Hot weather.... Cold Fronts In NoVa

[JShrock07]

As everyone that lives in NoVa knows, we had a pretty heavy storm roll through here tonight. I have a tourney coming up tomorrow night on the Potomac and I was wondering about what you think the conditions will be for catching them.

I have always been told not to fish after a cold front, that it would be a waste of time. However I do know the weather has been almost unbearable these past few days and tomorrow the weather is finally going to work out for a good day.

With the weather cooling down but not really making it cold do you think it will make the bass harder or easier to catch out on the tidal Potomac?

I know that right before and right after a storm is the best time to fish but since the tourney is coming up tomorrow evening it is hard for me to figure out the pattern. If anyone can please let me know what you would do in this same situation I would appreciate it alot!!!

Thanks!!!!

[Avalonjohn44]

I think a cold front in summer is easier to deal with than one in the spring or fall.  Generally, more persistence is needed, working cover tighter and slower, with finesse style baits, and lighter line than normal will probably help.  Yesterday I left Mclean VA at 4:30 and it was 100 degrees.  I got home in Winchester at 6:00 and the temps were in the high 70s after it had stormed.  I caught four (2 dinks, a two than went 2-3 pounds) letting a small sizmic toad sink at my local pond.  All four of them were within 2 feet from steep shoreline banks.  Got a lot of followers on other stuff.

[rondef]

Here is the tide information for tonight. It looks like you will be fishing the falling tide. If I were you I would work on the outside of the grass mats and throw spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, Manns -1 and some Rapala top water baits. If you are up for the challenge put the boat in the mats and work some plastics (swim senkos work well) and jigs with pork trailers, throw them right into the middle of the mats and work them slowly. This is a lot more work but it may pay off with a nice size hawg.  Chatterbaits have been a really good producer the last couple of weeks.  I caught four nice keepers using them last Saturday.

Good luck,

Ron

Day       High      Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time      % Moon

      /Low      Time Feet Sunset                   Visible

W 11 High 1:56 AM 1.8 5:44 AM Set 1:30 AM      53

11      Low 8:26 AM 0.2 8:33 PM Rise 2:14 PM

11 High 2:18 PM 1.6

11      Low 8:39 PM 0.2

[JCrzy4Bass]

My advice along with the great tips these guys have submitted is

A) Fish off colored water around runoff areas. Typically after a rain (depending on if it's cold or warm) the bass will gravitate to these areas as food supplies (minnows, shad, bait fish, etc) are congregating depending on the length of the runoff. If not right in these areas, around these general areas where it joins the main body of water. It helps to have a breakwall where the current comes in and or current nearby as well.

Fish deeper during the day. I would look for anywhere you see grass with a channel bend nearby, with access to shallow areas. Preferably if you want to focus on summer patterns look for shade covering the shallower water. Plenty of overhanging trees on the main river and in some creeks.

C) Main points, outside of creek mouths, and main river submerged structure can all payoff during low tide or falling tides. The key is being positioned deeper and fishing starting around the 5' -6' depth and working deeper as you go. Try Rapala DT's if you focus on areas of this depth and work them down tapering drops and or ledges.

Lastly as cold fronts are known to make fishing tough, slow down. Really focus on your presentations and don't just kill a bait after a 10 minute workout. Try your confidence baits in high percentage areas and focus on your strengths, not weaknesses. At times like this it is hard to experiment with new stuff, you want to catch your limit quickly so you can look for the bigger fish/females which should be further off shore now that the spawn is over (especially on the low end of the tide). Submerged structure is key here.

Hope this gives you some ideas to go by. Later man.

[stickum]

My advice along with the great tips these guys have submitted is

A) Fish off colored water around runoff areas.  Typically after a rain (depending on if it's cold or warm) the bass will gravitate to these areas as food supplies (minnows, shad, bait fish, etc) are congregating depending on the length of the runoff.  If not right in these areas, around these general areas where it joins the main body of water.  It helps to have a breakwall where the current comes in and or current nearby as well.

Fish deeper during the day.  I would look for anywhere you see grass with a channel bend nearby, with access to shallow areas.  Preferably if you want to focus on summer patterns look for shade covering the shallower water.  Plenty of overhanging trees on the main river and in some creeks.

