Brian Martalus

Hi all, I have been targeting trout the last month but with water temps up, this might be the last really good weekend with water temps above 65. I got a nice bass last night in the tidal basin and am gonna make a run to near Point of Rocks This afternoon. Flows are very low and perfect for wading the big river. Hope to get some big smallies on the pre winter feedbag.

Had to run down to downtown DC to pick something up from my office and stopped at the tidal basin. It was dead low tide when i got there and didn’t get any bites for two years plus hours throwing Spinners, senkos,varies jerk baits of all sizes and colors and whopper ploppers. It was the wrong tide but thought I would get at a least a blue gill as it was a nice mild overcast day and there was bait everywhere. Just after the Tide started coming in, I had on some kind of coffee scented soft plastic cray which I left in water while I was reading a work email. Next thing I know I had this nice after deadsticking for almost a minute!

My bro had some pretty crazy action on creek smallmouth near Clinton last weekend. Some were dinks but some were up to 18 inches-he was using live herring, not lures though. He said fish were jumping for the bait as soon as it hit the water.

I am from hills of NW NJ originally and once the hot weather came and trout fishing slowed down, I really enjoyed wet wading the Delaware River in and just below the water gap for smallies with the fly rod. I fondly remember catching so many fish that my arms would get tired on many bright and sunny July and August afternoons. Lots of fish were 9-14 inches but some pushed 20 inches. I haven’t lived in the area for over a decade but am wondering how the Delaware is fishing these days for smallies? Was 2005-2007 just a good time in the rivers cycle or is still a really good smallie fishery? I remember thinking smallmouth bass fishing was so easy compared to wild trout fishing as I would catch fish without even trying. Now I live in DC and find the Potomac a much more challenging fishery in comparison.

Sounds like a heck of a morning! Looks like the fish are still around and will continue to bounce back in the Potomac watershed. I fished the Catoctin creek on Saturday and had hoped to get a lot of action. It was the first day after a cool front came through and it had been on low 50s at night and water temps definitely came down. Perhaps the fish were not adjusted yet as they wouldn’t chase any spinner or crank bait. Then I switched to a an UL with four pound test and 1/16 oz grub jig and bounced it around a deep boulder lined pool and got a small 8 incher and then a chunky 17-18 incher similar to the one you caught which surprised the heck out of me for a stream that is 20-30 feet wide. My four year old got cold after a few hours as the sun went behind a hill so we called it a day. Wet wading season is coming to the end in the next few weeks!

Well, today I got one of my biggest Smallies of the season on an Ultra Light rod, 4 pound test, and 1/16 oz chartreuse grub jig in a small creek about 20 feet wide. It’s not at all pressured area, but air and water temps dropped quickly from yesterday to today and the fish were not chasing anything I was throwing. I changer to small jig and got a small 8 inch fish. Next cast, I thought I was snagged after I cast the jig up stream of a deep pool behind a boulder and slowly let it sink and float down stream letting it bounce along the bottom. Next thing I know a big smallie rockets out of the water like they do. I handed the rod to my four year old who was with me, but she was unable to subdue it, so I brought it in after some blazing runs. Most fish I catch in this stream are thin stream fish, but this one turned out to be pushing 18 inches and three pounds. I think the sudden cooler water and high pressure required the smaller finesse presentation.

I like smaller stream fishing for both trout and Smallmouth. It is a lot easier to find the fish as they almost always will be where they are supposed to be. In a large river or lake, you can have an idea where the fish might be based on structure, weather, season, time of day, etc., but sometimes it takes longer to key in where they are. Also I enjoy hiking around in the woods, even if fish are smaller, but that is just a personal preference.

Well, as has been discussed in some other threads, the Potomac SMB population is highly cyclical. Increased spring time flooding, summer water temps, pollution, and spread of catfish all have a negative impact on the population. I have heard that the population really crashed due post spawn flooding in the late 90s but by the 2000s things bounced back and fishing was great for a while. Apparently 2015-2019 had mostly bad spawning due to post spawn floods but 2020 had a better than average spawn. Also MD and WV have been stocking fingerlings. Unfortunately it will take a few years for this years young of year to be of a catchable size. Let's hope for the best! I do wonder how smaller tributaries have faired in terms of spawning and whether fish from those smaller tribs do colonize or utilize portions of the big river.

