Post by 31Airborne on May 1, 2022 12:16:40 GMT -5
Stop #4 on our divisional circuit for this season. This one had me a little anxious. My recent experience (limited) on the Potomac is for the fall. Had not been on the river during the spring in 15 or more years. I had plenty of notes from years ago but we all know rivers change daily. 15+ year old history is about as useful as used insurance. Add to this work getting in the way of a key practice day. And then there was the hard cold front that came thru midweek, dropping air temps by 30+ degrees and water temps by 8-10 degrees. Needless to say, we were not optimistic. This one was gonna be a grind. Weighing 5 keepers would be a major victory.
Practice. Without question, we had the worst practice ever. We managed three puny fish over two days. None of the historical stuff I had worked. None of my partner's stuff worked. Frustrating as it was, we continued to make subtle adjustments. Finally, at the end of our 2nd day of practice, my partner hooks into a solid [non-keeper] fish that was locked in on an isolated grass patch. This clump of grass was way off of the main grass bed, essentially out in the middle of a large bay. This fish's tail was a bloody mess. Better than half of one side was completely gone, worn away by fanning a bed in the sandy/pebbly soil. It took him a few minutes, but after some time thinking about it, my partner said, "The fish are not locked into the grass beds. They're out." We finished out our practice without another bite. For the first time in a long time, I went 2 days without getting bit, let alone catching a fish. The fish we (my partner) did catch were on a chatter bait. We didn't have a lot to work with for putting a game plan together. Both of us had collected some recent intel from local tournaments that indicated the bite was more active in the middle and upper end of the river. We both knew this part of the river better and had some fairly robust (albeit dated) history up there. We decided we'd just go fishing, beginning in a mid-river creek we both knew well. From there, the plan was to hop the community holes that were active. We would chuck-n-wind until we found active fish, then slow down and work the area over.
TX day. We drew #10 (out of 37). The morning wind was stronger than predicted and was blowing against an incoming tide. This meant our ride up the river would be a little ruff (it was). Took us a few minutes longer but we arrived at our first stop safe and sound. About half a dozen casts into the event I hook up on a 3 lb'er on a rattle bait. This fish was holding on an isolated clump of grass out away from the main grass bed. Maybe 15 minutes later I hook up on keeper #2. Same deal. After an hour or so, we bounced across the river to another small bay. Nothing but a small bass and a chunky carp (caught on a shaky head) to show for our hour or so of work. We pack up and go back to where we started, this time focusing on another outer section of the bay. As the tide began to roll out we could see the isolated clumps of grass. That made it easier for us to target them. My partner finally hooks up on keeper #3 - a solid 4.34 lb fish - on his chatter bait. Maybe 20 minutes later he does it again, this time a solid 2 lb fish. Then it got quiet. For about 2 hours. All the while we're chucking-n-winding as we cover the outer areas of the grass beds. My partner did manage one more small keeper but that was it. The best of the outgoing tide came around 11:30 and at that point, we had 40 minutes of non-stop fun. It started w/ a couple of punks caught on a shaky head (small creature bait). Then my partner catches keeper #4 on his chatter bait. A few minutes later, my partner yells, "Fish on. Get the net!" As he was reeling, I had a fish eat my c-rig. I replied, "Fish on. You get the net." A minute or so later we both boat flip our fish into the cabin of the boat. Keeper #5 was a solid 3 lb fish. The other fish culled the small keeper we had in the live well - a nice 1-lb upgrade. We made 2 more upgrades during this flurry of activity, both on the c-rig. Then the wind laid down. And the tide stopped moving. And the bite died. We made the run back into the creek where we launched and hit one of the bays on the way in, just to see if we couldn't pick up one more upgrade. Only a punk to show for 15 minutes of fishing. We called it a day after that and went in to weigh our bag. We ended up w/ 5 for 15.51, good enough for 5th place.