C) Main points, outside of creek mouths, and main river submerged structure can all payoff during low tide or falling tides.  The key is being positioned deeper and fishing starting around the 5' -6' depth and working deeper as you go.  Try Rapala DT's if you focus on areas of this depth and work them down tapering drops and or ledges.

Lastly as cold fronts are known to make fishing tough, slow down.  Really focus on your presentations and don't just kill a bait after a 10 minute workout.  Try your confidence baits in high percentage areas and focus on your strengths, not weaknesses.  At times like this it is hard to experiment with new stuff, you want to catch your limit quickly so you can look for the bigger fish/females which should be further off shore now that the spawn is over (especially on the low end of the tide).  Submerged structure is key here.

Hope this gives you some ideas to go by.  Later man.

         You must be awesome with electronics.

[JCrzy4Bass]

Not really awesome at all. Just fish some particular spots of the Potomac very often. Typically what works for my dad and I as we often catch our limit during the summer following things like this.

If you can locate the channel bends inside of the larger creeks like Mattawoman and use the topographic maps provided on the USGS website with your electronics to guide you they are not too difficult to find. I think you have to pay for the maps online now but if you go to the Potomac Bass website you can actually get em' for free still as they have them posted there. Might be worth it to just purchase though. It's come in handy for my dad and I as we have been learning as we go and doing a lot of reading when we aren't on the water so we are more and more prepared each time out.

As far as fishing deeper it's general rule of thumb during an outgoing tide on most tidal waters. That's not to say you can't catch them shallow during this time as we've caught shallow and deep. Just normally as the tide recedes the fish generally move out with the bait into cover that is a bit deeper.

Just my two cents though. I'm no "pro".

[rondef]

Yeah we usually can catch a nice limit fishing the Potomac and Occoquan.   We can always find the bass when we fish together.

[Wayne P.]

I fished a Northern Va. lake yesterday near Fredericksburg. About mid-day a boat came by me headed back to the ramp and informed me that the fishing was tough, the cold front had them turned off, they hadn't caught anything. All I saw tied on their rods were large spinnerbaits and large worms. I quit fishing at 5:30 PM and had caught 102 bass and 2 bluegills, I wasn't using large worms and spinnerbaits-I wasn't using live bait either.

Tidal water bass are not as affected by frontal conditions as much as lake bass. They are more influenced by the tides and use the tide flows to their advantage.

[JShrock07]

Thanks alot for all the info guys!!!!

We had a VERY slow day!!! We  started fishing the mats but we couldn't buy a bite!! But about 7pm we went back to the lily pads and started throwing a frog. We caught about 70 bass on topwater in about 6" or less water. We had a blast. The tourney ended at 9pm but like a couple of retards we got as far into the lily pads and the tide ended up going all the way out and we almost got stuck. We didn't get back to the ramp until 915 and we were unable to weigh our fish. But never the less we still had a blast with topwater!!! I caught a 4ft gar but when we went to net him he jerked his head and cut my line. It was a heck of a fight and it was a lot of fun!!!!

Im headed out tonight to do some catfishing!!!

[rondef]

Glad to hear you had a good time.  I caught a nice size long-nosed gar last year, they fight like crazy.  That was one of the best fights I have had fishing the river.  I hooked into a nice size one last Saturday in Belmount Bay on a chatterfrog when I accidently ran it past a school of them.  He cut my line when he went for the chatterfrog, I lost a good lure and ended up having to go get a replacement one that same night.

[JShrock07]

So what you're saying ron is the bait monkey snuck up on you?? lol

I have the same problem!!!

I would like to just go out on the potomac one day and just try to catch the gar... What kind of advise do you have for the gar??

[rondef]

Make a rope lure. Take a piece of rope and unwind all of the strands on one end, then tie the other end to your line. Throw that out at the gar when you see them, they will most likely bite at it at least once and then they get their teeth stuck.  When that happens they can't let go or get loose. If you want to fish lures, use a steel leader and try chatterbaits. Both if the one's I fought went after chatterbaits. I was lucky enough to boat one last year near the Fairfax Yacht Club in the Belmount Bay area. Lately there have been huge schools of them over there near the semi-submerged barge.