I have a tournament coming up on the lower potomac. Ive never fished the potomac that far down and i'm not sure what to expect. Any tips on what the fish will be doing at the end of the month or what baits work would be appreciated. thanks

Hey tubesock,

I haven't fished that section either but I can offer you this advise. Try checking the the river gauges around that section. I usually keep track of two different gauges in Washington county. I use one as my level gauge and the other to keep track of the water temps. Here's the site I use.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/md/nwis/current/?type=flow

Hope this helps some.

I fished mattawoman creek last weekend.  Caught a ton of fish on Senkos, but the tournament was won close to DC I think.  It's gonna change because the fish are spawning.  I'd say look for beds and if the females aren't on them fish structure around a grouping of beds.

Its all about the tides on that part of the Potomac. The grass beds are thicker than normal this time of year. Where the grass is not quite to the surface run spinnerbaits and mann's minus 1's over top it. On dropping tides work the edge of the grass beds with carolina rigs. If the water stays clear, you can pick at the holes in the grass with jigs and pig combos in black and blue. Sight fishing for spawning bass can be very productive. Smoke colored tubes seem to do the trick. Tease the bass with it long enough and they will eventually hit. A good website to try is potomac bass com one word... Look for the articles section. They break down each area of the lower Potomac into easy to read sections. Oh yeah, keep your eye for a snakehead... They are in there and they are getting big! The VDGIF electroshocked a 14 pounder the other day! Good luck!