Second_Biggest_Potomac_Bass_7-5-07.jpg
Second Biggest Potomac Bass
Dad with the second-largest smallmouth bass he has ever caught in the Potomac. Here is the full report: Could have been a disaster. Ken called me around 6 last evening to say
that his weather report was calling for small craft warnings due to high
winds, and that we might consider canceling. I was kind of surprised,
as my weather service, accuweather.com, was calling for light winds from
the SW and some showers. Ten minutes later he called back and said,
"I've got a better idea: let's meet at the ramp at 6 AM and THEN
decide", which was fine with me. Most of the day was lightly overcast,
with a mirror calm from when we started until we ended.
Thank goodness we didn't cancel. We saw two boats all day long, and
caught fish non-stop until it slowed down after noon. Ken was fishing
plastics, tube jigs and sticks, and I was using Panther Martin 1/4 oz.
in-line spinners, which Ken calls "that yuppie bait" but is perfectly
happy to have ME use it. The present state of the upper, non-tidal
Potomac, is that it is full of fish but they're awfully small. All in
all we caught eighty fish, Ken catching predominantly Smallies in the
"isn't that cute! size range, and me feasting on Bluegills, which I
enjoy because they slam the lure so hard and they fight like hell. My
guess is that Ken caught about thirty and I got the rest. If he had
used one of my lures, the ratio would have been different, I'm sure. I
did, however, with my yuppie bait, manage to boat the second largest
Smallmouth I have ever caught on the Potomac: 19.5 inches, a
guesstimated 4+#, and a lovely battler. When it jumped the first time I
thought Ken was going to pee himself, as it was a LOT bigger than
anything else we saw. In Manitoba, if you catch an 18" Smallie you get
a certificate for your wall and a pin for your hat identifying you as a
Master Angler. So, I guess 19.5 is nothing to sneeze at. I've caught
bigger ones in my 25-year bassing career, but not many.
It was a perfect day to fish. About 75 degrees, no wind or sun to get
in the way, and no competition for space. The upper Potomac is a very
peaceful location, no houses or commercial development, just lots of
trees and birds. We must have seen 40 Great Blue Herons: it was like a
convention, and birdsong is constant from the trees on either bank.
We'll go back tomorrow.
The last time time Ken (and Ron Hohenstein) and I had a day similar to
this, we captured 64 big Smallies on the Susquehanna, and all agreed we
would never match it. The next day we snagged 131! Can't wait for
tomorrow.