The Potomac River is located right between Virginia and Maryland. This river is one of the main hotspots found on the eastern side of the United States and is very well-known for being shallow and extremely close to the shoreline. This is the type of environment that is perfect for bottom feeders making it a great place to go bass fishing. It contains both freshwater species and migratory fish such as the stripped bass along with shad and herring.
In fact, you will find an abundance of largemouth and striped bass in the 50,000 acres of excellent fishing waters that make up of the Potomac River. Many anglers consider it to be the best place to go bass fishing in the eastern part of America. There are two things that make this river so special. One thing is the high quality fish that is located here and the other is the fact that it is very close to a huge metropolitan area.
Basic Information about Fishing the Potomac River
The Potomac River is a popular area when it comes to bass fishing. Many of the bass tournaments are held north of the Wilson Bridge on this river because it is one of the best places to find the bass. Although, you will find that fishing near Mount Vernon can also be productive. One of the great things about the
Potomac River is that it can be a little unpredictable and you can find an abundance of bass located throughout the river just about any time of the year.
However, not every area is productive every year. Some areas may have a lot of bass one year and you will not find any in that spot the next year.
The main river is not the only place where you can find bass on the Potomac. You will also find a number of different creeks that are filled with fish. This river has many types of structures that create the perfect environment for the bass to thrive. You will find an abundance of rockpiles, laydowns, piers, wharves and sunken barges. With the added vegetation expanding throughout this river it is even more appealing to the bass.
The upper portion of the Potomac is where the freshwater fishing is done making it a great place to catch bass as well. In fact, the stripped bass is probably the largest species found in this part of the water. It is recommended that you use a fishfinder to help you locate the bass when fishing on the Potomac River.
It will certainly help to narrow down your search and help you find the locations of the bass much faster.
Techniques for Bass Fishing the Potomac River
The best time to go bass fishing on the Potomac River will be between the months of July and December. Of course, as the water begins to cool the bass will start moving out to deeper water and they will begin scattering out during the month of September. This is when you need to start searching the deeper waters for the bass but they are still there and still biting.
Potomac River Bass Fishing
Striped bass fishing is a favorite pastime for many people. It's fun, exciting and adventurous because this species of fish will put up a tremendous fight from the beginning to the end. The striped bass grow very quickly, which means that you have a great opportunity to catch some big fish making striped bass fishing even more exciting.
The striped bass is a unique species of fish and can be distinguished by their seven or eight horizontal stripes that are found on both sides of its body. They are silver to olive-green color on their backside and they have a white belly.
The striped bass is classified as a true bass and its spiny dorsal fin is separated by soft-rayed portions.
When they are young the striped bass will closely resemble the white bass but with two major differences. The striped bass will have two sharp points on each of its gill cover and two distinct tooth patches on the backside of the tongue where the white bass will only have one of each of these.
Common Techniques Used for catching striped bass nighttime fishing is the most productive when you are fishing for striped bass.
This is especially true if you are after the larger fish because they will be more active during the night. Another advantage of night fishing includes fewer distractions because there are less people out on their boats joy riding, swimming and so forth. Keep in mind that when you are night fishing you should avoid using your lantern or other lights as much as possible. If you have light shinning into the water you will scare the stripped bass away before you even get started.
Striped bass tend to move around a lot so it is unlikely that you will have the same amount of success catching them in the same area on different days. They do have a tendency to follow the food source they are after so if you spot their food source you should be able to find a school of stripped bass close by as well. Therefore, having knowledge about the food they eat can make a difference.
Normally, you will have better luck fishing for striped bass in clear water because it does seem to be their preference as they tend to avoid muddy and dark water. However, they do scare very easily so you must use caution when approaching them. Once you locate a school of striped bass, shad is the best bait to use. It doesn't matter if it is dead or alive they will go after it. Other great choices for bait include shrimp, spoons, crankbaits, sardines and plugs.
The temperature of the water will make a difference in where you should fish because it will determine where the striped bass are located. Trolling is considered the best way to fish for striped bass in the summer because it allows you to get down deep where they are located. As the water begins to cool down the striped bass will move closer to the surface where the water is not as cold.
