Articles

Potomac & Aquia Creeks

-by Bob Parker & Dale Knupp

Continuing up river from Fairview Beach, the Potomac River makes a sharp right turn. On the Virginia shore at this turn lie two of the best tidal creeks in the entire Potomac River chain, Potomac Creek, and just to its north, Aquia Creek.

Well begin our overview with Potomac Creek. As you enter this creek, you will see a row of docks on your left and a large cove on your right. These areas are both prime pre-spawn and spawn sites. Concentrating first on the cove to your right, you can begin catching bass as soon as the milfoil beds begin to grow, usually in late March to early April. By late May, the entire cove is covered with milfoil, which offers the bass an ideal habitat for spawning.

The dominant cover on the left side of the creek consists of the docks and milfoil when it is present. This is an area that requires thorough fishing, because bass will sometimes congregate in a small patch of milfoil in large numbers while the surrounding areas are void of bass. But once you stumble upon where the fish are, you can easily catch bass all day.

As you travel farther into the creek, you will see a separate creek turn off to the right past the first cove. This is Accokeek Creek. As you turn the corner from Potomac Creek, you will see a large cove on your right. This is another spawning ground for the areas bass and can be excellent if fished correctly. Because of the extremely shallow water, it can be difficult to fish this area during a low tide, but the bass are there. The lure choices are the same as in other spawning areas on the river. Dont be afraid to cast your lure into very skinny water, because the bass are sometimes so shallow that their backs are barely covered.

Continuing into Accokeek Creek, you will notice a second large bay on your right. This is a good early season bay for pre-spawn and spawning bass. Accokeek Creek makes a left turn and narrows. The cove in front of you before you make the left turn has very shallow water, and you could easily run your boat aground in this area. As the creek first turns, you will come to a deep water area. There is good fishing opportunities here year round. You will cross a shallow flat then come to a no-wake area with houses on your right. After the no-wake zone, the creek makes a sharp left turn and you once again have deep water. Continue working your way into the creek where you will find both wood and marsh banks, with deep water present.

Back out on Potomac Creek, as you continue toward the back of the creek, you will see several pad fields on your right. Fishing can be good here, but isnt consistent. On your left as you head into the creek are good docks and marsh banks. Water is shallow in most areas and fishing is suspect. You will see a small marina on your left in the back of a cove. The pilings and surrounding pads hold good fish, but are sometimes difficult to fish.

The creek channel makes a hard right turn and narrows at a spot where the left side forms a point. You will notice trees down on your right. This is the last deep water on Potomac Creek and is known as the Carp Pen. After passing the Carp Pen, the right side is shallow but loaded with downed trees and some pads. The left side of the creek channel is dotted with pad fields that hold some amazing bass. I wouldnt advise fishing much farther back on an outgoing tide, because navigation can be difficult if you dont know where youre going. But the marsh banks all along the back of Potomac Creek hold bass, and I know of several local tournaments being won by anglers fishing this area.

During high tide periods, you can run all the way to where Potomac Creek actually becomes a narrow creek. You will have to stay on plane through a large flat, but once you get into the creek, the average water depth is four to six feet. Both sides are lined with pads and some good fish can be caught here.

Aquia Creek is much larger than Potomac Creek and offers a host of fishing options. As you enter Aquia Creek from the Potomac River, be sure to stay in the channel. There are a number of pilings at the mouth of the creek, some containing channel markers while others are obstruction markers.

As you enter Aquia Creek, you will see a point on your right with a channel marker in about 10 feet of water. This is an excellent place to fish for both bass and stripers. Carolina rigged worms and lizards work well during pre-spawn and spawn, and you should never leave this area until you have thoroughly crankbaited both sides of the point, especially on an outgoing tide.

The first cove on your left is a major spawning bay with a sandy bottom and hydrilla present. There are three docks in the back of this cove and all can be excellent. Once the hydrilla grows to just below the surface, expect to find bass cruising the outside edge of the hydrilla.

On your right as you enter Aquia Creek are three coves before you reach the railroad bridge. The first cove has only one or two docks that occasionally hold fish, but this cove is not worth your time.

The second cove is named Widewater and is loaded with docks. This is a great cove and you can spend an entire day moving back and forth from dock to dock and easily boat a limit of bass. Between the docks you will find submergent grasses, and its an excellent place for spinnerbaits and Manns Baby 1-Minus crankbaits.

The third cove on your right is named Burls Bay and is primarily an undeveloped cove. This cove is an excellent spawning area and has marsh grass, milfoil, and some hydrilla. There are two feeder creeks in the rear of this cove, and the mouths of both can offer excellent opportunities for big bass.

On the left side of Aquia Creek from the first cove to the railroad bridge are a number of docks and a large marina. The dock pilings are the primary structure used by the bass on this side, and the fishing can be especially good around the marina pilings.

Once you have passed under the railroad bridge, you will have the remnants of the former bridge submerged about a cast from the current bridge. The old remnants of the railroad bridge on the right side of the creek channel seem to hold the best bass, although some bass are caught from the left side. Just past the bridge is Hope Springs Marina, where you can launch your boat. There is a charge of $7-$8 to launch a boat here, but that seems to be the launch fee at most of the ramps on the Virginia shoreline.

From Hope Springs, if you fish the left side, concentrate your efforts on downed trees and docks. Dont waste your time fishing beyond Willow Landing Marina, because that area is not only shallow, but usually unproductive. While the left side from the bridge to Willow Landing can be a good place to fish on occasion, the cove on the right produces more fish and even more structure. You can fish down trees, marsh banks, and even two marsh islands on the left side. Pads are on the inside of the marsh island and hold big fish, but dont forget to fish all the way around the island, and if you dont catch fish on your first pass, move back to the first drop and go around the island again. The fish arent always in the tuckahoe pads, but sometimes relate to the first drop.

We are now back to where the creek narrows and from here out you will be in a no-wake zone, which is heavily enforced, especially on the week-ends. On the right immediately after the creek narrows are some submerged barges. The receive intensive pressure, but still give up some large fish. As you work your way into the creek, you will see both pads and wood banks. Usually the pads are on one side and the wood on the other. The bass will use one type of cover or the other and if you catch a few fish on either pads or wood, you can figure that most of the fish are relating to the same cover on that day. The only thing that I can tell you about this area is to fish whatever looks good. The bass in this creek are resident bass, just like those in Mattawoman, and probably dont know that there is a main Potomac River. They spend their entire lives in this creek.

The most productive pads are those with deep water nearby. If you pay attention to the pads, you can often see the pads move where the bass are brushing against them. An accurate cast with a worm or jig often results in a strike, but be sure to use heavy enough line to horse bass from the pads. Most of our guides use hard lines (Fireline, Whiplash, or Spider Wire) when fishing this type of cover.

There is an obstruction marker in the creek near a row of houses. Stay to the right of the marker going into the creek. This is a sunken barge, but the current is so strong here that we seldom catch any bass.

As you work your way back toward Aquia Harbor, the creek splits. Either side holds bass and are excellent places to fish. Aquia Harbor is a good choice for winter fishing, because the water is deeper than most of the surrounding water.

I hope weve given you enough to get you started. Try these creeks and you will be surprised at the number of bass you can catch. In our next issue, we will jump across the river to Wades Bay and Blue Bank.