-time professional fishing that doesn't scare anybody. It's home to many thousands of bass in the 3-pound class, and just about all of them reside in 5 feet of water or less.
It doesn't harbor a lot of secrets. You just show up, apply your favorite shallow-water technique and start catching fish.
Okay, so maybe it's not quite that simple. But you won't find many anglers – pro or amateur – who'll claim they couldn't get bit after fishing here for a few days. There are too many bass around for that to happen.
The FLW Tour has arrived for its second stop in the vicinity of the nation's capital in the last 3 years, and as usual, the fishing is good. Anglers caught them in a myriad of ways during practice, and everybody that BassFan spoke with was impressed by the health of the fishery.
It's the second-to-last Tour event of the season, so points are ultra-valuable. Angler of the Year (AOY) leader Jay Yelas was a powerhouse here during his Bassmaster days, so those who hope to knock him off the top of the mountain (or at least gain some ground) have a tough task ahead.
And the pressure's on those who are hovering around the 40th-place cutoff mark for the Forrest Wood Cup, although the line in the sand will likely end up being drawn considerably farther down the list due to double-qualifiers.
Before getting into more about the bite, here's more about the fishery itself.
BassFan Lake Profile
> Lake Name: Potomac River
> Type of Water: Tidal river
> Surface Acres: Unavailable
> Primary structure/cover: Grassbeds (milfoil, some hydrilla), wood (docks, barges, laydowns), shellbeds, ledges, rockpiles
> Primary forage: Name it and it's in here – various crawfish species, carp, yellow perch, minnows, shiners, herring, shad, bullhead
> Average depth: Less than 5 feet
> Species: Largemouths and some smallmouths in the upper reaches
> Length limit: 15 inches on days 1 and 2, 12 inches on days 3 and 4
> Reputation: Lots of numbers, but heavily fished
> Weather: Unstable, with some precipitation possible. Air temperatures are forecast to rise steadily during the tournament.
> Water temp: Low-80s
> Water visibility/color: Slightly stained to gin-clear
> Water level: Normal
> Fish in: All depths
> Fish phase: post-spawn, some into their summer patterns
> Primary patterns: Flipping and pitching jigs and plastics in the grass, spinnerbaits, topwaters, shallow cranking the shellbeds and wood, jigging the ledges and rocks
> Winning weight: 32 pounds (final 2 days)
> Cut weight: 28 to 30 pounds
> Check weight: 10 pounds for 100th place ($10,000)
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 3 for the Potomac
> Biggest factors: The tide and the crowds
> Wildcard: Someone fishing a non-grass pattern in a remote area
Grass Keeps Growing
The abundant grass on the Potomac (mostly milfoil, but also some hydrilla) is a relatively recent phenomenon. There's more of it every year, and now it literally stretches for more than 100 miles.
It is a river system, so there's also a significant amount of woody cover. But the majority of the top finishers will likely focus on the green stuff.
Maryland native J.T. Kenney isn't carrying AOY-lead pressure this time.
"I'd have to say it's going to be won on the grass," said J.T. Kenney, who, as a Maryland native, grew up fishing the Potomac before moving to Florida a few years back. "There's some good hard stuff (wood) in a few places, but they don't hold massive amounts of fish like the grass does.
"You might see one guy in the Top 10 who catches them off wood, but certainly the majority will be from the grass."
One difference from 2005 is that that grass isn't clumped together as much this time around, and that could complicate things for some. Flipping will likely be the predominant pattern again, but the baits will be accompanied by lighter weights most of the time.
"Last time most people were focused on just punching the mats," said Virginia's Jacob Powroznik, who's 16th in the points. "Now it's taking a little longer to figure out exactly what's going on in there."
Favorable Tides
The general rule about tidal fisheries is that fish are easier to catch on an outgoing tide. Anglers will have that situation for most of the first 2 days here.
"The tides couldn't be any better," Kenney said. "They might be a little off (on days 3 and 4) but on the first 2, it'll be high tide right when we're going out. Then it'll be falling the rest of the day."
Most everybody is likely to be catching fish, so being in a place that harbors a little bit better quality will be critical.
"I haven't had that great of a practice, but I've had some good days," said Texan Clark Wendlandt, the runner-up here in '05. "For me, it's all about making decisions during the day. If I make good ones, then I have a chance to do well. If not, then I won't.
"My decisions will be based around tidal movements, but a lot will also depend on how the day is going," he continued. "I have some areas where I feel I can catch some bigger fish, but to fish those, I have to be having a decent day. I can't be at zero and fishing for a few bites."
