Mike whats your opinion on the low weights, not sure myself. I don't see a lot of milfoil grass this year ????
Mike whats your opinion on the low weights, not sure myself. I don't see a lot of milfoil grass this year ????
With the water temps at 88°+, and reduced levels of good grasses in the right places, the normal summer fishing patterns are not producing. The fish are still present but just not where everyone is used to finding them. The 5's & 6's are MIA.
I don't normally judge the fishing based on most tournament results as these folks usually fish a day practice and a day for the event. The Costa guys are practicing all this week and have Thursday & Friday tournament days to get into the top 10 cut for Saturday. Lets see if they figure it out.....
Last edited by mikesxpress; 08-20-2019 at 05:57 AM.
I noticed lots of sickly fish this spring and last fall and believe there was a die out.
Most who fish the river a bunch (2-4days a week)are saying the virus is back. 3-6lb fish are nearly absent? Costa weights will show how tuff it really is. It is terrible right now! Winner will always have decent weight but check weight my guess will be 20lbs for 2 days?
Those of us that actually live/fish here at the Potomac are not seeing dead/dying fish. The past month+ of above normal air/water temps and minimal up river rainfall along with the lack of good grasses is making it tough. The salinity level at Point Lookout has risen from 8.4 to 17.1 psu in the past two weeks which has made the topwater rockfishing real good for me. The UP bouy is still down awaiting parts so no readings from up river but the saltwater has most definitely moved well up past Potomac Creek. Per my logs it's happened before with the same results in 2007, 2009, & 2012. Localized rainfall of 1.5-4" the past few days will change things up as will the next 3 days of 60° overnight air temperature and 80° during the day. It will sure make planting food plots this weekend allot more bearable!
Long distance dock smack is always available but not applicable.
Last edited by mikesxpress; 08-22-2019 at 08:05 AM.
Milfoil does wonders for the carrying capacity and recruitment in the river. Without it
04 521VX 250 Pro XS
14 521C 250 Pro XS
14.12 is leading. 15 lbs is about right for average summer conditions so we shall see if the 14.12 can be repeated. Not likely but someone always catches them.
04 521VX 250 Pro XS
14 521C 250 Pro XS
Different weather conditions. Different grass conditions. Different salinity level. It's the Potomac. Nothing stays the same year to year.
I do think the 14.12 lbs yesterday was a good weight for where we are with current conditions. Next year it will be different yet again.
Ricky you already know. Ask Lenny Baird/kermit crowder/david Williams/Michael Nelms. The guys that see thousands of bass in a season as they run multiple series and put more time on the water than anyone on this forum. They fish the entire river system most of which the salinity has no effect at all. They have good info! FYI 18-8 36th place got paid. Last time they were here 18-7 was 96th! I’m just a long distance dock smack talk guy I guess lmao!
Last edited by 5pigs; 08-23-2019 at 08:54 PM.
I heard salinity got to KY Lake too.
None of us can say with any certainty what's up with the river but the presence of sickly fish, poor weights, and low numbers of large fish make it hard to think that populations aren't falling or being impacted in some way.
Nice to see a local win. Congrats to Marvin! Guy has won nearly 200k now!
It was cool to see Marvin win. But Morrow jumped by friend's spot on the final day (in his words, sorry, beat you to it), and he hadn't seen him there all week. He was in 3rd going in. And then he proceeded to MF him about being there. He's a douche. Most are in my long experience with these dickbags going back 30 years.
On another note, I did buy a new (ok, well kind of new) 50th Anniversary Z520 (new 2018). Had a 187 Champion - quite a different deal.
Grass. Just going through a cycle. There are as many opinions as there are people providing them. I think the river just goes through a cycle, like it did in 1997. It ALL died. Which made the wood bite good, but now there are 1000,s of acres of hydrilla, and the fish could literally be anywhere in there. Very difficult to pattern vs. the past with the Milfoil and Hydrilla mixed. It will come back. Always has.IMG_20190614_123652.jpg