Practice with Alex Davis
Davis returns to where it all started
The final stop of the Walmart FLW Tour on the Potomac River is a homecoming of sorts for pro Alex Davis. Though Davis now spends his time guiding on Lake Guntersville, his early years were spent about 45 miles west of the Potomac in Strasburg, Va., where he learned to bass fish.
Davis currently sits 52nd in the AOY standings and figures he needs a top-20 finish or better to qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup. He offered up a spot in his boat for me to ride along on the final day of practice.
Davis started his day by running down the river to a grass flat that he has caught fish in before. The grass grows differently from year to year, so he wanted to see how it was setting up.
It didn’t take long for Davis to get bit. This catfish won’t help him out, but it is one of several other species present in the Potomac that anglers can encounter.
On nearly his next cast he bows up again. As the tide was rising the grass bed began teaming with life and the fish got active.
Though it was a small fish, Davis says that it is a good sign because bass of this size have been hard to come by of late on the river.
After exploring some main-river areas Davis moves further up the creek. It is beginning to heat up now so he whips out his sun hat – Davis is a man of true fashion.
Davis keeps his bait selection pretty simple. A swimbait helps him cover water and a flipping bait allows him to slow down and pick through an area.
Pitching to some logs that he remembers fishing as a kid it produced a keeper. He says normally you can get multiple bites in an area like this. This time around it only yielded one fish.
Miles and miles of emergent vegetation can be found on the Potomac making it tough to effectively cover water. Davis chose to flip and pitch at the irregularities searching for high percentage places.
The temperature has climbed to nearly 90 degrees and Davis kicks the trolling motor on high to cruise the grass line in search of clumps of hyrdilla or milfoil.
Davis goes into the rod locker to look for something else to help cover water more effectively. He settles on a frog which is one of his favorite ways to catch bass.
After spending his morning searching every inch of the creek he decides it is time to run back up near Smallwood State Park. He uses this time to chug some water to stay hydrated on this hot June day.
Davis checked two more areas with no luck before dropping me back at the ramp. He decided to call it a day and go spend some time with family and eat some crabs. Thanks Alex.