The Mid-Atlantic's - Potomacbass Message Board

[Potomacbass]

We've just struck a deal with Joe Gioffre to print and ship his new book entitled "Potomac River-Bass Tournament Tactics." The book can be ordered at our homepage (www.potomacbass.com) under the "shopping" section.

I wanted to post reviews by some local writers who complemented the book. See the posts below.

-Jonathan Gentry
Potomacbass.com

[Potomacbass]

By James Drake (Southern Maryland Newspaper)

"Joe Gioffre recently sent me a review copy of his new fishing manual titled ‘‘Potomac River Bass Tournament Tactics” and with a subtitle of ‘‘... A Personal Bass Fishing Guide For The Rest Of Us.”
I’ve just now finished reading it cover to cover, 114 pages in all, and although Gioffre and I have never met, I really sense that I now know what’s in this man’s soul.
He truly poured it all out in this exceptional fishing guidebook that covers bass fishing on the tidal Potomac River through a wide variety of conditions and throughout the yearly cycle of the resident bass.
The manual is simply chock full of color photos and some very cleverly done graphics.
I haven’t seen this much different color inside a book or any kind of manual since my daughters were young and made me some finger-painting books back in their pre-school years. All that color inside is really a treat for the eye.
Interspersed throughout the pages are ‘‘Tournament Tactics” and ‘‘Fishing Points” that often relate to specific tournaments and conditions Gioffre has faced over the years and how he successfully coped (or sometimes struck out) in each individual case.
I should note that he usually chose wisely, and has done pretty good in the check-cashing department throughout his career.
Along with many of the specific area photos of places found along the tidal Potomac, Gioffre includes the GPS coordinates. So, by simply punching in the north and west numbers into your own GPS unit, you can easily locate these fishing holes yourself.
As I got into reading through his work, it quickly became evident that Gioffre’s intent was for you to carry this with you aboard your boat and use it for a quick reference while out on the water. That is, after you’ve read through it a time or two at home.
A lot of ink is spent on the Mattawoman Creek and that too was just fine with me. The Mattawoman is like the whole state of Maryland ... it has just a little bit of everything inside from the mountains to the Piedmont to the seashore, or from the spatterdock to sunken barges to drop-offs to rocks to hard banks. The Mattawoman was an excellent selection to highlight.
Can only a serious tournament angler benefit from the extensive knowledge, expertise and various fishing approaches offered in this manual? Of course not, but it is directed and designed for serious anglers and tournament fishing strategies.
I’ve fished the tidal Potomac a few times myself, and I’ve fished it over the years with some renowned professionals from Ken Penrod, Woo Daves, Joe Jones, newsman Jim Vance, guide Bob Denyer, pro Ron Kilby and Bassmaster Classic champion George Cochran among others.
Joe Gioffre knows what he is talking about, and the information within these pages is sound. I guarantee that."
______________

[Potomacbass]

By Gene Mueller (The Washington Times)

"Gioffre's "Potomac River" was so attractively done, how could I not take a hard look at it? In 113 slick, full-color, massively illustrated pages, Gioffre pours his fishing heart out for all to see. As a native southern Marylander, Gioffre has fished the river for decades, so I forgot about the tournament tactics title and checked out the small type under it that says it's a "Personal bass fishing guide for the rest of us." It would have been great if the author had used it as the primary title."

"Forget all the thank you messages sent out to people who've helped him over the years; forget his use of certain home-grown names of fishing spots, such as Beverly's Bend in the Mattawoman Creek. You won't find it on an official NOOA or U.S. Coast & Geodetic map, so it's of no use to newcomers and visitors to the famous bass river and its tributaries. But in the majority of instances, Gioffre sticks with official government-given names."

"All the nitpicking aside, the author provides some 225 nicely instructive color photos, some of them shown sequentially to reveal a certain fallen tree or a cove at high tide, offering very little by way of what's beneath the water, but then is followed with another shot that shows a tree trunk or a deep ditch during an extremely low tide. Bingo! You're looking at productive bass fishing spots."

"Gioffre provides more than 100 GPS coordinates, all of them neatly indexed to lead you directly to the best bass locations. He amply describes every area, offering tips and hints on how to fish them, speed of lure retrieval, types of lures used, comparisons of the live baits in the river and the lures that match them -- it's all there."

"Whenever the author uses subtitles such as "Tournament Tactics 13" simply make it your own fishing tactic. Ignore the tournament talk because Gioffre's advice is just as useful for folks who don't care about cast-for-cash contests."

[Brownhl]

I bought it last year and it really made a difference in my fishing. I am a newby to bass fishing and the Potomac (7 years now) and was mostly lost out there regarding where to go, when to go there and what to use. It has been invaluable for a retiree who just wants a day on the river during the week to enjoy fishing. Joe has also been helpful answering questions I have sent him by email.

[BlaineFred]

I've read the reviews of the Gioffre book by the two newspaper columnists, and I'm interested in the book.

But I prefer to have seen the book and looked through it before spending $50.

Furthermore, the book's description says that GPS points are provided. Unfortunately, I don't have a GPS, so I'm wondering how useful the book would be without a GPS. By the way, I was considering purchasing a GPS before reading the description.

As I understand it, the book contains many photos of locations. But to be most useful, there should be an accompanying description of the water conditions, tidal status, and the techniques that were used to catch bass at each location, and whether it was during pre-spawn, spawn, summer, fall, late fall, winter, etc.

I attempted to call Gioffre at the number listed in whitepages.com, but it's busy all the time, and it may not be a valid number.

I may have seen the book last year at a fishing show or flea market somewhere. I recall looking through a loose-leaf binder type of book, but I can't remember where.

Will Gioffre be at Sykesville?

I would appreciate any additional insight that you can provide.

[Brownhl]

He does have color photos of the key locations, and includes what lures and colors works best there at what time of the year. In this regard he covers spring, summer, fall and winter patterns, as well as the time of pre spawn and post spawn. He even goes so far as to show some locations at extreme low tide so you can see what the normally under water structure looks like. His descriptions of locations, with the photos, is so complete you do not need a GPS to tell you where it is. Every time I look at mine I cannot believe the detail he has provided. You could carry the book with you and get along very well. I never knew there were wintering locations in the Mattawoman until I saw them in his book. If you do not have one, get the GMCO Professional Series Map of the Potomac. It is invaluable and I believe they are $9.00. Most tackle shops sell them, as well as Boater's World and WalMart. I marked my map with all of his locations.

This is an 8x10 spiral bound book printed on glossy paper.

I do know that Joe and wife work at the nuclear power plant full time.

Hope this helps.

[Potomacbass]

Just as a side note the GMCO Pro map you suggested is also available from this site here:
http://www.potomacbass.com/shop/itemdetail.cfm?item_number=1091809190

-Jonathan Gentry