National Harbor, MD (PRWEB) May 17, 2012
Link to photo of pro leader Scott Martin
The Potomac River, described by several of the worlds best bass anglers in the country as one of the top-10 fisheries in the country, really showed her true colors Thursday as 123 of the 144 pro anglers in the Walmart FLW Tour on the Potomac River presented by the National Guard caught a five-bass limit on day one of the event.
Leading the pack was National Guard pro Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla., who crossed the stage with a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 10 ounces. Martin now holds a comfortable 4 pound, 6 ounce lead over Snickers pro Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, N.C., and fellow National Guard pro Mark Rose of West Memphis, Ark., who each caught five bass weighing 18-4. The tournament features a field of anglers from all across the United States, Canada, Spain and Japan.
I ran about 40 miles total and hit about 15 spots, said Martin, who is the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup Champion. I was fishing some areas that had as many as 20 boats in there. The thing that made the difference for me today was that I was paying attention to the pressure that certain grass beds were getting. I would wait for the beds that I could see werent getting a lot of pressure to open up and was usually able to get a good bite out of them; thats how I got one of my 6-pounders.
Catching the first 6-pounder on one of my first casts this morning really set the pace for me today, Martin continued. I thought I had caught a catfish.
Martin indicated that the tide wasnt a do-or-die for his fishing on the Potomac. He said that he really wasnt doing anything special just casting and flipping. It was his attention to detail that paid off for him today. He keyed in on less-pressured flats with grass and said every cast was made with a purpose.
Martin said he used Bruiser Baits and flipping creature-type baits and said he figured out what color and bait action really attracted the bass.
Its always a good feeling to have a comfortable lead, Martin went on to say. I had a decent practice but didnt expect to catch 22-10 today. Ill go out tomorrow and try the same thing. Cover a lot of water and manage the tide as best I can and hopefully I can smack em again.
Both Baumgarder and Rose said they were fishing in high-traffic areas as well. According to Rose, 90 percent of the bass in the Potomac are in a small area and anglers just need to key in on specific spots in those areas and hope for the best. While Baumgarder was using chatterbaits and Zoom Speed worms, Rose said that he stuck to Strike Kings KVD 1.5 crankbaits.
Rounding out the top 10 pros after day one on the Potomac River are:
