I am doing research to get ready for a tournament in two weeks, and wanted some input!

 

I am fishing a creek off of the Potomac. It's pretty flat, and in the summer has a lot of grass - but it's not in there yet. I've attached a picture.

 

What things should I target in spring? How would you approach it? Not pictured is the creek - I can go about two miles up pretty easily. Wondering if it's worth it to go up into the creek to see if anything has made it up there.

 

My plan was to start at the main river points and work my way back, focusing on the points. I imagine fish will be moving back into the creek, but will be closer to the main river right now. I will primarily try a squarebill and jig.

 

Why focus on main river points when it’s pre spawn? I would be scouting for potential spawning areas and then finding spawn staging areas nearby. Shallow flats with good sun exposure is what I would be keying in on. After that then maybe main lake points. If you find a good spawning area a jackal ganteral is clutch. This time of year in general though I like craw color cranks and traps. I also like white flukes and green pumpkin senkos. My setup would be a trap, crank, fluke, ned rig, and a wacky senko. I would cover water with the trap/crank and pick fishy spots apart with the ned rig and fluke.  BTW I live in MD so this pattern should be solid.

2 hours ago, Cheeseburger Eddie said:

 

Why focus on main river points when it’s pre spawn? I would be scouting for potential spawning areas and then finding spawn staging areas nearby. Shallow flats with good sun exposure is what I would be keying in on. After that then maybe main lake points. If you find a good spawning area a jackal ganteral is clutch. This time of year in general though I like craw color cranks and traps. I also like white flukes and green pumpkin senkos. My setup would be a trap, crank, fluke, ned rig, and a wacky senko. I would cover water with the trap/crank and pick fishy spots apart with the ned rig and fluke.  BTW I live in MD so this pattern should be solid.

Thanks for the advice, Eddie. Solid stuff!