With the higher flows this year many larger bass rivers have been discolored or blown out but in the last couple weeks they have settled down to nice summer flows. I really enjoy the upper Potomac and fish it now more since the decline of the lower Susky. While I don't think it can quite compare to the Susky back in the glory days, it fishes very well for bass as well as walleyes, catties, muskies, and redbreast sunnies. Further west around Cumberland and points upriver you can start to see big trout too. I got out on it yesterday for the first time this season and did okay. I like conditions with low and clear water for smallies. The water was down to a good level although heavily stained, I think from an algea bloom rather than runoff. Temp was an ideal 77 degrees F. The larger pools, at least where I was, are already choked with river grass which seems a bit early this year. While it provides a lot of cover, it can make fishing tough. I did okay, not great, getting perhaps a dozen smallies with none of any size. I did get a couple of the biggest RB sunfish I've seen in awhile. There was a sporadic mayfly hatch all evening, looked like a #14 Lt Cahill or sulpher but nothing was rising to 'em. Most of my bass came on a popper or diver. A weedless streamer worked okay too. I like to fish large rubber legged nymphs under a strike indicator and this worked around some of the deeper shoreline cover. Anyway, it was a nice evening but from now on I think I will avoid the big pools due to the weeds and focus on rocky areas with faster current, esp now that water levels have dropped.
Potomac River, Washington Co MD, 07/08/09
- Thread starter Fishidiot
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3wt7X
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Dave,
It is good to hear that you made it down to the potomac. I enjoy fly fishing it, but I've only been able to spin cast fish it this year. I've done pretty well on bass an the occational walleye. The sunfish in there seem to fight really hard and I've caught a few nice ones myself on a wooly bugger. I look forward to getting out there for some wet wading below dam 5.
It is good to hear that you made it down to the potomac. I enjoy fly fishing it, but I've only been able to spin cast fish it this year. I've done pretty well on bass an the occational walleye. The sunfish in there seem to fight really hard and I've caught a few nice ones myself on a wooly bugger. I look forward to getting out there for some wet wading below dam 5.
