Pacemaker Fishing Forum

Charlie,

Pound for pound and smallie takes a greenie....hands down. Plus they jump more which means more lost fish!

You can use the same kind of tackle and lures but lots of folks use tubes, spinners etc.

In this area immediate , smallies are in the Upper Potomac and the Shenandoah but they are in lots of smaller tributaries. I am sure there is a smallie or two at Beaverdam.

In pro tourneys, a bass is a bass so they count them most of the time.

ER

Some are in Goose Creek but they tend to be smaller. We will be putting together a float down the Upper Potomac in the next few weeks!

ER

Paul has talked about Goose Creek to Algonkian. Another one is Lander to Point of Rocks or Brunswick to Lander.

There are many others. On the 'doah, there is Watermelon Park to Rt 7.

ER

Charlie,

The game plan is to put in at one and take out at another downstream for us old guys who paddle. ;-)

You need to do a little creative logistics with this by meeting at one spot and loading 2 boats onto 1 vehicle for the drive upriver and then back. For you it's feasible to put in at any of the launches and motoring upriver. Aren't you in Ashburn? There's a nice put in on the Goose Creek in Lansdowne. The fishing just north of there is supposed to be really good.

As far as SMB vs. LMB there are things about both that I love. The SMB is stronger pound for pound and as Ernie said they jump quite a bit. They also attack a reaction bait and are amazing when the topwater bite is on. Although their mouths are smaller (guess you figured that out huh?) they still eat most of the same lures we throw for LMB. If I can't get a topwater bite going I go to a hard or soft jerkbait because I love to see the strike. If I can't get that going my next go to is a tube. They like senkos as well.

Most of my SMB fishing has been from lakes in New York. I've fished the Delaware River between NJ and PA a couple of times many years ago so the Upper Potomac will be a different experience for me.

Hope you can join us in the next few weeks. The river is at 4.4 FT at Little Falls and, unless we get heavy rain again, should be in the 4 FT range by next week. Give me a cloudy day with a calm wind and you might not be able to drag me off the river.

Paul