I tried the Taylor's Landing section of the Potomac River today. Another new spot for me, the next access point down river from Dam 4. Karen actually wanted to go fishing again, so we headed out and got there around 8:45 a.m.
The site has two boat ramps, one above a natural dam and another below it. I decided to try upriver from the dam. For some dam reason. I started off with a Confidence Baits Battle Stance Craws on one of their Draggin' Head jig heads. Just got the rubber "battle craws" earlier in the week, so I wanted to fling them around a little bit. Karen was using straight worms in some flavor.
When we showed up, there was a guy in a kayak on the boat ramp. Karen and I walked by and found a spot about 50 yards upriver from the ramp. I've been thinking about getting a kayak or maybe a small boat, and if/when I do, when I get in the water, I'm going to go as far away from people as soon as I get in the water.
Not this guy.
He paddled up and parked his dumbass maybe 40 feet in front of where Karen was fishing. I had waded to a section a bit further upriver and watched this dumbass sit there and cuss while he was fiddling with one of his rods. It's a good thing I wasn't trying to fish where Karen was because I would have started to plink lures off the side of his kayak. Finally he moved a bit further out toward the middle of the river.
Anyway, back to fishing. This section was very flat and didn't have a lot of features except weeds. I didn't get any interest in the battle craw so I switched over to a three-inch green Stik-O worm on a weedless jighead. Same thing I used on Friday down in the Edward's Ferry area. I waded out into a field of weeds and actually saw something I had yet to see on the Potomac -- a largemouth bass! It was just lurking among the weeds, and it was pretty small. I know they are on the river, but I had yet to catch one, let alone see one. I think they like the slower water (like this section with all the weeds) and the smallmouth hang out in faster water, behind rocks or in/near pools next to faster water.
I didn't have any luck at all with anything. Karen, too, and she decided to head down below the natural dam. I went down there, too, and realized as soon as we got there that this is where we should have started from in the first place. Two-plus hours later. There were more rocks, and natural rock trenches stretching across the river in this section.
After using the green three-inch worm for a little while, I decided to switch to a four-inch Stik-O worm in the red shad color on a weedless jighead. The green worm seemed to blend into the surroundings, so I figured the red in the bigger worm would be more enticing. No luck after several casts but then reeling the worm back after a cast, I had tension on the line and noticed the line moving UP the river. I waited a couple seconds and set the hook ... nothing. I let the jig sit on the bottom for a few seconds, and the fish didn't come back for it.
I cast beyond that spot and worked the jig back and ... the same thing! My line moved upriver again. I waited a few seconds, set the hook and the fish was hooked this time. However, it felt small ... and it was small. But at least it was a smallmouth bass, around eight inches.
Ten minutes latter, Karen yelled that she had a fish! She got it on a purple Stik-O worm, and it looked to be around 11 inches and bigger than the two she caught a couple weeks ago below Dam 4. At least neither of us was getting skunked this trip.
I moved down river a bit and saw a big, square rock just below the surface. It looked like a good place to fish from, so I waded out and stood on top of the rock.
I made a cast out and noticed a smallmouth bass swim away.
From the rock.
I was standing on.
Usually I cast out to the area I'm going to wade in but FAILED to do so this time. It was a nice fish, easily legal size and maybe in the 14- to 15-inch range.
I snagged four or five Stik-O worms in this area, had one hit and nothing hooked. After losing a lure on the first cast with a new lure, I decided to call it quits. It was around noon, and for whatever reason, I don't catch anything around this time.
The site has two boat ramps, one above a natural dam and another below it. I decided to try upriver from the dam. For some dam reason. I started off with a Confidence Baits Battle Stance Craws on one of their Draggin' Head jig heads. Just got the rubber "battle craws" earlier in the week, so I wanted to fling them around a little bit. Karen was using straight worms in some flavor.
 |
| Looking for the school in hard rocks. |
Not this guy.
He paddled up and parked his dumbass maybe 40 feet in front of where Karen was fishing. I had waded to a section a bit further upriver and watched this dumbass sit there and cuss while he was fiddling with one of his rods. It's a good thing I wasn't trying to fish where Karen was because I would have started to plink lures off the side of his kayak. Finally he moved a bit further out toward the middle of the river.
Anyway, back to fishing. This section was very flat and didn't have a lot of features except weeds. I didn't get any interest in the battle craw so I switched over to a three-inch green Stik-O worm on a weedless jighead. Same thing I used on Friday down in the Edward's Ferry area. I waded out into a field of weeds and actually saw something I had yet to see on the Potomac -- a largemouth bass! It was just lurking among the weeds, and it was pretty small. I know they are on the river, but I had yet to catch one, let alone see one. I think they like the slower water (like this section with all the weeds) and the smallmouth hang out in faster water, behind rocks or in/near pools next to faster water.
 |
| Karen's fish. |
After using the green three-inch worm for a little while, I decided to switch to a four-inch Stik-O worm in the red shad color on a weedless jighead. The green worm seemed to blend into the surroundings, so I figured the red in the bigger worm would be more enticing. No luck after several casts but then reeling the worm back after a cast, I had tension on the line and noticed the line moving UP the river. I waited a couple seconds and set the hook ... nothing. I let the jig sit on the bottom for a few seconds, and the fish didn't come back for it.
I cast beyond that spot and worked the jig back and ... the same thing! My line moved upriver again. I waited a few seconds, set the hook and the fish was hooked this time. However, it felt small ... and it was small. But at least it was a smallmouth bass, around eight inches.
Ten minutes latter, Karen yelled that she had a fish! She got it on a purple Stik-O worm, and it looked to be around 11 inches and bigger than the two she caught a couple weeks ago below Dam 4. At least neither of us was getting skunked this trip.
 |
| Smallmouth ambush spot. |
I made a cast out and noticed a smallmouth bass swim away.
From the rock.
I was standing on.
Usually I cast out to the area I'm going to wade in but FAILED to do so this time. It was a nice fish, easily legal size and maybe in the 14- to 15-inch range.
I snagged four or five Stik-O worms in this area, had one hit and nothing hooked. After losing a lure on the first cast with a new lure, I decided to call it quits. It was around noon, and for whatever reason, I don't catch anything around this time.
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