RockvilleMDAngler

http://www.fishonbassclub.com/2009seminarposter.pdf My bass club is hosting a seminar in February featuring Elite Series Angler John Crews and Potomac River Guide Steve Chaconas. This is a great way to beat the cabin fever while learning from the best on earth! The food is great and they have really nice raffle items (last year we had several Fenwick rods and other tackle from John Crews).

http://www.fishonbassclub.com/2009seminarposter.pdf My bass club is hosting a seminar featuring Elite Series Angler John Crews and Potomac River Guide Steve Chaconas. I went last year and it was awesome, a really great way to beat that cabin fever while learning from the best on earth. The food is good and there are really nice raffle items (last year they have multiple Fenwick rods along with tackle from John).

Cobras work well.

Usually the answer to this question is "You need to spend more time on the water..." but honestly the Potomac is huge and can take a lifetime to master. In the last two years I went from knowing absolutely nothing to being pretty competent. I spent a lot of time on the water and fished a lot of tournaments but I also read two books (and continue to refer to them often) which helped immensly: -Fishing the Upper Potomac River by Ken Penrod -The Tidal Potomac River Fishing Bible by Ken Penrod both available here: http://www.penrodsguides.com/books.htm They are definitely worth the price and are invaluable resources for river anglers. Soon you will be familiar with every spot on the river and will ALWAYS have a new area to try.

Loomis rods are known for their sensitivity so I would definitely go with a GLX jig/worm rod. You can get a decent cranking stick or swimbait rod anywhere. That being said the 843 is a hell of a cranking stick for shallow cranks, I love mine.

I throw a Yum Buzzfrog on 50lb power pro braid and buzz it along the surface occaisionally pausing on a pad. There might be ways of getting more bites but I tend to get big fish and they hit the bejeezus out of it.

I looked at a 176xt when I was in the market and I liked the price but I am happy that I stayed away. The smaller motors that have to be used with this boat are put under a lot of strain and get bad mileage because of it, the hull is not that revolutionary and the boast needs more power to last a long time and get better fuel economy. I bought a 1998 Skeeter SS90 and couldn't be happier. It is about a foot shorter than the 176xt and runs great with a 90hp Yamaha. I don't drag any water and the fuel economy is amazing. I can get up to 50mph and it handles rough water pretty well for a 16' boat. Plus it holds rods up to 8 feet. Most manufacturers still make comparable boats if you want to go new. Check out these (all in relatively the same price range as the 176xt): http://www.skeeterboats.com/products/9/13 http://www.procraftboats.com/boat/?boat=2805 http://www.rangerboats.com/flash/gallery.cfm?mid=5603&gid=30 http://www.tritonboats.com/boat_detail_new.asp?bid=195 http://www.stratosboats.com/modelIntro.cfm?mid=5556 In any boat under 18' I would not get a dual console as you will be very cramped and lose rod storage space.

I could not care less what color it is and I don't understand anyone who does care. It is not a car or clothes or anything that anyone will look at for style. Just fish the mamajama.

I will go ahead and disagree with everyone on this thread. The 50MG is a great little reel but by far my favorite reel in my arsenal is the ChronarchB (this includes Zillions, Curados, Metaniums, and a TDZ). Sure it weighs a few ounces more but it is so smooth and NEVER gets even the slightest professional overrun. When this sale occured at Tackle Warehouse I bought four of them. I have had one for two years and it has never been serviced and I use it on a 6-foot rod, it regularly outcasts other reels with 7 foot rods and it never backlashes. The 50MG is not quite as smooth and not quite as durable IMHO.

I live in Rockville and work in DC. I bought a 1998 Skeeter SS90 in July so I have been fishing the tidal river almost exclusively since then. I still like to hit up Black Hills and Triadelphia in the spring and my bass club has tournaments in places like Lake Anna, Deep Creek Lake, Lake Gaston and the Upper Bay. When I head out to fish from shore I usually target the lakelands ponds, Clopper Lake, Gunners Lake, Dickerson plant, and Lake Frank.

X2

The Nitros have notoriously bad resale value because of their reputation and the sheer number of them that have been produced. Only buy a used Nitro after having a boat mechanic perform a thorough inspection.

It's not that Nitro's are bad its that their quality control is not as good as some of the competition and their warranty work can be notoriously bad. Stratos and Triton make great boats.

OK apparently nobody else is going to say it.... While they are good fishing platforms and they perform well, Nitros should be avoided. Bass Pro is the main retailer for Tracker/Nitro which has caused these boats to be rushed out the door, while most are still fine boats there are those with problems. Unfortunately the BPS warranty dictates that you need to take the boat back to BPS where it will be sent around for repairs that could take months and are often done poorly. Many of the smaller dealers/repair shops that do great work won't work on a BPS-bought Nitro because BPS is driving Nitro prices down and making it hard on the local shops. If you do buy a Nitro try to buy one from a local dealer and not BPS, if you do go with BPS make sure your local shops will work on it even if it is bought from BPS.

I bought my first boat this year and I am very glad that I got a used boat. New boats depreciate VERY fast and oftentimes warranty repairs can take longer than you have the patience for. Get a 3-year old boat that someone is selling to get out of a forclosure or other debt and laugh all the way to the bank. Used boat prices will never be better than they are right now, ESPECIALLY with the colder weather. Test drive as many as you can to determine what you want and then find it used in great shape.

I do terribly on jigs, chatterbaits, rattle-traps, and big worms (anything over 7"). Send your suspending jerkbaits my way!

Baby Paca Craw in watermelon candy GYCB Kreature same color

I don't even wear glasses but I bought a set because they were good for the money. They look kinda dorky but I can see the fish real well and they keep the wind outta my eyes when on plane.

Join a club and compete in some regional tournaments for small money (30-50 buy ins). You will learn a lot in a hurry. If you jump into a higher buy-in FLW tourny with little/no tournament experience you might as well kiss that money goodbye.

Bring some 4" senkos and be ready to skip docks. If you can find the tall shallow grass throw tubes/craws.

I fish a lot of Bandit 100 and 200 series crankbaits, but not because I like the action or because they run true out of the box (often not the case). I love them because they make the best color for fishing the Potomac river. Tie on a "humble bee" 200 and you will catch tons of fish. If I am not on the river then I throw lucky crafts most of the time.

I use the Zoom fish doctor in green pumpkin on split shot rigs and I find that it outfishes any finesse or trick worm on the market. I was trying to see if anyone texas rigs them and if so what their results have been. Does anyone else use these awesome lures?

I have seen many schools of snakehead fry in the tidal Potomac River being crushed by bass. I spoke with a Potomac River guide about them and he says they are the best bass food in the river since the young do not have the sharp spines that bluegill and other baitfish have, they are small and soft and the bass love them. I am still trying to catch one, I hear they fight like hell.

I second Penrod's Bible. That book tells you very detailed information on the tidal Potomac and is fun and easy to read. I launch my boat out of Gravelly often but I am not so sure I would launch in a jonboat expecting to make it to the channell. You would have to cross the entire river and it can get pretty choppy in that area. If you don't have a gas motor don't bother. You would be better off launching from Belle Haven and fishing the spoils, the current always seems to be calmer in that area.

Gorgeous fish! Way to go!