Observations: 1) WTs were a mixed bag. 62 at launch on THUR (Hope Springs Marina); 62-64 out in the beach area; 61-64 in Pirates Cove and Stick Cove. FRI was a little cooler, with temps ranging from 59-62. On TX day we saw 61 at launch (HSM); 62-65 in Chickamuxen Creek; 63-65 near the power plant; 66 at Aquia beach. 2) The wind on THUR prevented us from running anywhere. The main river was not safe. Neither was the main channel of Aquia Creek at times. The winds laid down on FRI so travel was much easier/safer. 3) Water conditions were pretty bad on THUR - the wind blew in a lot of sediment and trashed huge portions of the creeks we fished in. By FRI it had settled down and was better. By SAT it was back to normal with 2-3' of viz in most places. 4) The grass is coming in nicely, even with the weird spring weather we've had. Some of the favorite grassy areas are little behind but there is plenty of new grass emerging. A couple of hot weeks and it'll explode. A few of the traditional favorites were void of grass - Wade's Bay, Blue banks, and the area adjacent to the power plant. It'll come in eventually. 5) We caught a couple of post spawn fish and both of them were small. The better fish had not yet done the deed. The up-and-down weather we've had this spring has the spawn cycle in a funk. My guess is the upcoming full moon will get things back in order. 6) Most fishermen we saw were working the thicker grass beds. We targeted the isolated clumps on the outside. The fish were holding tight to these but not in any pattern we could discern. It was a function of casting to as many as we could see in order to draw a strike. Except for that magical 40 minutes we enjoyed, it was pure work. Targeting this kind of cover is what probably allowed us to catch fish during the less productive tide periods. The fish were already in a position where they could stay put at low tide. This confirmed what we saw in practice, that fish were setting up to spawn out away from the banks out on the flats. 7) Was a bit of a mixed bag on baits for us - the first two keepers came on a rattle bait (red); the next three on a chatter bait (green); the next 2 on a c-rig (greens). We had a number of small fish eat a shaky head, jig, and stick bait (greens). Rattle and chatter bait bites were no-doubters. The fish slammed them. Bites on plastics were a bit more subtle. 8) During the prime time period of the tide my partner and I worked the entire water column. He had the top end w/ his chatter bait while I worked the deck w/ plastics and jigs. Using a mix of baits at different depths was a more efficient way of getting the most out of this window. 9) We picked our areas apart in fine detail. I mean we covered them w/ hundreds of casts. I believe it was this kind of effort that enabled us to pick up our fish. Those who came thru for a quick pass seldom caught anything that we could see. If you slowed down and took your time, you were rewarded. 10) When you have a fishery like the Potomac it's easy to focus ~exclusively on the grass. That's a no-brainer. But there are elements of structure, even on the grass flats, that can be productive. In a lake or impoundment, we key on points, hard breaks, and offshore stuff. You can count on those elements of structure to be fairly consistent when it comes to attracting and holding fish. Rivers change daily. No tide is ever the same, no flow rate is ever the same. When you factor in strong NW winds that essentially blow all of the water out of the river, you get even more change. We found a small place (maybe an area the size of a couple boats) that had a distinct drop. A small bowl, if you will (some people call these tidal guts). The break on the sides of this bowl were no more than 1', but that was enough to hold fish. We picked up 2 of our keepers working this structure. The chances are good that by the end of the summer this bowl will be gone. Sediment from the ebb and flow of the tides, plus any additional affect rain and wind may have on flow, will fill it in. The lesson here is one of keeping an eye on the graph. As stated above, it's really easy to get consumed w/ the grass. Take some time to glance at the screen every once in a while. You may find a surprise. 11) One more lesson on watching your graph: There are all kinds of old structures in the Potomac - wharfs, piers, sunken barges, wrecks, ballast piles, the list goes on. Many of these are indicated on maps (GMCO makes the best map, IMHO). Others you're gonna find by running into them. That is, unless you're paying attention to your graph. My partner was working a stretch of bank as we made our way out of the creek when he came up on series of large pilings. These were not on any map. It was not a small structure. It stretched out from the shoreline some 100 yds or more. At high tide you're not gonna see it. At low tide, it's one of those kinds of things that make fishermen sick and lower unit salesmen rich. Stay alert, stay alive, esp on rivers. 12) I power fished for about 80% of the day. Those who know me will no doubt smirk at this one, but it's true. I chucked my rattle and chatter baits a bunch. Easily a 1500-cast day. I have the sore hands to prove. I didn't slow down (my preferred method of fishing) until we found fish. This is not unique to rivers. It's one of those truths that stands the test of time and location on any body of water, and it was especially important this past weekend. The grass flats we fished were 100s of acres big. There's no way you're gonna systematically find fish if you don't have a well thought out plan for covering water.
So, what started out as a nightmare ended up being a huge success for us. Our execution was solid - we didn't miss a fish all day. Our adjustments were right on, all based on what we'd learned in practice or during our time on the water on TX day. We did a great job of talking thru every bite so both of us understood how the fish were reacting to what/how we were throwing. We were able to effectively and efficiently work thru a dramatic change in weather and water conditions. The harder it was, the better we communicated. It paid off in the end. Synchronizing who was throwing what at which target allowed us to cover our water effectively. And we kept our lures wet. Once we found the fish we needed we stayed on them, making subtle adjustments as the prime part of the outgoing tide progressed. This was a true team effort.
