BFL Regional Potomac river

[Team houston]

My travel partner for the event was Heath Wagner and his father in-law. We decided to leave a day late to let the effects of hurricane Juaquine(spelling?) blow through a little.

We got into town on Sat afternoon, got our licenses and checked out the ramp. The wind was blowing about 40mph and it was raining. We were happy to be on shore this day.

Sun was still windy and sprinkling rain but not as bad so we got after it. We launched in Mattowoman creek and spent the whole day in there. On my fourth cast of the day I caught a 3.5 lber. Heath and his father in law(leonard) were disgusted because we bet $5 on the first keeper and it was over before it started.

We found a couple areas with some fish and had about 8 keepers on the day. We caught fish on chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, swim jigs and senkos mostly.

Monday we ran up to the area around D.C.  Fishing was slower but at the end of the day found current rushing through a culvert that had a fair number of smallies in it. You could get a limit off it but the size would be lacking for the tourny. It was a 12 inch limit for this tourney. We caught about 7 or 8 keepers again this day.  Tommorrow Tuesday practice

[dartag]

I know how the movie ends but am excited to hear the stories.   Great Job by the way.

[Team houston]

Tuesday. I should explain, that because of all the rain the area got before we arrived, the main river was a muddy mess. We were suprised that the creeks we visited still had good visibility. Anywhere from two to five feet.

The tides were also out of wack. Low tide was where high tide normally was and high tide was a couple feet over the bank.  Because of the condition of the main river we had to fish multiple creeks.

Today was our best day. In addition to catching fish under docks, we also caught them from weed lines. The best spot we found was the mouth of a particular creek that was LOADED with fish. Big ones along with solid 14-16 inch fish.

Most of these fell for a wacky rig senko. The problem was a lot of boats were also checking it. We figured 20-30 boats might be there the first tourny day.

Heath did get a good boat number and was first there. He counted 16 more boats stopping around him. We ended Tues with 22 keepers without fishing them hard either.

Wed, we checked a few more creeks and caught a couple. We also expanded on a couple of areas from Tues and were successful in doing that. This was a big key to Heaths tourny and helped him finnish 18th and should have been a lot higher. We end the day with approx 12 keepers.

Tonight is the meeting. I draw out with Scott Thomas from Reading Pennsylvania in boat 6. Heath draws a boat in the 20s in a field of 155 not bad. Tommorow day 1.

[Team houston]

Scott tells me we are fishing way back up in Mattowoman creek. The area is only a couple hundred yards from where we started the first day of practice. Scott in throwing a crankbait to the edge of the creek channel and bouncing it over the lip down to deeper water.

Outside the channel the water is a foot to three or four foot deep depending on tides. It is full of lily pad fields and arrowheads. The channel is anywhere from seven to fourteen feet depending.

Since it is lowlight it is hard for me to see the edge. After a dozen throws with a chatterbait I decide to throw the Rio Rico popper. About the fifth cast one slurps it under and I get a solid hookup. I fight it to the net and am relieved I wont be skunked. The fish is about 2 and a quarter.

We continue down the bank for a couple hundred yards then turn around and fish our way back. Scott throws the crankbait 90% of the time. Occasionally he picks up a texas rig and hits a point of pads.

Reaching the end of Scotts area we turn around again and go back down. Halfway down this time Scott hooks up on the Crank and boats one near 3lbs.

This time when we get to the end he jumps across to the other side. Halfway down this side Scott hooks up again. This one is a good one. He plays it carefully for a minute or so then in the net it goes. At weigh inn this one goes 4lb 9oz.

Five minutes later he hooks up again and another close to 3lbs is boated. I put on a crankbait but cant get the good angles to properly come off  the lip. So I put it down and stick with a chatter bait spinnerbait and senko.

We had caught a lot of fish in practice on the wacky rig senko. part of my plan was to throw it a lot. So now the sun is up and I can see the edge better. I start throwing my Senko off the edge and letting fall into deeper water.

One of these casts i see my line jump and feel the thunk of a bite. i lean into the fish and get a solid hookup. The fish is pulling hard and im hoping its not a pike or catfish. Scott has caught one of each today.  It stays under the boat and I finally work it to the surface and see a 3 and a quarter lb bass go into the net.

About ten minutes later I am throwing the chatterbait. Picking openings in the pads to land and bring it past them and over the lip is my best strategy to employ. Some sections the pads grow right to the channel edge.

I throw a cast into an opening about four feet in. When it reaches the edge my rod loads up and the water boils. I fight another 2lber into the net. I am really happy to have 3 keepers already. Like most Regionals the bite is tough even though we did ok in practice.

We continue on for about an hr without a bite. I havent thrown the spinnerbait in a while so i pick it up for a change of pace. First cast, after landing in a opening it never reaches open water and is inhaled at the channel edge. Another 2lber comes aboard.

After another lull Scott decides to move downstream  a bit and fish an old sunken barge. This is the spot I caught that first fish in practice four casts in. Now when we fished it in practice Heath noticed on the graph that there was some debris on the bottom of the channel just off the barge. Obviously more pieces of it. He actually had a bite on a jig in it.

Scott is throwing a t-rig worm around all the visible stuff. Earlier I had replaced my Rico with a t-rig Senko with an 1/8/0z sinker. When Scott gets past the obvious stuff I throw my t-rig to where I remember the the hidden stuff was. After a couple short hops I feel the debris.

