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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Recent public catches load as you reach this section.
Washington, D.C. to Mattawoman Creek. The tidal Potomac’s famous grass beds: trophy largemouth, blue catfish, spring stripers and the invasive snakehead “Frankenfish.” The river tops out around 75 ft. The depth chart is built from real NOAA hydrographic survey soundings, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
On the chart, Potomac River (Tidal) draws 6,670 acres inside 43.3 miles of shoreline. A development index of 3.8 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 49% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. Tip to tip the water measures near 17.8 mi with a 3.4-mi widest point. The water lies in Fairfax County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Occoquan Reservoir, 12 mi west of here.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: largemouth bass in 2 to 10 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Channel bar / point (mile 17.3), a point in the 16 ft range, good in fall. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Piscataway flats (1 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel bar / point (mile 17.3) (16 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Channel bar / point (mile 17.3) (16 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Main-channel hole (mile 19.2) (17 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring northern snakehead on Potomac River (Tidal) hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 1 to 6 ft in summer, 4 to 12 ft once it turns cold. Put Piscataway flats first on the milk run — a weed flat near 1 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a hollow-body frog or a buzzbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Piscataway flats (1 ft) | Hollow-body frog, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 1 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Piscataway flats (1 ft) | Hollow-body frog, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Piscataway flats (1 ft) | Frog, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Potomac shipping channel (1 ft) | Soft plastic (slow), Blade bait |
Early season blue catfish use the shallows, holding in 5 to 25 ft. Summer is a 10 to 40 ft game here, winter a 20 to 50 ft one. The chart's best answer is Main-channel hole (mile 19.2) — creek channel, 17 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | Main-channel hole (mile 19.2) (17 ft) | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-channel hole (mile 0.6) (36 ft) | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | Main-channel hole (mile 0.6) (36 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Main-channel hole (mile 0.6) (36 ft) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: channel catfish in 3 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 25 ft, wintering in 20 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Main-channel hole (mile 19.2), a creek channel in the 17 ft range, prime in summer. Time it for after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Mattawoman Creek mouth (14 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Main-channel hole (mile 19.2) (17 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Main-channel hole (mile 19.2) (17 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Main-channel hole (mile 0.6) (36 ft) |
Come spring, look for striped bass tight to the bank in 5 to 20 ft. Expect a summer slide to 25 to 60 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 50 ft. Start at Mattawoman Creek mouth. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 14 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Mattawoman Creek mouth (14 ft) | 3-5 inch baitfish swimbait, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-channel hole (mile 0.6) (36 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel bar / point (mile 17.3) (16 ft) | Baitfish swimbait, Metal jig |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Main-channel hole (mile 0.6) (36 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
In spring, white perch run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 15 to 40 ft before dropping to 20 to 50 ft for winter. Spring white perch concentrate at Mattawoman Creek mouth, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 14 ft. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a small spinner rig drifted or a 1/8 oz jigging spoon most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk | Mattawoman Creek mouth (14 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn | Slackwater eddy (mile 15.5) (20 ft) | Small spinner rig drifted, 1/8 oz jigging spoon |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | midday | Slackwater eddy (mile 15.5) (20 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | dusk | Slackwater eddy (mile 15.5) (20 ft) | Small rattle spoon, Tungsten + spikes |
Potomac River (Tidal) also holds crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Count 14 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Main-channel hole (mile 0.6), sits near 36 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Maryland waters are set by the Maryland DNR — and special regulations can apply to Potomac River (Tidal) specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Maryland fishing regulations →
Potomac River (Tidal) is about 75 ft (23 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real NOAA hydrographic surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, northern snakehead, blue catfish, channel catfish, striped bass, white perch, crappie, bluegill, common carp on Potomac River (Tidal).
Piscataway flats is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 1 ft of water that rates prime for northern snakehead in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Potomac River (Tidal) is regulated by the Maryland DNR. Check the official Maryland regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Occoquan Reservoir 12 mi, VA · Lake Brittle 31 mi, VA · Clopper Lake 32 mi, MD · T. Howard Duckett Reservoir 33 mi, MD · Rappahannock River 33 mi, VA · Little Seneca Lake 37 mi, MD · Piney Run Lake 50 mi, MD · Patapsco River 51 mi, MD · Tar Bay 53 mi, MD · Whitewood Cove 53 mi, MD · Liberty Reservoir 53 mi, MD · Monocacy River 55 mi, MD
See how Potomac River (Tidal) stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Maryland · best crappie lakes in Maryland · best bluegill lakes in Maryland · best channel catfish lakes in Maryland
Browse all Maryland fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA hydrographic surveys. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.