Big Fred’s State of the Union Address & how he’s going to go after $125K on the Potomac
June 12, 2007
Our man on the pro bass tour, Big Fred “George Strait” Contaoi, is currently practicing hard for the next event, the FLW Tour’s fifth stop of season which will be held on the Potomac River in Charles County, MD (near D.C.). He and 199 other pros will battle for the $125,000 first prize June 14-17.
Of all the events he’s fished so far, Big Fred feels most at home here because… the Potomac is a lot like the California Delta back home — it’s shallow, murky, tidally-influenced and full of bass.
“This fishery plays well into my style of fishing: tidal water, larger potential bass , and lots of cover for flipping and pitching,” says Contaoi. “Look for me to do better here than all of my other tour stops this season!”
Limited Practice
“Once again I have limited practice but I am not sure this is such a bad thing,” he says. “Explanation: I think that it is wise to learn as much as one can about the lake or river before the competition but not immediately before. In two cases this year I made time to learn how to drive around on both Beaver Lake and Lake Dardanelle back in Jan. I had my best and worst finishes, respectively for the year.
“In the case of Dardanelle, I was able to see the potential early in the year with some great catches. Beaver was the opposite as the water temp hovered just over the 40 degree mark in January. In both cases ,I was able to learn the lake pertaining to geography, depths, cover,
fish species, bait types, etc..”
On the Job Training
“Here is what I learned from those two experiences: Beaver Lake is a
large clear body of water that has all three species to target smallmouth, largemouth,
and spotted bass,” Contaoi says. “There is both standing timber and lay downs in
Beaver but no grass for cover — it’s mostly rocks, deep water, and trees. Most of the bass
in the lake are on the small side. The average depth in this lake is thirty feet plus. I located lots of good water and caught a few good bass there.
“In Dardanelle, there is mostly dirty water that fluctuates on a pretty regular basis due to locks and being on a river system. The lake/river is much tougher to drive and is full of logs, timber, rocks, and weeds galore. Learning to drive a system like this is critical to keeping your boat in one piece. There are two types of bass here — spotted and largemouth; with the largemouth being the main focus for the tournament angler. The average depth in this system is four feet. I was able to locate several key areas that I caught good numbers of big tournament bass.”
“In the case of Beaver Lake, you have a large body of water with fish that are very nomadic (especially after the spawn) in their pursuit of a good place to live with reliable food sources nearby,” he says. “Since the lake is clear and deep, the baitfish get pushed around by all the bass (plus the excellent population of striped bass). The bass in this lake are tough to stay on top of. The run and gun approach seems to work very well here.”
On the other hand…
“Dardanelle presents a completely different set of issues than Beaver,” he says. “Shallow, dirty water with tons of cover for the fish. The bass in most cases migrate
away from the spawn area but not very far. Why would they? They have all the food they need in the immediate area and they have plenty of cover to feel safe. The key here is to pinpoint the areas that hold larger bass and get
them to bite. They will feed several times a day so you must be on hand when they are going to the feed trough.”
Putting it all together
And that brings us up to the present time, with $125,000 swimming around in the Potomac this week.
“This fishery is tidal, shallow with plenty of hazards,” Big Boy says. “The water is mostly dirty but areas with large weed beds cleanse the water presenting clean water in the immediate area. The river is quite large but will fish small as there are but about five major areas from Washington DC to the Chesapeake Bay. There will be boats scattered in many areas but there will be boats stacked in three to four bass-infested weed beds. I would have liked to drive this system in the past but I was unable to due to time constraints.”
Fred arrived at the Potomac last week but has only spent a total of three days on the water due to some mechanical issues.
“I feel comfortable going into the tournament but would like to have a few more areas to target,” he says.
Predictions?
“I think it will take 12 pounds a day to get a good check ,and 15 to 16
pounds a day to make top ten,” says Fred. “I caught three bass yesterday that went 13 pounds, so I see the possibility of me doing well if I plan well and execute. The catch also shows that the fishery has the potential to kick out some great stringers.
“As with all tournaments my goal is to: fish and boat safely, catch five bass each day that measure for the stage, and walk away with a check that reflects my success on the water.”
Stay Tuned!
Check back here on Thursday to see how Big Fred did on the Potomac on Day 1. We’re wishing him all the best!
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