By Steve Chaconas

In June, Major League Fishing (MLF) brought 66 professional anglers for a 4 day catch, weigh, and release tournament. Total weight determined the winner with no limit on numbers of scorable fish (minimum 1.5 pounds). Bass fishing veterans, with successful history, were eager to return to the Nation’s River. Tennessee Nitro/Mercury pro Ott DeFoe won the exciting Potomac River Zenni Stage 6 tournament, presented by Athletic Brewing Company, taking home $150,000.

Pennsylvanian Ranger/Mercury pro Dave Lefebre, sponsored by Fishing Online, has been figuring out Potomac bass since the early 2000s. Looking forward to the river’s legendary grassbeds and hard cover, Lefebre spent his first practice day looking for submerged vegetation, specifically milfoil, and some of his hundreds of hard cover waypoints. To his disappointment, the river has changed. Specifically, the shocking absence of milfoil grass beds. Lefebre’s hard cover spots, trees, duck blinds, and even some submerged wooden barge relics were either lost or relocated.

MLF showcases the best anglers catching as many fish as possible, a strategy and time management change from 5 fish limit events. Experienced pros, confident in finding 5 larger fish in several areas, were uncomfortable with the catch-as-many-as-you-can format. Finding groups of scorable fish was essential to compete. Catches lacking in size were made up for in numbers.

Washington State native BassCat/Mercury pro Luke Clausen, sponsored by Bridgford foods, has successfully sifted through Potomac grassbeds for trophies and checks. He also found a lack of milfoil with many scattered small fish. Clausen got bites but found them to be inconsistent. He says milfoil stalks, clumps, and canopies provide cover and home to bait fish. Clausen uses aerial photo apps to find grass and prime spots. He also drives around areas he’s fished before to look for grass with larger groups of fish.

Anglers are accompanied by scorekeepers who announce competition data, SCORETRACKER. Clausen says this creates stress even though he knows he must catch them all day against this efficient field. When Potomac tides got low SCORETRACKER flickered faster. This format kept Clausen from trying new techniques, baits, or locations as he risked not catching them fast enough. Clausen believes history is more of a hindrance than help in adapting his MLF strategy to fishing locations with higher densities than in his previous 5 fish events where he fished for fewer bites while looking for bigger ones.

There weren’t many bigger fish caught, some say tournament pressure makes them skittish. Clausen says tournament mortality might contribute as larger fish are brought to the scales and are more likely to succumb to tournament rigors. Recent MD and VA surveys show there’s been a drop in larger fish populations.

Another rule unique to MLF, lines out, allows fishing until the clock winds down. No more racing to the marina to bring fish to weigh ins. This is safer for anglers, and fish are caught, weighed, and released in that area. In this Potomac tournament, anglers were well into creek headwaters where travel time would have been prohibitive and in many cases lower tides would have forced anglers to leave before fishing really peaked.

From Kansas, Triton/Mercury pro Brent Chapman, sponsored by Kast King, concurs that grass has been better. However, he says lots of fish were caught, albeit not many 4 pounders. Having had success over the years, he considers the Potomac to be his kind of fishing. The Potomac’s 63 miles and dozen creeks made the 2 day practice period too short. Chapman relied on previous history to select spots that required meticulous work to pull a good 5 fish limit, but under the MLF format, he needed to fish faster and produce more fish to achieve a collective and competitive weight. History might have hurt him. With history holding him back, and limited practice time, this pro toughed it out in areas where he had prior success.

This format provided intensity. Chapman says there’s no time to relax as SCORETRACKER keeps you on your toes knowing another fish needs to be caught. With 5 fish limit events, he puts blinders on, trying to catch big ones. SCORETRACKER can take the wind out of your sails when the competition is racking up fish.

A fan of the MLF format, Chapman thinks it’s much better for fisheries, especially during hot summer months. With water temps in the 90s, Chapman says catch, weigh, and release protects fish since they aren’t put in livewells, transported around the fishery, and going through a weigh in process.

Releasing fish where caught also increases the likelihood they’ll be caught again, possibly later that day, but certainly again during the 4 day event. This adds to the strategy of where to fish. In addition, MLF participants practice conservative fish handling, no nets and no contact with boat decks or carpet. Fish are released below the rub rail after being weighed with non-piercing scales. MLF offers fans up-to-the-catch standings accompanied with on the water video. The ultimate in conservation minded fish care format is rapidly catching on as the best version of professional bass fishing.

For Lefebre, Chapman, and Clausen, successful Potomac track records have been based on fishing for 5 fish limits, however history and a different format altered their paths. Next time, these pros will likely be the ones to watch.

About the Author: Capt. Steve Chaconas is Potomac bass fishing guide & freelance writer. Potomac River reports: nationalbass.com. YouTube video channel NationalBassGuide.

Potomac River Bassing in AUGUST

It’s time to frog fish! 50 pound test Gamma Torque Braid and cast to the thick grass! The strikes are explosive.

Other grass techniques include using swim jigs and bladed jigs in craw, black/blue, or white patterns. Tie to 30 pound test Gamma Torque braid.

For pitching docks and holes in the grass, use Mizmo tubes Texas rigged on 16 pound test Gamma Edge fluorocarbon.

Drop shot and shaky head on deeper drops. Use 15 pound Gamma Torque main line with 12 pound Edge leader. Green pumpkin colors are good.