The Bass College

That  Manns stingray grub is the deal its the stupidest thing ever but it catches the      #%*# out of those potomac bass. Ive seen it load the boat there many a november day and all the way to ice out!!!!!! Put it on a 1/8 oz jighead,6lb sunline flurocarbon and a sensitive graphite rod with a good spinning reel  and hold on!!!!!!!

In the following video the first bass that is caught is where I personally caught 3 bass that went over 4 pounds on a frog. If you need tips on these areas my brother and I know this place like the backs of our hands. hell, we even had our Nitro sink not too far from this spot on the first day of the BFL tournament. lol

The Potomac river is hot right now1 The areas with any grass left around Piscataway creek and in Mattawoman are the best areas. As I reported before, the Chatterbait took all the bass there this week in the grass and around wood with grass. Upwards of 30 bass in 8 hours up to 4 pounds. All on Chatterbaits!

The spoils  have been rock solid as well with stingray grubs and chatterbaits taking bass to 5lbs.

Here are a few bass we caught in the Potomac river. Video to follow. These were caught on a Yamamoto IKA tube with a Tungstun weight.

PICK YOUR MAT

The Capitol Clash on the

Potomac River last summer found

Elite Series anglers Matt Reed and

Kelly Jordon cashing in on bass

holed up in thickly matted grass.

Key to their pattern was finding the

thickest mats of mixed vegetation,

clear water and a “perfect canopy.”

Use a 1- to 1 1/2-ounce slip sinker

with a straight shank hook and

compact plastic bait. You can work

this pattern on thousands of waters

Here is WOO DAVES fishing the same part of Mattawoman Creek that i show you on my videos. The first part is on the Delta but it switches to the Potomac.

TO VIEW ALL THE POTOMAC RIVER TIPS VIDEOS CLICK HERE<< If you need detailed help with exact baits and locations we will give them to you. Just make a post or send a PM to me or to TOM WOLVERTON, PRO STAFF ADMIN.

For those of you that are new or who have not fished with us in person, this is my BROTHER, Kurt, not my son. lol he is just a lot younger than me. This is BASSMAN KVB here at the site.

FIFTH PLACE- WOOLVERTON & ROSSETTI Swim Into 5TH  Potomac River

Finishing-out the Top-5 was the new team of Tom Woolverton, Hamilton Twp. (Mercer Co.), NJ and his partner Vincent Rossetti, Trenton, NJ with a total weight of 15.35 lbs. We called Tom the other day to discuss their tactics and pattern(s) for catching bass under the challenging conditions. And, as expected, Tom agreed to share information on what the two did that day, and what they believed the bass were doing as well. Tom and Vincent had travelled south to the mouth of Aquia Cr. just as several other teams did hoping to catch some quality bass that were holding in the deeper grass with cleaner water. Unfortunately, when they got there they found the mudline had shifted towards the shore some 100 ft. plus which basically shut-down the deeper grass bite not only for themselves but for everyone else that venture south as well. Yet, being an experienced river angler he commented that he believed the bass were still in the narrowed band of cleaner water closer to shore would be more active if not more selective due to the shallower water and recent heavy fishing pressure. The team used 4” & 5” Senkos pitched into the grass opening or simply swam slowly through the sparser grass to catch numerous smaller fish located among the keepers and bigger bass moving-in with the tide. The area they focused on was only about 100 ft. wide and they had to fish very slowly to avoid spooking the bass holding along the inside grass line. And, they needed to downsize their tackle to spinning gear and 8 lb. test to get the right presentation. While these adjustments helped them to catch (7) keepers on the day including their big fish at 4.21 lbs., Tom reported losing another big fish trying to land it with the lighter line in the grass. That last good fish would have filled-out their limit and made them even more competitive. Ouch! We all know that feeling when we lose key fish and just come-up-short at the scales. Since they were catching keepers periodically, the two stayed with their fish the entire day since that was what the Potomac gave them that day. This writer also fished early on within eyesight of Tom and Vincent before leaving the area. And, both teams had located the same group of good quality bass in practice only to be disappointed on Sunday. Great Job Guys! They made the needed adjustments, finessed their catch and salvaged what otherwise could have been a really rough day.

You can talk to Tom and Vince right here in the forums or ask Tom a question in the Ask The Pro Staff section.

Hoping to get out tomorrow.  If all goes well I should launch out of Pohick and make a run down to Occoquan.  I could launch at Occoquan but I would rather make a run and get comfortable with the new rig.

marc how do you usally do there this time of year i never fished the potomic this time of year . and any tips on what to look for or what there usally eating this time of year thanks for your help marc thinking of coming down next sunday weather permiting

theres bass to be caught there now but it will get much better in the next 2 to 3 weeks as the water begins to warm and weather stabalizes

In recent weeks, heavy rainfall muddied the river and choked it with floating debris. Anglers may want to seek cleaner water in some tributaries. Look for grass beds, which may filter dirty water, and work white spinnerbaits, flukes or rattling baits parallel to weed lines. Some anglers may want to punch through thick grass with heavy black and blue or black neon jigs. Anglers may still find some spawning bass on beds in backwater creeks. Tides dominate the lower Potomac River, often pushing brackish water far up the channel from the bay. Typically, high tides bring in salty water and chase bass deeper inland. Falling tides pull fresh water from tributaries so bass move out into main channels. Tidal current can also dislodge forage species and spark feeding activity. “When tides fall, many shallow areas drain,” said Sam Swett, a professional bass angler. “Baitfish go in those shallow areas to hide from predators, but when tide falls, water flushes baitfish and other creatures into deeper channels. On the Potomac River, I like to ‘run the tides.’ It takes a while for tides to reach upper sections of the river so I start fishing in the delta on a falling tide. When the tide stops falling, I run 20 or so miles upriver ahead of the tide where water is still falling. That way, I’ll fish moving water most of the day.” In a June 2010 BWS tournament, Scott Mozingo won by doing what he called “surfing the tides.” The Midlothian, Va., angler landed five bass weighing 16.95 pounds with a 5.77-pounder that took tournament lunker honors. “I ran south about 10 miles and let the tide catch me,” Mozingo said. “Then, I just surfed it back up north. I caught one fish on a frog, but everything else on a 1/2-ounce black and blue Seduction jig fished in grass in about five to seven feet of water.” In the Co-Angler Division during that 2010 tournament, Nelson Mejia of Baltimore landed three bass for 10.68 pounds, but a penalty gave him an official weight of 10.18 pounds. He punched through thick grass with a watermelon spice craw. Steve Picott of White Plains, Md., took division lunker honors with a 5.07-pounder.

Filmed while the Potomac River Weekend Series was in progress on June 25th, 2011. Steve,The Owner of The Bass College, and Pro Staff Marc Borger filmed the tournament from the water and at the weigh in but fished all different spots that no tournament anglers were in to see how they would do. Here it is. 15 lbs of bass with locations and baits from Steve and Marc on the Potomac river in June. For more tips and tactics and videos and free baits just register at THE BASS COLLEGE. http://thebasscollege.com

There are even more articles and tips on the Potomac River here<<

There are more VIDEO TIPS here<<click

TOM WOLVERTON PRO STAFF ADMINISTRATOR and Marketing and sales VP, along with Kurt vonBrandt, and the owner, Steve prefishing on the Potomac River before a Bassmaster Event.

I love this river, i wish it was closer.  I used to load the boat in chickamuxen cr. back in the 90's.  20lb. limits were not uncommon!  They would take a chrome rattletrap and make it white by the end of the day!!