We have 2 weeks off then it's on to the James River. Our history there is more recent. We also have a lot of stuff to explore. That'll be the focus of our practice.
peace,
B
Practice. Without question, we had the worst practice ever. We managed three puny fish over two days. None of the historical stuff I had worked. None of my partner's stuff worked. Frustrating as it was, we continued to make subtle adjustments. Finally, at the end of our 2nd day of practice, my partner hooks into a solid [non-keeper] fish that was locked in on an isolated grass patch. This clump of grass was way off of the main grass bed, essentially out in the middle of a large bay. This fish's tail was a bloody mess. Better than half of one side was completely gone, worn away by fanning a bed in the sandy/pebbly soil. It took him a few minutes, but after some time thinking about it, my partner said, "The fish are not locked into the grass beds. They're out." We finished out our practice without another bite. For the first time in a long time, I went 2 days without getting bit, let alone catching a fish. The fish we (my partner) did catch were on a chatter bait. We didn't have a lot to work with for putting a game plan together. Both of us had collected some recent intel from local tournaments that indicated the bite was more active in the middle and upper end of the river. We both knew this part of the river better and had some fairly robust (albeit dated) history up there. We decided we'd just go fishing, beginning in a mid-river creek we both knew well. From there, the plan was to hop the community holes that were active. We would chuck-n-wind until we found active fish, then slow down and work the area over.
TX day. We drew #10 (out of 37). The morning wind was stronger than predicted and was blowing against an incoming tide. This meant our ride up the river would be a little ruff (it was). Took us a few minutes longer but we arrived at our first stop safe and sound. About half a dozen casts into the event I hook up on a 3 lb'er on a rattle bait. This fish was holding on an isolated clump of grass out away from the main grass bed. Maybe 15 minutes later I hook up on keeper #2. Same deal. After an hour or so, we bounced across the river to another small bay. Nothing but a small bass and a chunky carp (caught on a shaky head) to show for our hour or so of work. We pack up and go back to where we started, this time focusing on another outer section of the bay. As the tide began to roll out we could see the isolated clumps of grass. That made it easier for us to target them. My partner finally hooks up on keeper #3 - a solid 4.34 lb fish - on his chatter bait. Maybe 20 minutes later he does it again, this time a solid 2 lb fish. Then it got quiet. For about 2 hours. All the while we're chucking-n-winding as we cover the outer areas of the grass beds. My partner did manage one more small keeper but that was it. The best of the outgoing tide came around 11:30 and at that point, we had 40 minutes of non-stop fun. It started w/ a couple of punks caught on a shaky head (small creature bait). Then my partner catches keeper #4 on his chatter bait. A few minutes later, my partner yells, "Fish on. Get the net!" As he was reeling, I had a fish eat my c-rig. I replied, "Fish on. You get the net." A minute or so later we both boat flip our fish into the cabin of the boat. Keeper #5 was a solid 3 lb fish. The other fish culled the small keeper we had in the live well - a nice 1-lb upgrade. We made 2 more upgrades during this flurry of activity, both on the c-rig. Then the wind laid down. And the tide stopped moving. And the bite died. We made the run back into the creek where we launched and hit one of the bays on the way in, just to see if we couldn't pick up one more upgrade. Only a punk to show for 15 minutes of fishing. We called it a day after that and went in to weigh our bag. We ended up w/ 5 for 15.51, good enough for 5th place.
