Potomac River Day 1 Coverage
High tide has the fishing heating up
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2:00 p.m.: With high tide approaching, the fishing is heating up
A whole parade of anglers has reached the 10-pound mark now, and most are filling their limits. There's only about an hour to go before the first flights check in (weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. ET).
Schmitt and company are still leading (see the previous post) this derby. Schmitt says he's most confident on a falling tide, so he might be about done for the day. Others are waiting for the water to get up so the dock bite and the bite on shallow wood cover will pick up.
The temperature is rising here in Marbury, Md. and there's almost no wind. This weigh-in is going to be a hot one, but a lot is at stake in the AOY, COY and ROY races. Check it out on FLW Live at FLWFishing.com.
1:00 p.m.: Four pros locked up at the top
Potomac River favorite Bryan Schmitt is on his game as usual today. He's got a limit of about 14 pounds and is the unofficial leader. Close behind him are three other grass-fishing experts: Ish Monroe, Clark Wendlandt and Jay Yelas.
The tide is still rising. A number of anglers told our reporting crew that the high tide was best in practice. Not everyone is on the high-tide program, but for those that are, now is the time to strike.
12:00 p.m.: Jay Yelas starting strong
The incoming tide has finally made its way up to the D.C. area, which is about as far upstream as most anglers will go this week. That means everyone is fishing on the incoming cycle.
So far, Jay Yelas seems to be off to the hottest start. He's got a solid limit of about 12 pounds with plenty of time to upgrade one or two fish. This river system ought to fit Yelas' style as a shallow-water flipper and pitcher, and he's overdue to make a top-10 cut.
There are a lot of anglers with three or four keepers in that 8-pounds-and-change range. Expect to see a logjam at around 10 pounds today at weigh-in, which starts at 3 p.m. ET. You can watch it on FLW Live at FLWFishing.com.
It's time to film a midday video with our OTW crew, so stay tuned for that as well. The video should be posted in 30 to 40 minutes.
11:00 a.m.: Pros are on the move, hunting new opportunities
As the tide starts to come in, a lot of pros are moving around to be on their best "incoming" spots when the rise gets there. It's led to a little uptick in action too.
Troy Morrow is waiting for enough water to squeeze across some rapids and access a new shallow area. That's what the incoming tide provides: access to backwaters for the anglers and access to shallow cover for the bass.
Our On The Water reporting crew says that a ton of fish are being caught, but they're mostly small. Not a lot of big fish have been caught so far. Weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. ET, so there's really not a lot of time left for the pros in the early flights to make something happen. So far, the heaviest weights reported have been from about 10 to 12 pounds, so a mid-teens limit today would put a pro in a great spot to make the cut to the weekend.
AOY leader Bryan Thrift had a couple fish for about 4 pounds at around 9 a.m. John Cox, currently in second in the AOY, has four fish for about 9 pounds. Neither has made a strong move to claim the season-long crown – yet. Cox was pretty confident this morning that he could get a few big bites. And Thrift is Thrift. He'll sniff out a few big bass once the water rises up into the shallows.
9:50 a.m.: The tide is changing
The morning low tide has already bottomed out, and now the tide is starting to come in again. Several pros caught flurries of fish before the switch and said they'd like to have more time to fish the falling tide. Tomorrow they'll get their wish, as low tide will be about an hour later. Now, it's time for some anglers to reposition as the water level rises and floods back into shoreline cover.
No one angler has really lit up the Twitter feed. It's been a slow and steady morning for Cody Meyer and Mark Daniels Jr. They each have about 10 pounds. A few fish in the 3- to 3 1/2-pound class have been reported. No giants thus far though.
8:30 a.m.: Surface activity is strong up and down the river
Pros are reporting a lot of surface activity from bass, bait and other predatory species in the Potomac. Those fish aren't all cooperating by eating lures, but a few are playing ball. No surprise here, but a lot of frogs, ChatterBaits and soft plastics – particularly Yamamoto Senkos – are in play this morning as pros rely on typical grass-fishing arsenals.
A lot of snakeheads are being caught too. This river is full of snakeheads, which are apparently quite tasty fish.
7:30 a.m.: It's time to reconnect with the river
Following yesterday's mandatory off day, Walmart FLW Tour pros will have to get to know the Potomac River all over again this morning. Tuesday evening a major storm swept through the area, drenching the Potomac River basin with rain and muddying up the water in some areas. A tornado also damaged trees and power lines near the takeoff at Smallwood State Park. It forced several anglers who were camping to evacuate. Park rangers have everything back in order, but now there's some additional debris in the water, and some emergent grass beds were "combed over" by the wind. This morning, many pros will re-evaluate water conditions in their best areas and try to take advantage of the last remaining outgoing tide, which should bottom out at about 8:30 here at Smallwood.
We'll keep FLW fans up to speed on the tides as well as the action all weekend here at FLWFishing.com. Or follow along via FLW's Twitter feed @FLWFishing.