The Bass College

Hi Guys,

I am a new member of the site and have been watching your videos and reading your articles, great stuff!! I was wondering if anyone had a current fishing report regarding the Nanticoke? I have never fished the Nanticoke before and any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, and tight lines!!

welcome to TBC!

Yes they are hitting in Marshey Hope on pegged platics like a Kreature bait, Beaver, etc and a Senko, jigs at times. They are still up in the Marina and by the Hospital by Williams. Theres some videos here in the forums in the reports and in the main video section in Delaware. Take a look at the Site Navigator video here first then look around. Welcome, glad to have you here.

Welcome to the site and happy to have you.

welcome to TBC

All the main river wood has been catching bass also with a LC RC 1.5 on the last half of the outgoing tides.

Thank you for the information and its great to be here!!...Is the vegetation on the nanticoke as heavy as whats found on the potomac? I primarily fish Mattawoman, Chix, Wades, Aquia etc. - doing a lot of frogin' and flippin' the heavier cover...Also, I have only been fishing tidal waters for about a year and still learning to play the tide- any tricks or suggestions?...I moved down to MD from NY, fishing a lot of deeper, cooler, mainly clear lakes and rivers (Seneca, Cayuga, Onieda, St. Lawrence etc.)...

Welcome

No There is nothing but Pads miles of them and most are no good at all. Its real specific it takes years to be able to catch a limit thats over 14 pounds. It is the worst river around here and the Potomac is world class thats the only place I go unless I am doing a video or testing a boat on the Nanticoke.The very best part of the Nanticoke is not even close to the worst creek in the Potomac.Even mentioning them both in the same sentence should be illegal!! lol 

Welcome to the site! Glad to have you

Glad to have you welcome to the site.

Welcome to the site.

Welcome to the site. You will learn a lot here.

Delaware Bass, you are truly right about the Potomac being world class!! What variations in the pads are you looking for when trying to find the pads that hold fish?

Welcome to the site. Glad to have you here!

Theres too many to really tell you they are up and down the entire stretch of the river and they really aren't in most of the pads on the main river. Ill have to meet you there. Ill meet you there after we get back from the EVERSTART on the Potomac in September and just show you where they are at the different times of the year and tides. Its really a LONG river and they are not everywhere most of the time and there arent a lot of them, and there arent a lot of bass above 3 pounds.

you guys rave bout the Potomac, which is great and awesome to fish, But the Sass has been very hot the last couple years.. Shorter ride and bigger bags, you can go to potomac, Ill go to the Sass....lol 32.52 pounds took first in de federation on Sass and 29.12 on potomac this year.... I heard nanticoke did good for a 2 week period with some 5 fish bags of 28-20 pounds which was during the spawn time, and more surprising is how many quality fish the broadkill has produce this year.. same thing I know of atleast 2 tournaments on broadkill that had 5 fish 18-20 pound bags....

Anyone fish broadkill much.. I know it is hard for a lot of people to turn away from wagamons to fish the broadkill, and I have even pulled out of broadkill and redeem myself in wagamons before, but the broadkill is a good place to fish, not a all day place but a few hours can catch some nice fish

Oh and as far as the nanticoke, every one is pretty much right on, not a whole lot of big fish... 7 fish bags during federation tournament are usually in the high teens, I think 18 pounds won this year,\

Did fish pocomoke today and caught only small ones, a lot of guys pre fishing for the tbf next weekend

I fished the Upper Bay as you know for 20 years seriously, and its not the Potomac  there are some big fish there and at certain times in several areas there are good numbers, but overall its not the Potomac, its not a debate, its a fact. And the other thing is, there are no tournaments on the Upper Bay that equal whats on the Potomac every week so its just not worth it to me. Its so not worth it to me that I am looking at moving to the Potomac River next year instead of Red Mill.

We made a decsion a few weeks ago, to not even fish here anymore except for product videos or to take a kid or a member on a special trip, and just spend all our time on the Potomac in more serious events starting this summer and continuing through next year and on.

Thats why there are not as many videos from me on Red Mill or any other local ponds or lakes as it will be something I am leaving to the regular members and Pro Staff to do, and I will be with Tom Wolverton, Lance Vick, Russ Lane, and my College Pro Staff Jonathan Miller, Chuck Bellerby, etc on the Potomac, 90% of the time I am on the water now.

I will still fish some Delaware places for trophy bass in the late Summer/FALL and again in the Spring, when I am home and not getting ready for a tournament somewhere, but I am not wasting anymore money personally fishing Delaware or Maryland ponds, or even the Upper Bay now, I may decide to fish the Nanticoke more to help some of the guys wanting to fish the Federation or learn rivers because its close, (For Now), but its not a place I want to spend the rest of my life fishing if I have any choice at all.

Thats just how I feel. I have spent a lot of time on rivers all over the entire country all the way to California where I lived for 15 years, and the Potomac River is world class, and if it wasnt, they would be on the Upper Bay, in the BFL, Bassmaster, Elites, etc because its just as easy to go there as it is the Potomac.

Its good, and I like it, and it has its moments, it really does, but it is just not the Potomac River period.

It just isnt,  The new Maryland State record was caught from the Potomac just a couple years ago in January in a REAL tournament and it is over 11 pounds, so if you want to talk big fish??? LOL

 If you think the Sassafras is good now, you should have been there with us in the mid and late 1990's, when it was REALLY good, and it still wasnt the Potomac! lol Now, there will be a few times in the Spring and fall when its hot enough in certain areas to go if you dont have something on the Potomac, rather than go to some mudhole or Waggamonds, but its not worth wasting the time and money to fish it all the time or seriously, because the money and the real fun fishing,  just isnt there. 

I guided on the upper cheasapeake bay 3 to 4 days per week  for about 8 years from early spring to late fall focusing most of my efforts on the Sassafras. I know the river intimately. You can pull up on a small school of bass all in the 4 to 7 pound class at times. Ive done it with clients and in tournaments several times. When its hot its really hot.....the problem however is its not always hot and when that river is slow .....its really slow. Day in and Day out you will not find a better place to fish in our area than the Potomac River period! New York is the closest thing but its just to far to go on a regular basis. The upper bay has precise areas that are really good. I can launch my boat in any creek from Nanjemoy to downtown DC and in 1 to 2 hours have a reliable pattern figured out. The river is just flat out LOADED with 2.5 to 3.5 pound bass. Most days honestly  you can catch 35 to 40 bass just throwing a reaction bait. Every creek holds bass. Of course some hold more and bigger bass but EVERY Creek has numbers of bass. You dont have major areas of dead water like you do on the Nanticoke and Upper Bay. Dont get me wrong Im not knocking either one of those rivers I love them both they just aren't the potomac. It truly is WORLD CLASS. As far as having big stringers Ive caught 30 plus pound 5 fish limits from Red mill and Ive had days at shallcross where ive caught 15 bass in 8 hours all over 5 pounds up to 8 and a half. That doesnt make either of those places better than the Potomac. When you are debating what makes a place better or truly "WORLD CLASS" there are a number of  factors and criteria( size,habitat,fish population,spawning areas etc). The list of truly World Class fisheries is a very small one and in our area almost non-exsistent ....................... So small in fact it is a list of ONE! THE POTOMAC RIVER!