Chickahominy River Bass Fishing: Topwater & Spinnerbait Tournament Pattern

On this episode of Fishing the DMV, Ty to break down his second-place finish in the Virginia Bass Nation Kayak Series tournament on the Chickahominy River in Virginia. Ty landed 81.50 inches of largemouth bass while figuring out a changing tidal bite built around buzzbaits, poppers and spinnerbaits. Anglers interested in Chickahominy River bass fishing, kayak tournament strategy and summertime tidal-water fishing will hear exactly how he adjusted throughout the day. Ty entered the tournament with limited recent experience on the Chickahominy River system and made a last-minute decision to launch from Chickahominy Riverfront Park instead of returning to the water he practiced near Rockahock. He began by searching a winding creek, concentrating on bends, grass, cypress trees and other shallow-water cover. His usual drop shots, shaky heads, wacky rigs and soft plastics failed to produce consistently, forcing him to abandon his original plan and pay closer attention to what the bass were actually doing. The pattern changed when a buzzbait generated three strikes within roughly 10 minutes. Ty then picked up a popper and found largemouth bass feeding around grass and chasing large baitfish that appeared to be gizzard shad. He explains why accurate casts, lure color and matching the available forage were so important, along with how incorrect replacement hooks contributed to several lost popper fish. When the clouds disappeared, the wind increased and the water became muddier, Ty transitioned to a spinnerbait and caught the biggest bass of his day. One of the most valuable lessons involved presentation angles. Several spinnerbait strikes came while Ty retrieved the lure in the opposite direction from what he expected based on the current. Once he recognized that pattern, he repeatedly covered the same productive stretch instead of leaving. His Old Town Autopilot 120, remote steering and Spot-Lock helped him stand up, maintain position and make precise casts between isolated grass clumps. In this episode, we cover: How Ty finished second with 81.50 inches on the Chickahominy River Locating largemouth bass in tidal creeks, grass and cypress trees Why he turned off LiveScope while fishing shallow water Switching from soft plastics to buzzbaits and poppers Matching large baitfish with topwater lures and spinnerbaits Adjusting to changing wind, sunlight, tide and water clarity Using unexpected casting angles to trigger spinnerbait strikes Kayak positioning, Spot-Lock and tournament decision-making Please support Fishing the DMV on Patreon!!! https://patreon.com/FishingtheDMVPodcast If you are interested in being on the show or a sponsorship opportunity, please reach out to me at [email protected] Bass and Furious on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@BassandFurious Bass and Furious on Facebook: facebook.com/tybassandfurious Bass and Furious on Instagram: instagram.com/bassandfurious Check out Ty’s sponsors down below. Nest Realty: https://www.nestrealty.com/fredericksburg/ Rapala: https://www.rapala.com/us_en/ Bass and Furious Shop https://www.bonfire.com/store/bassandfurious-shop/ Jake’s bait & Tackle Website: http://www.jakesbaitandtackle.com/ Link to Tactical Fishing Company: https://tacticalfishingco.com/ Fishing Pro Tech: https://www.facebook.com/FishingProTech Phone Number: (757) 566-1278 Email: [email protected] Fishing Pro Tech Address: 7812-A Richmond Road, Toano, VA, United States, 23168 Flint Financial Planning: https://www.flintfinancialplanning.com/ FITT Lures: https://bit.ly/4w5lgHt Support the show