The Starting Spot: Best Baits on the Potomac, Tube Tips for Smallies, and America’s Cleanest Lakes

In this edition of The Starting Spot:

-See for yourself exactly what lures the top finishing pros at the recent Toyota Series Tournament on the Potomac River were using to catch their bass.

-When people hear the name Greg Hackney, they automatically think shallower power fishing for largemouth…and they wouldn’t be wrong. But I’m telling you, Hackney is just plain fishy. If he wants to share his tips for catching smallmouth bass on a tube, you’d be wise to listen up.

-America’s cleanest and dirtiest lakes isn’t strictly a bass fishing topic, but as a bass fisherman, I found the data to be really interesting. Where do you think your favorite lake ranks?

Top 10 baits from the Potomac River

by Jody White

Love those tubes for smallmouth

by Greg Hackney

From an article on Bassmaster.com: This is the time of year that the smallmouth up north move shallow and start eating.

If I were going and only had one lure choice, it would be the Strike King Coffee Tube with a jighead inserted into its hollow cavity. 

It’s a good representative of a crawfish or a gobie, and it catches big ones. And if you’re using forward-facing sonar, it’s a very efficient bait to cast at fish you see on the screen. 

America’s Dirtiest and Cleanest Lakes in 2025

by Sam Hudson

Thanks for starting your day with Fishing On SI. Lines in!

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