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Coming Down, Warming Up
March 30, 2000
After an ancy two week period of heavy rainfall (much needed!) and suddenly cold temperatures, area rivers are falling back into the raft zone as I write this. The present dry west-northwest is taking the starch out of the Potomac and pushing the water on down to the bay, and temperatures are holding in the lower fifties on all the upper gauges. Though some thirty degree nights will give us a downward spike in the mornings, it has been light too long and warm too many times for the fish to do much more than sulk out the chill 'til noon. It's time, boys and girls, it's definitely time.
Jeff Kelble paddled the 'doah south fork from an undisclosed location to a secret point with a group of PRSC-ites last Saturday--while the rest of us huddled at home and bitched about river levels--and caught a great number of smallmouth on bank and midriver patterns, though none of pig proportions. He reported that the larger fish had wandered off their comfortable bank holds despite fairly high water and were aggressively hunting the midriver seams and breaks--good sign, kimosabe. Tubes, jig-n-pigs, and grubs worked--hell, everything worked for the smaller fish.
Dave, John, and Jeff will be plying the Dam 3 to Brunswick float this weekend with good rods and high hopes--update will be coming soon but if you wait for confirmation that the fish are biting the hot big early spring jazz may pass you by.
Dates are open, and some may be discounted as the slots draw near. E-mail me.
Dave Motes