Lots of bass anglers know about the terrific largemouth fishing in the lower tidal portions of the Potomac River around Washington, D.C. But what sometimes gets overlooked is that this river also offers superb smallmouth bass action for over 100 miles upstream from the Nation’s Capital.
Bronzebacks (smallmouth bass) are not native to the Potomac, but were introduced by railroad in 1854. As a train crossed the river, a worker dumped a bucket full of fingerlings off the trestle and the fish expanded from there. Today they occupy all the waters above the Nation’s Capital to the headwaters in West Virginia.
The dividing line between largemouth and smallmouth water basically starts around the D.C. city limits. From that point all the way upstream to its inception the Potomac offers a beguiling mixture of boisterous rapids, swirling eddies, gentle riffles and rocky outcroppings that grow outsized bronzebacks.
Wade fishing is a great way to approach the fish in this river, though care must be taken around swift water and deep holes. Always wear a floatation vest and use a wading staff.
Some prime spots to wade fish include Brunswick, Point of Rocks, Violets Lock, Swains Lock and the Route 340 bridge. Most of these spots have a good mix of still water, pools, eddies and riffles to wet a line in.
I enjoy wade fishing, but my favorite way to fish the upper Potomac, is float fishing from a canoe, johnboat or inflatable raft. If you are young and agile, you can even use a kayak. Cast as you go and anchor out when you come upon particularly good looking spots.
A few potential floats worth taking are from Brunswick to the Route 15 bridge at Point of Rocks (7 miles), from Dam #4 to Snyders Landing (8 miles), from Hancock to McCoys Ferry (13 miles), and from C&O Canal Lock 56 to Hancock (12 miles).
If you choose to use a boat with a motor instead of floating, try the area around Sharpsburg, off Harpers Ferry Road. Taylor’s Landing, Snyder’s Landing and Dargan Landing are three spots where you can launch a boat and return by motor after the day’s fishing.
You can catch Potomac River smallmouths on bait, lures and flies. For bait, nothing can top a lively shiner or hellgrammite on a size 1 or 2 hook with a couple of split shot and an optional bobber.
If you prefer lures, go with thin minnow plugs, medium-diving crankbaits, spinnnerbaits, soft plastic jerkbaits, small plastic worms, topwater plugs such as the Tiny Torpedo, and perhaps best of all, 1/8-1/4 ounce lead-head grubs. Best colors for these latter lures include motor oil, smoke, chartreuse and purple. A good spinning outfit with 6-8 pound line is perfect for lure fishing.
For fly fishing an 8-9 foot rod with a 6-8 weight forward or bass taper floating line and a 6-9 foot leader tapering to a 6-8 pound tippet is ideal. Surface fishing using flies is excellent unless the waters are high and cloudy from spring rains. Go with chartreuse or white poppers, deer hair bugs and large trout flies such as the Grey Wulff, Stimulator, White Miller, Irresistible or Goofus Bug.
For sub-surface fishing, stock large stonefly and hellgrammite nymph patterns or streamers such as the Zonker, Clouser Minnow, Woolly Bugger, Strymph, or Sculpin. Use sizes 1-4 for streamers, 8-12 for nymphs.
Split shot can help if the waters are high. Optionally, you can keep a spare spool or extra reel handy rigged with a high-density sinking tip when fish are holding deep.
Bronzebacks are the main quarry, but you can also expect to catch stray channel catfish, plus lots of rock bass, bluegills, redbreast sunfish, and occasional largemouths mixed in.
Yes, our local Shenandoah River is a great smallmouth river. But if you want to branch out and try a new spot for this quarry that angling legend A.J. McClane called “the greatest freshwater gamefish of all,” give the Potomac a try. It’s only an hour or two away and has plenty of feisty smallmouths waiting to grab lures, flies and bait.
Credit: Source link
