Fishing Milfoil in Cold Water

One huge rule that most anglers are taught while fishing in cold water is that bass vacate Eurasian Milfoil when the water temperature drops below 50 degrees. The reason for following this rule is that the Milfoil begins to die and decaying grass becomes an oxygen user instead of an oxygen producer. Time and time again this winter I have caught large numbers of bass from dying grass, but other factors were involved. The number one factor for catching bass in dying grass is the presence of baitfish. Look for gulls and herons feeding in and around the grass you are fishing. The other vital factor involved in catching bass from grass in cold water is the clarity of the water. Finding the clearest water available will improve the chances of finding fish and will also allow the bass to be caught on a wider selection of baits. With out a doubt the number one bait for catching bass in these cold water conditions is a 1/4oz lipless crankbait. The main idea when retrieving this bait is to make contact with the grass. Rather than ripping the lure free of the grass like in warmer water a steady reel keeps the lure in the fishes strike zone longer. Often times the bass will eat the lure while its stuck in the grass. Another key bait to throw while fishing for cold water grass bed bass is a suspending jerkbait. Remember that the clarity of the water must be extremely clear for a jerkbait to work. Exploring grass beds during the winter is challenging with many hours spent covering fish less water, but the benefit to finding them is that little to no fishing pressure will exist and you will have the spot to yourself.

Saturday Feb 21st

This Saturday was another Anglers Choice Pro Teams Winter Survivor tournament. Weather conditions leading up to the tournament was less than prime, with cold nights and winds that gusted over 40mph. The tournament was held out of the Marshall Hall Ramp and I drew 6th boat. Everyone in the entire field ran north to the favorite winter fishing spots except me. When I arrived at my first spot I was greeted with a layer of skim ice and a water temperature of 36 degrees. The tide was going out and was about halfway out. The location I was fishing was ledge that was covered in grass and dropped to 9 feet of water in the deepest spot. I began casting 1/4oz lipless crankbait and instantly hooked up and landed a 3lb bass. I could not believe how hard and deep the fish had eaten the bait. 36 degree water and I was catching bass on a lipless crankbait. During the next 3 hours I hooked 7 more bass and landed 4 of them. The weather report was calling for the wind to blow out of the south throughout the day which would have been beneficial to my spot. The only problem is that the weather report was incorrect and the tide dropped way lower than normal. This lower tide either pulled the fish out of the grass or made them relocate and I never got another bite the entire day. I tried to force the fish to bite on low water and was unsuccessful. I ended up weighing a limit of bass that was over 12lbs, which was good enough for 2nd place. Looking back now I should have left the grass bite and relocated to hard structure in deeper water with the low tide. This proves that while fishing tournaments anglers should pay attention to what the fish are telling you, and make adjustments accordingly.

08' Spring Highlights

Spending over 250 days fishing on the water a year there certain days are remembered for there success. It seems these memorable days that everything falls into place and every decision and cast made is the right one. The highlight of the 08' season for me was obviously breaking the Maryland State Record, which solidified my place as one of Maryland's top angler. This record fish that weighed 11lbs 3 ozs, which I named "Justine" was not only the largest bass I had caught in Maryland but the largest I had ever caught anywhere by 2lbs.
Another highlight of the 08' season was during the April Anglers Choice Pro Teams Tournament held out of Mattawomen Creek. I stumbled upon a school of 5lbers which just moved up and onto their beds to spawn and were hungry. Throughout the day I used electronics to exploit these fish which were also being fished by 25 other boats. At the end of this special day I amassed a five fish limit weighing over 24 lbs. Another interesting detail of this day is that all these fish were caught in an area the size of a bass boat in a grassbed which was 3 miles long. The key to finding this spot was a combination of catching a 5lber, marking this exact location on GPS and backing off and making multiple casts to this area. After I marked this location in which I caught the 5lber I proceeded to paint the area with my trail for the rest of the day. Sticking with this confidence of fishing a spot in a spot location proved to be an invaluable lesson which helped me win multiple tournaments throughout the 08' season. With the Potomac River growing grass beds much larger than ever before, and because fishing pressure in these beds is much worse, using GPS to pinpoint a spot throughout high and low water cycles is necessary for success. Another interesting fact about this small location which produced these fish is that after the spawn in another Anglers Choice Tournament I caught over 21lbs.

Sunday Feb 15th

Water conditions for this day were much warmer than the last weekend, but because of extremely strong winds on Thursday and Friday the water was muddied up. I spent the entire day fishing south of Marshall Hall Ramp. I used the same rule of thumb to grass fishing and hunted for the clearest water I could find. The entire day was spent fishing grassbeds throughout the Potomac south of Marshall Hall Ramp. Between myself and my partner we caught and released 14 bass, all of which were larger than 15inches. The biggest fish that we caught was just under 5 lbs. It was an extremely productive day with the water temperature warming to 47 degrees by sunset. Air temperature warmed to 45 degrees during the day but the sun angle is more direct this time of year which added warmth to the water. All of the 14 fish were caught on moving baits and almost all were caught on crankbaits. The lunker of the day was caught on a slow rolled spinnerbait. During the day when we got bit the fish completley commited to the bait and often times pliers had to be used to remove the lure from the fishes mouth.
The entire day was spent fishing grassbeds throughout the Potomac. The most interesting thing that I learned from this day was that almost all of the fish that we caught had red lips, which is common for fish that have been stationary for a long period of time. This proves to me that the same fish that spawn in the grass live in the grass all year long. These fish have been in the same location all winter long. Another interesting observation that I made this day was that most of the fish were thin and had belly's which were not full. I am not a biologist but I do know that cold water slows metabolism and these fish were thin. These fish have not eaten a large meal in a long time and were almost completely pale. This observation confirms the ideology that the bass remain in the grassbeds long after it begins to die on the Potomac River. These fish simply eat less meals and remain motionless till warmer water temperatures, and even when ice forms above them. The best most unbelievable factor about this day was that we never ran into another boat fishing around us.

Feb 7th Fishing Report

Saturday Feburary 7th was spend locating new winter locations on the Potomac River that are unpressured. The entire day was spent fishing areas north of Marshall Hall, including swan creek, bell haven, the spoils and as far north as the Washington channel. The water temperature ranged from 35- 40 degrees. Ice was present in many locations which lined the bank. I caught very few fish due to the temperature of the water but I was still successful. Locations that had more than 8 feet of water and were out of the main river current proved to be the best. All fish caught were on a modified blade bait, the same bait the state record was broke on.

Summary Of Potomac River Winter 08-09

January 26th of last year the Potomac River in Maryland proved to the country that it grows heavy weight largemouths outside of the deep south. I broke the existing state record of 9.2lbs with a giant Northern Strain Largemouth that weighed 11.3lbs on certified scales which shattered the old record. I was able to keep the fish alive and donated it to the Bass Pro Shops in Hanover Maryland. I named the fish "Justine" and she is gaining weight by the day. The explosion of (SAV) submerged aquatic grasses over the last 4 years has lead to an amazingly diverse and healthy fishery which can easily produce more fish of this caliber.
Throughout this entire 08' season the middle to north section of the Tidal Potomac River grew the proper mix of SAV to support large amounts of bass. The area between Dogue Creek and Broad Creek seem to be the most productive. During the fall transition typically the bass migrate from areas with SAV and go further north to receive protection from current in the Spoils area. This migration that normally starts in early November took place and hundreds of bass could have been caught for a 2 week period.
After the first week in December the migrating bass disappeared. Some fish are catch able in the typical wintering holes above the Wilson bridge, but the fishing have changed their migration. Yes fishing pressure has something to do with this but I believe the fish went back to the grass.
Every morning this winter I have idled out of marinas and seen gulls diving in the grass beds which shows me that the bait is in the grass. Its a very big myth that Largemouth bass abandon SAV when it is dead on a Tidal River. The only reason many people suggest that Largemouth leave the grass is that it becomes an oxygen user when it decays. Being that the Potomac River has Tidal Movement each day which keeps the water stirred up I believe this myth to be false.
Fishing this grass that has stopped growing and turned black on the stalk is very difficult but not impossible. In the warmer times you can fish grass with fast moving baits to find the most aggressive fish and eliminate unproductive water rapidly. During winter months this method of eliminating unproductive water fast becomes much more difficult but the same deduction methods remain. The number one factor in locating and catching these untapped fish is water temperature. If the water is colder than 40 degrees it becomes almost impossible to catch anything. If the water is above 40 degrees than you must next find the clearest water available. After that you simply find the deepest water which is still clear, and this can change due to tide influence. The best spots stay clear on high and low water conditions. As far as bait choice a lipless and billed crankbait is king. Soft plastics and bottom bouncing baits will not work because the fish don't seem to eat baits on the bottom because of the old decaying grass. Multiple casts must be made to entice a strike with good days resulting in 20 fish. Its a grind but this winter the grass bite is red hot all year long.