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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
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 40 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. 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 33% of the surface on the model — 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: Piscataway flats, a weed flat in the 5 ft range, prime in spring. 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 (5 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.5) (20 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Piscataway flats (5 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Potomac shipping channel (30 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 5 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 (5 ft) | Hollow-body frog, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 1 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Piscataway flats (5 ft) | Hollow-body frog, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Piscataway flats (5 ft) | Frog, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Potomac shipping channel (30 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 12 to 40 ft one. The chart's best answer is Potomac shipping channel — creek channel, 30 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | Mattawoman Creek mouth (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Potomac shipping channel (30 ft) | |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk | Potomac shipping channel (30 ft) | |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | midday | Potomac shipping channel (30 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: Mattawoman Creek mouth, an inflow / creek mouth in the 8 ft range, prime in spring. 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 (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Slackwater eddy (mile 7.5) (22 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Potomac shipping channel (30 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Potomac shipping channel (30 ft) |
Come spring, look for striped bass tight to the bank in 5 to 20 ft. Expect a summer slide to 12 to 40 ft, then a winter hold in 12 to 40 ft. Start at Mattawoman Creek mouth. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 8 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 (8 ft) | 3-5 inch baitfish swimbait, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 12 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 0.6) (22 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 0.6) (22 ft) | Baitfish swimbait, Metal jig |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | midday | Potomac shipping channel (30 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 12 to 40 ft for winter. Spring white perch concentrate at Mattawoman Creek mouth, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 8 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 (8 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn | Slackwater eddy (mile 7.5) (22 ft) | Small spinner rig drifted, 1/8 oz jigging spoon |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | midday | Slackwater eddy (mile 7.5) (22 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Blade bait |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | dusk | Slackwater eddy (mile 7.5) (22 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 13 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Main-channel hole (mile 11.2), sits near 32 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 40 ft (12 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
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 5 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass 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 or see every water on DepthScout. 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.