Get 'Em on Top Early
A lot of limits that average 3 pounds per fish will make their way across the weigh-in stage, so anglers who want to separate themselves from the masses will have to find some kickers in the 4 1/2- to 6-pound range. And the best time to get such bites might be first thing in the morning.
Carl Svebek III notched a Top 10 the last time the FLW Tour visited the Potomac River.
"Topwaters could be a real big factor, especially during the high tide," said Carl Svebek III, who finished 10th here 2 years ago. "If you can get one or two quality fish early, that could set the pace for the rest of the day."
Or some might go about it the other way around – get a solid limit first, and then go for the big ones.
"A bigger fish will often eat a topwater," Powroznik said. "If somebody could get a good limit and then fish a topwater the rest of the day, they could bust a big bag."
Top 10 To Watch
In no particular order, here are BassFan's recommendations on the Top 10 to watch at this event.
1. Jay Yelas – Not a real reach here. He's compiled two 2nds and a 6th in his last three tournaments and he posted a win and five other Top 10s here in Bassmaster competition. If he's not fishing the weekend, it'll be a surprise.
2. George Cochran – He tanked in the season's first two events, but has been among the Top 34 in the last two. His Cup berth was secured during last year's FLW Series, so points aren't a factor. And he can catch them from skinny water.
3. Clark Wendlandt – After back-to-back finishes of 111th or worse, he got back on track with a 39th at Beaver. His experience will keep him from getting impatient and making rash decisions during the inevitable lulls in the bite.
4. Dave Lefebre – The Pennsylvanian has a lot of experience here, and his best memories include a Stren victory last year and a Tour Top 20 in '05. He usually bounces back nicely from his annual bomb at Beaver (127th this year).
5. J.T. Kenney – He stunk it up here in '05 (114th), but was feeling the pressure of trying to nail down the AOY on his home water. It'll be different this time – there'll be a lot less moving and a lot more flipping.
6. Art Berry – With three straight finishes of 100th or worse, this one's a longshot. But he knows tides from his days on the California Delta and was solid here last time (26th).
7. Andy Morgan – The Beaver winner's current temperature is just a degree or two cooler than Yelas', and he's certainly no slouch with a flipping stick. He's another angler who fared well here last time (12th). Among the field, he's ranked highest at 4th in the BassFan World Rankings presented by Tru-Tungsten.
8. Aaron Hastings – The winner of the season opener at Travis has been solid all year (no finish worse than 71st) and gets his first crack on his home water in a tour-level event. He'll be pumped to do well.
George Cochran has picked up the pace recently and could be a big factor on the Potomac's shallow waters.
9. Larry Nixon – The wily old veteran has been here many times. If there's an offbeat pattern out there that could lead to a high finish, he's as likely as anybody to be the one who finds it.
10. David Dudley – He's posted three straight Top 25s on the Tour, but none of those have been Top 10s. He loves to flip for shallow fish, so this one's right in his wheelhouse.
Launch/Weigh-In Info
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. today and Friday from Smallwood State Park (2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury, Md.). Weigh-ins on days 1 and 2 will be held at that location beginning at 3 p.m..
On Saturday and Sunday, the Top 10 field will take off at 6:30 a.m. from Anacostia Park (1900 Anacostia Dr. S.E. in Washington, D.C.). Weigh-ins on days 3 and 4 will be held at the D.C. Armory (2001 E. Capitol St. in Washington, D.C., next to RFK Stadium) beginning at 4 p.m.
Weather Forecast
Here's the forecast for the tournament days.
> Thurs, June 14 – A.M. Showers – 73°/61°
- Wind: From the NE at 14 mph
> Fri, June 15 – Partly Cloudy – 78°/63°
- Wind: From the NE at 4 mph
> Sat, June 9 – Partly Cloudy – 85°/69°
- Wind: From the S/SW at 8 mph
> Sun, June 10 – Isolated T-Storms – 92°/73°
- Wind: From the W at 11 mph
Notable
> The Potomac River Fisheries Council sets a 15-inch minimum-length requirement for black bass from March 1 through June 15 each year and a 12-inch minimum for the rest of the year. Therefore, the higher limit will be applicable for days 1 and 2, and the lower will take effect for the weekend.
> BassFan Big Stick Yelas said the spot near Washington D.C. that kicked out most of his fish during the 1990s is devoid of grass, so he'll fish other stuff. To read his practice report, click here to go On Tour With The BassFan Big Sticks.
> Kenney said most of the Potomac's fish are in the post-spawn phase and some have shifted to their summer mode, but that's insignificant. "They're pretty much the same thing here. They're still in the same grassbeds."