Observations: 1) WTs were a mixed bag. 62 at launch on THUR (Hope Springs Marina); 62-64 out in the beach area; 61-64 in Pirates Cove and Stick Cove. FRI was a little cooler, with temps ranging from 59-62. On TX day we saw 61 at launch (HSM); 62-65 in Chickamuxen Creek; 63-65 near the power plant; 66 at Aquia beach. 2) The wind on THUR prevented us from running anywhere. The main river was not safe. Neither was the main channel of Aquia Creek at times. The winds laid down on FRI so travel was much easier/safer. 3) Water conditions were pretty bad on THUR - the wind blew in a lot of sediment and trashed huge portions of the creeks we fished in. By FRI it had settled down and was better. By SAT it was back to normal with 2-3' of viz in most places. 4) The grass is coming in nicely, even with the weird spring weather we've had. Some of the favorite grassy areas are little behind but there is plenty of new grass emerging. A couple of hot weeks and it'll explode. A few of the traditional favorites were void of grass - Wade's Bay, Blue banks, and the area adjacent to the power plant. It'll come in eventually. 5) We caught a couple of post spawn fish and both of them were small. The better fish had not yet done the deed. The up-and-down weather we've had this spring has the spawn cycle in a funk. My guess is the upcoming full moon will get things back in order. 6) Most fishermen we saw were working the thicker grass beds. We targeted the isolated clumps on the outside. The fish were holding tight to these but not in any pattern we could discern. It was a function of casting to as many as we could see in order to draw a strike. Except for that magical 40 minutes we enjoyed, it was pure work. Targeting this kind of cover is what probably allowed us to catch fish during the less productive tide periods. The fish were already in a position where they could stay put at low tide. This confirmed what we saw in practice, that fish were setting up to spawn out away from the banks out on the flats. 7) Was a bit of a mixed bag on baits for us - the first two keepers came on a rattle bait (red); the next three on a chatter bait (green); the next 2 on a c-rig (greens). We had a number of small fish eat a shaky head, jig, and stick bait (greens). Rattle and chatter bait bites were no-doubters. The fish slammed them. Bites on plastics were a bit more subtle. 8) During the prime time period of the tide my partner and I worked the entire water column. He had the top end w/ his chatter bait while I worked the deck w/ plastics and jigs. Using a mix of baits at different depths was a more efficient way of getting the most out of this window. 9) We picked our areas apart in fine detail. I mean we covered them w/ hundreds of casts. I believe it was this kind of effort that enabled us to pick up our fish. Those who came thru for a quick pass seldom caught anything that we could see. If you slowed down and took your time, you were rewarded. 10) When you have a fishery like the Potomac it's easy to focus ~exclusively on the grass. That's a no-brainer. But there are elements of structure, even on the grass flats, that can be productive. In a lake or impoundment, we key on points, hard breaks, and offshore stuff. You can count on those elements of structure to be fairly consistent when it comes to attracting and holding fish. Rivers change daily. No tide is ever the same, no flow rate is ever the same. When you factor in strong NW winds that essentially blow all of the water out of the river, you get even more change. We found a small place (maybe an area the size of a couple boats) that had a distinct drop. A small bowl, if you will (some people call these tidal guts). The break on the sides of this bowl were no more than 1', but that was enough to hold fish. We picked up 2 of our keepers working this structure. The chances are good that by the end of the summer this bowl will be gone. Sediment from the ebb and flow of the tides, plus any additional affect rain and wind may have on flow, will fill it in. The lesson here is one of keeping an eye on the graph. As stated above, it's really easy to get consumed w/ the grass. Take some time to glance at the screen every once in a while. You may find a surprise. 11) One more lesson on watching your graph: There are all kinds of old structures in the Potomac - wharfs, piers, sunken barges, wrecks, ballast piles, the list goes on. Many of these are indicated on maps (GMCO makes the best map, IMHO). Others you're gonna find by running into them. That is, unless you're paying attention to your graph. My partner was working a stretch of bank as we made our way out of the creek when he came up on series of large pilings. These were not on any map. It was not a small structure. It stretched out from the shoreline some 100 yds or more. At high tide you're not gonna see it. At low tide, it's one of those kinds of things that make fishermen sick and lower unit salesmen rich. Stay alert, stay alive, esp on rivers. 12) I power fished for about 80% of the day. Those who know me will no doubt smirk at this one, but it's true. I chucked my rattle and chatter baits a bunch. Easily a 1500-cast day. I have the sore hands to prove. I didn't slow down (my preferred method of fishing) until we found fish. This is not unique to rivers. It's one of those truths that stands the test of time and location on any body of water, and it was especially important this past weekend. The grass flats we fished were 100s of acres big. There's no way you're gonna systematically find fish if you don't have a well thought out plan for covering water.
So, what started out as a nightmare ended up being a huge success for us. Our execution was solid - we didn't miss a fish all day. Our adjustments were right on, all based on what we'd learned in practice or during our time on the water on TX day. We did a great job of talking thru every bite so both of us understood how the fish were reacting to what/how we were throwing. We were able to effectively and efficiently work thru a dramatic change in weather and water conditions. The harder it was, the better we communicated. It paid off in the end. Synchronizing who was throwing what at which target allowed us to cover our water effectively. And we kept our lures wet. Once we found the fish we needed we stayed on them, making subtle adjustments as the prime part of the outgoing tide progressed. This was a true team effort.
We have 2 weeks off then it's on to the James River. Our history there is more recent. We also have a lot of stuff to explore. That'll be the focus of our practice.
peace,
B
