Dove remains quite basic regarding color selection on the historic river.

Said Dove: “I like three colors on the Potomac: black and blue, green pumpkin and watermelon. I like the green pumpkin and black-and-blue combos 90 percent of the time, and watermelon in super clear water in the creeks when it presents itself.”

Regarding cloudy or sunny conditions, Dove doesn’t feel that it makes a difference with lure colors. He caveats that statement by indicating that he keeps the Snag Proof Frog in the rod box on cloudy days.

“They really bite it (Snag Proof Frog) much better on sunny days,” he explained. “When it’s cloudy, I prefer to use buzzbaits or buzzing frogs like the Zoom Horny Toad.”

LOCATIONS FOR LURKING LARGEMOUTHS
Like many experts on a given body of water, Dove relies on some locations that have proved effective for him over the years. Dove said he recommends the following as his top five places at the Potomac River for May largemouths: Chicamuxen Creek from the mouth to where the creek narrows down to a no-wake zone; Mattawoman Creek in its entirety; Piscataway Creek from the mouth to just past Fort Washington Marina; Aquia Creek from the mouth to the railroad bridge; and Nanjemoy Creek in its entirety.

“There are many other areas on the Potomac that produce great fishing, and opportunities certainly should not be limited to the above, but these are my top five spots for May,” he explained.

Most average anglers often wonder how bass pros approach a given fishery. Since most of the population can fish only during the weekends, their on-the-water experience is a fraction of a person who casts for cash. Some pros like to run and gun, while others camp on a spot waiting for the perfect tidal condition.

Dove prefers to camp on his pet spots at the Potomac regardless of the time of year. For this Triton/Mercury pro, that means maybe fishing two to three spots throughout the day.

“Of course, though, you better be camping where the fish are living,” he chuckled. “Until I find areas that the fish are holding and living, I’ll run and gun until the opportunity to camp on them presents itself.”

TECHNIQUES AND GEAR
There is plenty of structure and cover at the Potomac River, so how best to unlock the day’s secret? During May, Dove prefers to target mostly milfoil beds in the creek mouths along the main river. If the main river becomes stained or muddy, he will then key on spatterdock in the creeks.

A technique Dove likes to employ around spawning fish that he cannot see is ripping a No. 11 Floating Rapala hard jerkbait. He uses a rapid jerking motion with small twitches to keep the bait from moving long distances at once. Dove prefers to use Powell rods when presenting his lures.

“The longer I can jerk the bait and keep it in a fish’s strike zone (bedding area), the more bites I will generate,” he explained.

Dove generally uses bait-casting gear with line sizes ranging from 12- to 20-pound-test. He tends to lean toward fluorocarbon and braided varieties.

“The only time I use mono is with topwater baits,” he said. “I generally never use a spinning rod on the Potomac. The only time I may use one is in the summer when the creeks get really clear and I drop down to 10-pound-test line.”