Tweet
It's funny how things work out on the water sometimes. I have not fished the Upper Potomac for smallmouth bass very frequently this season for a couple of reasons.
First, the smallies have been plentiful this season but they have been running small. Seems to be a bumper crop of bass around 10" to 11" long. Looking for a smallie that makes the cut for Kayak Wars (at least 15") has been a fairly frustrating experience.
Second, my favorite fishing rods and reels have been beefed up over the years to better handle largemouth bass in the 4 to 5 pound range. I've spent most of this season on the Tidal Potomac and a couple of Maryland reservoirs in search of a big green fish. These rods are neither sporting nor the best choice for Upper Potomac Smallmouth fishing.
So I strung up a smaller "2000-size" spinning reel on a 5'9" spinning rod. I decided just to go have some fun, catch some brown fish and not be concerned over the size. These 10" acrobatic smallies are a blast to catch on the right type of tackle.
I launched yesterday to water temps that ranged from 45 to 47 degrees. Whoa! That mid week cold snapped really dropped the water temp fast. For the first 6 hours of the trip I alternated between a Lucky Craft Pointer 78 and a Confidence Baits Little Tube. Both are good choices for a modest sized smallie. Unfortunately for 6 hours I neither got a bite nor saw a single sign of life in the water. When fishing is tough I find the best way to proceed is to slowly and thoroughly work each different type of "condition" (depth, cover type, amount of current, etc). If nothing else over the course of the day I was becoming more proficient with the small spinning outfit.
With 2 hours to go before sunset I moved to a new area that had water 6-8 feet deep and a significant current break up river. I switched to a "beaver" style bait (Net Bait Mini B Bug) on a 1/8th ounce Confidence Baits Draggin' Head. I'd like to take credit for making the switch based on conditions but the truth is I switched to this presentation because I was starting to freeze from the wind out of the SW coming up river. I needed something with more weight and bulk so my frozen hands could feel the bait contacting the bottom.
This is the lure and the Draggin' Head. Jeff Little gave me tip last year to remove the middle tail and just leave the two paddles on a beaver bait. Seems to be a good profile for smallmouths.
That seemed to be the ticket. First cast with this presentation produced this pretty fish. I had the jig sitting motionless on the bottom and the bass just picked it up.
Over the next hour and a half I caught 3 little guys like this one on the same presentation and same general area.
Last fish of the day. Felt a couple of taps, thinking another little smallie was after the lure and I set the hook into this one.
Figures! I go to a light outfit and catch my biggest smallie of the year!
First, the smallies have been plentiful this season but they have been running small. Seems to be a bumper crop of bass around 10" to 11" long. Looking for a smallie that makes the cut for Kayak Wars (at least 15") has been a fairly frustrating experience.
Second, my favorite fishing rods and reels have been beefed up over the years to better handle largemouth bass in the 4 to 5 pound range. I've spent most of this season on the Tidal Potomac and a couple of Maryland reservoirs in search of a big green fish. These rods are neither sporting nor the best choice for Upper Potomac Smallmouth fishing.
So I strung up a smaller "2000-size" spinning reel on a 5'9" spinning rod. I decided just to go have some fun, catch some brown fish and not be concerned over the size. These 10" acrobatic smallies are a blast to catch on the right type of tackle.
I launched yesterday to water temps that ranged from 45 to 47 degrees. Whoa! That mid week cold snapped really dropped the water temp fast. For the first 6 hours of the trip I alternated between a Lucky Craft Pointer 78 and a Confidence Baits Little Tube. Both are good choices for a modest sized smallie. Unfortunately for 6 hours I neither got a bite nor saw a single sign of life in the water. When fishing is tough I find the best way to proceed is to slowly and thoroughly work each different type of "condition" (depth, cover type, amount of current, etc). If nothing else over the course of the day I was becoming more proficient with the small spinning outfit.
With 2 hours to go before sunset I moved to a new area that had water 6-8 feet deep and a significant current break up river. I switched to a "beaver" style bait (Net Bait Mini B Bug) on a 1/8th ounce Confidence Baits Draggin' Head. I'd like to take credit for making the switch based on conditions but the truth is I switched to this presentation because I was starting to freeze from the wind out of the SW coming up river. I needed something with more weight and bulk so my frozen hands could feel the bait contacting the bottom.
This is the lure and the Draggin' Head. Jeff Little gave me tip last year to remove the middle tail and just leave the two paddles on a beaver bait. Seems to be a good profile for smallmouths.
That seemed to be the ticket. First cast with this presentation produced this pretty fish. I had the jig sitting motionless on the bottom and the bass just picked it up.
Over the next hour and a half I caught 3 little guys like this one on the same presentation and same general area.
Last fish of the day. Felt a couple of taps, thinking another little smallie was after the lure and I set the hook into this one.
Figures! I go to a light outfit and catch my biggest smallie of the year!
Comment