LA PLATA, Md. – After a brutal four days on a stormy Lake Erie last month, Stren Series Northeast Division anglers are welcoming the relative placidity they will face this week on the warm backwaters of the Potomac River.
The weather and the fishing should be good this week on the river. Sunny skies and calm water should produce many five-bass limits as the anglers ply the myriad shallow grass flats up and down the waterway.
Vegetation is key to fishing the Potomac; look for limits in the 12- to 16-pound range, caught out of grass and mats, to lead the Pro Division each day.
Logistics
Anglers take off from Smallwood State Park at 6:30 EDT each morning. Wednesday and Thursday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the park, which is located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury, Md., beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 40 Drury Road in La Plata beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The field of 180 pros and 180 co-anglers will compete for two days to determine the top 20 pros and top 20 co-anglers who advance to day three based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for day three and anglers compete for 10 spots in each division on day four. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.
On the Web
For fishing fans unable to attend the Stren Northeast contest taking place this week in Maryland, FLWOutdoors.com offers FLW Live, a real-time window to the daily weigh-ins. Just access the online application during weigh-in hours to keep tabs on your favorite anglers.
Wednesday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:23 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 74 degrees
Expected high temperature: 88 degrees
Wind: NNE at 6 mph
Maximum humidity: 50 percent
Day’s outlook: sunny