Smallmouth on Upper Potomac

[RangerDave]

Caught this nice 3.25# Smallie on Upper Potomac this past Wednesday. Water temp was 44 degrees and the fish were still a little sluggish but it's about to turn on shortly. Caught on small tube, green pumpkin of course, if there's a better river color let me know, LOL.

[NavyToad]

Nice fish. My brother lived on the river at Falling Waters for 14 years. We used to fish dawn 'til dark. I haven't fished there for almost 20 years.

[BassmanRudy]

Nice one!! COLD water but maybe not so bad for a smallie?

[Reservoir Runner]

Several other colors to use are Chartreuse Pumpkin Pepper, Pumpkin Pepper, and Smoke are some other colors you can use. Also, Bass Pro Shop sells Imitation Hellgramite baits, you may want to get a pack of them in black or brown as smallmouth love hellgramites.

[Wizard]

I fished near DC in the 1980-90's. This was before the Potomac was cleaned up and pollution really affected the fishing. Quite a few LM but few, if any, SM. I used jigs, tubes and grubs for the most part along with floating Rapalas as my only topwater bait. My colors were green pumpkin/ chartreuse tails , black and smoke/purple fleck for tubes and grubs; medium blue/red trailer for jigs; silver/blue back and Rayburn Red for the Rapalas. Not sure all the colors would work today in the cleaner water. Green pumpkin, smoke/purple and silver/ blue back should still work.

Wizard

[coldfront]

Several other colors to use are Chartreuse Pumpkin Pepper, Pumpkin Pepper, and Smoke ...

my money, RangerDave is on green pumpkin/purple flake.  and if you could toss it a few flakes of copper as well... it just gets better...