Fresh Prince William County Fishing Reports

The hiring of a fishing guide can be an anxious experience. One is investing their money so whst should you expect from your investment ? Catching fish ? That’s a reasonable expectation but not always controllble by even a guide thst fishes every single day. Theres just too many variables out of the guides control. However that is the goal and it is reasonable but not always within the guides total control. So what is in the guides control and what is not only reasonable but a non negotiable expectation of a guide ? Heres my expectstions of myself ? 1. Be on time with equipment prepared. 2. Provide 100% effort to make clients experience positive. That includes the guide having a positive, friendly and patient attitude. 3. Make time on the water a learning experience. A guide is an instructor and the client should be a better fishernan after getting off the guudes boat. 4. A guide should understand the clients goals, experience and limitations. A client should not be placed in a position to fail or placed in positions that threaten their physical health. There will be bad days. I grew up among the best fishermen and guides in my area. My relatives are in the Fishing Hall of Fame. I know that fishing is managing failure. Most if our casts result in failure. How do you manage little failures vs big failures. That’s the challenge of being a fishing guide. One can only control the controllable. As a fishing guide hall of famer taught me “if you cant handle a bad day - u wont be a fishing guide for very long”. No truer words have ever been spoken. A client should expect that their guide control the controllable.

May 2023 is coming to an end and its time to anticipate June fishing patterns on the Potomac River. Snakeheads- morning and evening snakehead trips begin in June. June means snakeheads positioning themselves to be targeted with topwater baits. (Because anything else is called catfishing). The warming water and developing hydrilla will have snakeheads not only more active but looking to spawn. This combination makes for concentrations of aggressive snakeheads. June and early july are the best times of the year to target snakeheads on the potomac. Largemouth Bass - In june the majority of bass have spawned and post spawn fish are now in grass beds and willing to strike early morning topwater baits. Frog fishing snd buzzbaits earky and late in the day. I love the evening trips because the beauty of the river is all yours. The most interesting guide on the river is st your service. I work hard and have a life time of exoerience.

Did you know that the Potomac River is the greatest Northern Snajehead fishery in the WORLD! The last 4 WORLD record Northern Snakeheads were all caught from the Potomac. June and July are prime months to specifically target snakeheads with top water baits as they set up in predictable areas. These are also the months that they look to spawn so the big ones are accessible. The aquatic vegetation during these months still allow access to snskehead shallow retreats but it wont last long. I do 4 hour trips. I do both morning and after work evening trips. I can provide all equipment. I specialize in top water frog fishing becsyse everything else amounts to catfishing. Im USCG certified captain, fully insured, 27 years in kaw enforcement, advanced educational degrees, and the hardest working guide on the river. My boat is the best made and ive been on the river since i was 6 yesrs old, guiding since i was 16, and son of Fishing Hall of Fame Guude. I am a nationally published writer. I am a concerned conversationalist and an advocate for the health of the river and its residents. I have been on several MD DNR committees where i advocated for the river and not my personal interests. Book a snakehead trip. Evening or morning. Learn the truth about snakeheads and quit watching u tube.

What can a customer expect when booking a bass or snakehead trip on the Potomac in May ? 1. The customer can expect a trip with the hardest working guide on the river. I fish 7 days a week trying to prepare for customers. Ive fished around and with professional guides my whole life. I know the business of fishing and take great pride in my experience, education, resume and preparation to provide the best climate for new clients on my boat. May Patterns for largemouth bass- Im primarily launching from the Leesylvania Park ramps. In May customers can expect my boat to head into some of the prettiest Potomac tributaries. In May some bass will be completing their spawning ritual. Bass will be in all phases of spawn and post spawn behavior. The primary pattern will be fishing grass beds with topwater in morning and plastics in the afternoon. On the Potomac the tides have a big effect on feeding and spawning behavior so its important to understand how tides influence the bass behavior and adjust to the variables. I do early morning and late afternoon trips in May. Trips start at approx. 0615 hrs in morning and around 1500 hrs in the afternoon. A client can expect to learn advanced techniques for bass including drop shooting and frog fishing. Snakeheads- The warming May water temperatures and aquatic grass growth in May should result in snakeheads looking for their first spawn. Snakeheads will position themselves in areas that make them targetable by fishermen looking for topwater strikes. Marsh edges, hydrilla and milfoil are the prime habitat at this time of year. Snakeheads- like bass- are heavily influenced by tides in their feeding and spawning behavior. I prefer to target snakeheads and not fish for them in general areas- and May is the beginning of that ability to fish for them in areas where they position to feed and spawn in a predictable time. Snakehead fishing requires a lot of casting and persistence but the effort can certainly be worth their explosive strikes.

Late September and October are a topwater bonanza on the tidal Potomac River. In the DC area, walking baits thrown to rocks produce stripers and bass. The fall is the best tine to throw hollow body frogs on top of grass mats for explosive strikes. Snakeheads are more accessible as underwater grass dies and their locations are more predictable.

The northern snakehead gets alot of attention and is the dubject of much misinformation. Did you know that the tidal Potomac River is the location of the last 4 WORLD record Northern snakeheads ? Catching a snakehead is not a novelty to me anymore and their habitat is fairly predictable. However, they do not throw themselves into the boat so there is a learning curve. 1. You will need nothing to fish for snakeheads with me. I provide all equipment and licenses. 2. You will fish in some of the prettiest creeks the Potomac has to offer and may think you are in the Louisiana bayou and not 20 minutes from DC. 3. You must have realistic expectations. Snakehead fishing requires alot of accurate casting. It requires identifying ambush points. It requires proper hook sets and fish fighting skills. It requires making the most of opportunity. All of these things csn be taught. Get off those u-tube videos and come practice some reality.