A wise old angler that I knew once told me that there is not much that a silver Mepps number 2 spinner won’t catch. Although perhaps not ideal for any one situation, you can catch trout, crappie, smallies, White perch, LMB bluegill, etc on it. I think I even caught shad on it this year in the Potomac. You can easily cover lots of ground in a small stream with one.

That’s some pretty good action. Sadly you probably wouldn’t catch that many smallmouth bass in the same time in the big river.

With the bars closed, people are trashing the sides of rivers up and down the east coast. Sounds like you had a decent session Sunday morning but you had to work for the fish. In a good year, how many fish would you have gotten on a similar outing?

Thanks for info- is above the 28 bridge accessible for shore/wade fishing? It looks to be public land but not sure how the water is. I am tired of the low density of fish on the Potomac so would be happy to get some quantity versus quality on a slightly smaller river!

Hi. I moved to DC last Sept and had high hopes of awesome smallmouth fishing on the Potomac. I have put in at least a dozen wet wading sessions from June to last night from the DC chain bridge to Great Cacapon, including awesome looking spots in and around Harpers Ferry, creek mouths near Point of Rocks, etc. All the books I read and all my fishing instincts told me these were places where banner days of 20 plus fish were possible in good conditions. Unfortunately my success has been limited. I have been skunked a few times and usually catch 2-5 fish at most. Most fish are 12-16 range with a few pushing 18 so I can’t complain about quality. From my fishing in my home state of NJ in on the Delaware, you know a river is good shape when you are getting lots of smaller fish of different year classes in addition to big fish. At first I chalked my lack of success on the Potomac to me being a new guy on a big river but the more I talked to local regulars and did online research, the more I understand the river is very cyclical and hit the bottom of a cycle last/this season due many years of late spring time flooding which screwed up the spawn/caused excessive mortality in newly hatched fish as well as reduced habitat and insect/forage base. Other factors are increasing catfish populations, agricultural pollution and increased summer water temps(water temps hit over 90 a few times by Little Falls ). There are glimmers of hope of a resurgence with lots of bait fish and a decent 2020 spawn so let’s hope for the best! Smallies are such exciting gamefish that it would be a shame if the current slump continues.Let’s see if the stocking program helps or just provides excellent catfish food.

I got out last night-I had hoped to be on the water by 4pm so I could work up and down some likely spots around a creek mouth but work and traffic delayed me and I wasn’t fishing till about 6. I got a nice 12-13 inch smallie on one of my first casts on a whopper plopper and it had bait fish literally coming out of his belly/mouth. I saw several more big splashy rises in an eddy just below the creek mouth but sadly I didn’t get any more fish on a few top water lures and a small shallow diving crank bait that is usually successful. The weather was showery with storms around and the drive home sucked in heavy storms. So much for a slight chance of widely scattered showers! Next time I will get on the water earlier and perhaps target some Potomac tribs where I have had success as the fish densities are higher and it’s easier to find fish.

I ended up going today, thinking i would avoid the rain. Traffic and work was busier than expected so I didn’t get on the water till almost 6 with some light rain and lightning around. Within a minute I got a nice one on whopper plopper and he had bait fish coming out of his mouth. Some other bigger fish were splashing around banging bait in the shallow slack water below a creek mouth so I assumed I was going to have an awesome magic hour. I got two strikes but no more fish on a the whopper ploppper, another popper, and a small shallow diving crank bait. Then it stormed the whole drive home to DC.

I have gotten a pass from the Missus for a solo late afternoon /evening upper Potomac smallmouth session this weekend. I am considering tomorrow or Saturday, depending on the weather. Tomorrow is forecast to be cloudy/muggy in advance of a cold front. Saturday is supposed to have a chance of thunderstorms throughout the day, but timing is not certain. If I can get out of work an hour early tomorrow, would a pre front situation have a better chance of a good smallmouth bite?

Hopefully it will bounce back as well. I had read how great it was and fished it on July 4th around Bentonville. I only got two Smallie plus one 10-15 pound catfish during the day. There were tons of tubers/swimmers so I chalked it up to that. Then I fished a nice quiet stretch at magic hour and didn’t even get a bite besides blue gills which really disappointed me.

https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/Pages/smallmouth_bass_stocking.aspx All things are cyclical and it looks like the Upper Potomac could be on a rebound for Smallmouth bass after some tough years. The survey done this month shows that this year’s spawn was better than average after several poor spawning seasons. Maryland DNR also stocked 30,000 fingerlings ans WV DNR stocked 5000. I am not sure if that’s a drop In the bucket or not, but it can’t hurt. I have seen a lot of bait fish In the river, some of which may have been young of year bass. Not sure of growth rates, but if we are catching more 6-10 inch bass next season plus the larger ones, that will be a good sign!

I am no good estimates but congrats on ending the drought! I am monitoring the weather and river flows for a Saturday late afternoon/evening upper Potomac wet wade. Flows look like they will be around 2.0 feet at point of rocks which is A touch high for this time of year but acceptable for wet wading, but there are calling for scattered storms in the afternoon. I will have to make a game time decision that afternoon as I prefer to not get struck by lightning. How do river smallies react after a rain shower?

Nice Largie! Since I have moved into the area, I have been doing a bit more Stillwater fishing but at heart I am stream/river guy and can read moving water water then still. I did pick up this LMB on Easter Sunday in the tidal basin-I don’t have a scale but it felt like a bowling ball as I lifted it over the wall. Any thoughts on a weight estimate? It must have been shallow to spawn as I never caught another largie from that spot-white perch ran thick in late April and May As well as some big crappie and then only carp and catfish so I gave up on it. Wouldn’t want to wet wade the tidal basin!

To be a good fisherman, or good at anything for that matter, you have to have passion for it. In fishing, that passion will fuel the patience and perseverance required to catch fish. That passion cannot be taught and sometimes resembles an addiction or an affliction. The passion allows you to put in the time and work to develop an encyclopedia of knowledge based on experience and research. The passion also fuels the focus required to fish successfully by reading the water and detecting strikes. Sure, basic finger dexterity and hand eye coordination play a role in being a good fisherman, but without the passion, it’s nothing. Where does the passion come from? That depends on the individual-for me it’s communion with nature combined with the warrior sense of adventure combined with the need for focus in a chaotic world.

Same- I don’t have a boat and don’t l really like boat fishing. I did some floats this past week in WV in my brothers canoe-Every time we found a nice spot I jumped out so I could wade and fish-it’s probably my trout fishing roots, but I find it more enjoyable and am a lot more thorough and effective when I am on my two feet! Tight lines-after this week of hot weather we should have some great weather with cooler air and water temps, but still warm enough for wet wading and top water fishing!

I have been fishing way upstream from where you are talking with my kid for blue gills and smallies but apparently you are not supposed to fish above porter street bridge. I called the ranger station once last year to ask why and the guy hadn’t even heard of that rule. Does anyone know why the rule exists on paper? Are they trying to protect herring spawning grounds? Too much sewage in that area? Too crowded for fishing? I can’t figure it out and I don’t want to abuse the resource, but it is really nice water five minutes from home to catch a 12-15 inch small stream smallie now and again.

Things are cyclical with the big river-the population also crashed in the late 90s but then rebounded better than ever for some years. I see tons of bait fish in the water that may also include young of year bass. Not sure of the growth rate of smallies on the Potomac but if we start catching lots of 4-6 inch bass next year, we will know things are on the upswing. I am from NJ originally and the Delaware can range from fair to awesome depending on the year. There is a lot of water to cover in big rivers like the Potomac and Delaware, so in bad years densities can be low and fish harder to hone in on. As an old timer once told me, find the riffles and the rocks, and you will find the smallies. I have had good luck three times near one creek mouth so I am likely to hit it again this Saturday for a late afternoon/magic hour wade. If you are willing to hike 10-20 minutes in some rough conditions, you can find some decent spots with no one around.

I wet wade for river smallies and trout, so yes, I always will go after a lure, even if it’s 4 dollar mepps spinner. I lost a $3000 hearing aid trying to swim down and get a 9 dollar crank bait in the Cacapon river of WV.