I never felt a bite but just had that sense that something was up. I reel down to set the hook and I did notice my line moving off. My hookset was solid and a little bass comes to the surface. Scott nets the small fish and I put it on the board. The tail just barely touches the line.and I cant believe I have a limit.

We fish the area with no more bites and spend the last half hr in the main part of Mattowoman by the ramp. Still no more action. My five weigh 10lbs 3oz  which leaves me in 4th place for the day. Scotts three go 8lb 15oz and has him in the top 20. Day 2 tommorrow

[Team houston]

Today I am paired with Jason Shipton in boat 133. Jason says we are making a twenty minute run. He caught a limit yesterday and his co caught one. He also mentions he found his oil cap off yesterday and hopes no water got in.

They call boat 131 and Jasons alarm goes off. He says that's what I was afraid of. My heart sinks and I see my opportunity slipping away. It stops after a couple seconds.

Now he has a decision to make as they call our boat number and we idle by. After a minute or so he says we are going for it because we are both in contention.

The wind is blowing this morning and it is a bumpy 20 min ride. The whole way I am expecting the engine to blow. We arrive to Jason's area to find three other boats fishing there. He says nobody was here yesterday.

One boat on the sweet spot is a boater that had only one fish yesterday. Jason talked with him yesterday as he was idling under the bridge a half mile away that the guy was fishing. So after telling the guy in passing he had five, today the guy is on his sweet spot. ( no class)

We slide down a couple  hundred yards to a secondary area. If you remember lasts year's journal I was in 11th place after day one and zeroed day two. One fish would have put me in the cut. The fishing is a little better this year but I feel if I can catch one decent fish I have a chance.

Honestly I lost some sleep that night over it. That being said I am hoping for an early fish to put the matter to rest. Less than ten casts in I hook up with a chatterbait. The rod loads up, the water boils, I call fish and its off. Another crushing blow.

Luck is on my side this week because 5 min later I hook up again and this 2lber makes it to the net. Huge sigh of relief and I feel totally relaxed. Now I can fish stress free.

The next couple of hrs produces a small limit for Jason and another 2lber for me. At about 12:30 I finally hook up again and land a 2lb + fish.  Ten min later Jason is on his knees taking a leek and I hook up again. Jason calls over his shoulder "you're kidding right?" I tell him no. He says he cant help me, I tell him not to worry. I work the fish in and boat flip it without any catastrophy. Jason culls up a few ozs twice but cant get a big bite.

During the day we watched the poacher catch more than a limit off Jasons sweet spot including three nice ones. This spudder cost Jason a shot at the cut. Jasons five only go 7lbs but he still finishes in the top 25.

My four go 9lbs even and I make the cut still in 4th place. All of my fish came on the chatterbait this day. All of Jasons came on a spinnerbait. Also of note we were checked by the Virginia DNR midday for licenses etc...  Tomorrow day 3. Hope people are enjoying the read

[dartag]

Food luck on day 3.

[Team houston]

The final day I am paired with John Vanore from New Jersey. As they pair you up by place John is also in 4th. He says we are running 3 miles. It is windy again this morning and the ride is bumpy as we make our way onto the main river and across.

His main spot is just outside some rock dykes that are parallel to the bank. He is fishing the weed line. That is a common theme this week as most the fish are being caught from them. The thick matted weeds start to thin out and eventually get sparse as the water gets deeper. That transition zone is the key.

I am familiar with this area as Heath had found a school a couple hundred yards down the bank from John's area. Although I feel a little pressure today I feel much more relaxed than yesterday.

Another theme from this week is me getting an early bite. 15 min in I hookup with a spinnerbait and get a 2lber to the net. John is throwing a black and blue chatterbait and never puts it down all day. The spinnerbait was the deal for me today.

After I got a couple bites early with it, I throw it most of the time. John works the same stretch back and forth, back and forth. Good fortune has definitely shined on me this week. I check my watch, and at 9:45  I have put 7 fish in the boat. Four of which are keepers. A great start to say the least.

John has 1 keeper and a couple shorts for his effort. He even picks up a spinnerbait for a few minutes but decides to stick with what got him here. Things have slowed and at about noon we make a move to a bay about a mile away. Its very windy here with no protection from the wind like we had at our first stop.

John lets the wind push us down the stretch he wants to fish. A Fishers of Men tournament boat pulls up and talks to John. John tells them how we are doing and they tell us they have none. They also say they fished this bank first thing without a bite.

They take off and before they are out of sight I get bit. John nets the small fish for me and when I put it on the board it is 12 and 1/8 inches. I cant believe I have a limit on the final day. Five min later John hooks up with keeper number two for him.

We make one more drift down without any action then head back to our starting spot. The tide is lower than normal now and the area is starting to muddy up.

John does get one last bite and it is a MULE. The fish weighs 6lbs even. We finish the day near the ramp in Mattowoman creek then head to weigh in at the Walmart. For those who do not know, they put the leaders on stage then weigh 12th place down. When someone overtakes the lead they stay until they are knocked off.

When I weigh the 8th place man is leading. I knock him out and survive the 3rd place guy. I actually let myself believe I might pull it off because thru the grapevine I hear the leaders only have a couple fish.

Alas the 2nd place guy has a couple good ones and bumps me. The leader falls to 3rd. I happily take 2nd and punch my ticket to the All American.

Thanks for reading hope you enjoyed. If anybody has any questions i would be happy to answer them. Thanks to Heath also for letting me travel with him. p.s. As luck would have John finishes 2nd also.

[dartag]

Great write up.  Go out and win the AA next year. 

[djkimmel]

You're practically FAMOUS!!