Karen and I hit the Potomac River at Taylor's Landing boat ramp for a few hours today. I wanted to go later in the day to try topwater lures as the sun was going down. Unfortunately, one strike with a Zara Spook Jr. was the only action on top.
We hit this area last September with only one fish between us. However, we started upriver from the boat ramp, which wasn't a good idea as the area only had weedbeds for cover in the river. Later that day we moved downriver from the boat ramp, and it was like a whole different river! Lots of rocks and the river had long trench-like rock structures that blanketed the bottom in several areas.
This time, I went downriver from the boat ramp immediately. Yesterday, I went to Bass Pro Shops and bought a pack of Berkley Havoc Grass Pig swimbaits with Owner UltraHead jigheads. Paired together, they were really similar to the swimbaits we used on Thursday with success on the Susquehanna. I tied a swimbait on one rod and a Z-Man TRD Finesse Worm on the other.
On my first cast with the swimbait, I snagged it on a rock. This would happen a lot, and I ended up losing three swimbaits during the day. But this time I freed the lure and cast it out again and had a fish on. It freed himself but not before seeing it -- a cookie-cutter smallmouth bass.
A little while later, I cast the swimbait out and had it reeled back to within 10 feet from me when a smallmouth came out of nowhere and slammed the lure! It wasn't a big fish but still was exciting to see. And this time the fish stayed on the hook.
Switching back and forth between the swimbait and the Z-Man worm, the worm had the most interest. Wading downriver and fishing several spots, I ended up with five more smallmouth all on some flavor of Z-Man worm. The swimbait didn't get any bites until ...
I cast downriver to the left of a rock that was barely protruding from the surface. Reeled in the swimbait and felt a hit and set the hook. Only the fish wasn't pulling back. I continued to reel in fast and there was something on the line. Maybe a clump of weeds? A stick? An old sock? There was actually a fish on the other end, a small rock bass! What's so special about a rock bass? This was my first non-smallmouth bass caught on the Potomac River. They don't grow to be as big as smallmouth but have a similar color.
Around 7:15, I tied on a Zara Spook Jr. hoping for some topwater action. As I mentioned before, I only had one fish boil the surface using this. Even tried a larger Hub's Chub but with no response from anything under water.
Unfortunately, Karen didn't catch anything today but has vowed to try again on the Potomac before going to see her mom tomorrow.
For me, it was six smallmouth and my first Potomac rock bass. That makes fishing three rivers in four days and landing 29 smallmouth and one little rocky.
We hit this area last September with only one fish between us. However, we started upriver from the boat ramp, which wasn't a good idea as the area only had weedbeds for cover in the river. Later that day we moved downriver from the boat ramp, and it was like a whole different river! Lots of rocks and the river had long trench-like rock structures that blanketed the bottom in several areas.
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| First fish on the Berkley Havoc swimbait. |
On my first cast with the swimbait, I snagged it on a rock. This would happen a lot, and I ended up losing three swimbaits during the day. But this time I freed the lure and cast it out again and had a fish on. It freed himself but not before seeing it -- a cookie-cutter smallmouth bass.
A little while later, I cast the swimbait out and had it reeled back to within 10 feet from me when a smallmouth came out of nowhere and slammed the lure! It wasn't a big fish but still was exciting to see. And this time the fish stayed on the hook.
Switching back and forth between the swimbait and the Z-Man worm, the worm had the most interest. Wading downriver and fishing several spots, I ended up with five more smallmouth all on some flavor of Z-Man worm. The swimbait didn't get any bites until ...
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| Rocky wasn't much of a fighter. |
Around 7:15, I tied on a Zara Spook Jr. hoping for some topwater action. As I mentioned before, I only had one fish boil the surface using this. Even tried a larger Hub's Chub but with no response from anything under water.
Unfortunately, Karen didn't catch anything today but has vowed to try again on the Potomac before going to see her mom tomorrow.
For me, it was six smallmouth and my first Potomac rock bass. That makes fishing three rivers in four days and landing 29 smallmouth and one little rocky.
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