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After hitting the Potomac with John at Harper's Ferry, I was pumped for more smallie action! As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I work at Gaithersburg every Thursday. Up until now, I had been focused on checking out the trout streams that were within about 45 minutes of the office - going fishing to wait for the traffic to die down.
Well, all the trout are gone are lethargic now that summer has had its way with us, so in August, I started working the rest of the Potomac. With a copy of Penrod's "Fishing the Upper Potomac" in hand, I navigated easily to the Violets Locks area which marked the start of the broad stretch of rapids knows as the "Seneca Breaks".
I rolled in around 1600 hrs on a Thursday and was immediately surprised that I was not alone! Other folks exploit this great public resource after work as well. There were a bunch of bait guys working the shore, bikers and hikers. After a careful look around, I positioned my car so I could change into my bathing suit without losing my modesty or shocking any passerby and loaded up with my bass gear - 6 wt rod and assorted terrestrial patterns.
The first thing that you realize is that you have far too many choices here! After dancing around the poison ivy to get to the shore, I looked out over a vast expanse of great looking water. All I could see was rock after rock after rock; each of which protected a pocket of deep calm that promised action. The current was fairly swift and it kicked up waves around the rocks. Made me glad that I had my wading staff with me, but also made me wish that I had worn my life jacket. Since I did not have waders on, a misstep would not be fatal - as long as I did not bounce my head off a rock.
Under the pressure of time, I walked as far out into the middle of the river as I could and still leave decent time for fishing. You do not move quickly here. Every step is measured and tested. There is plenty of underwater grass that all hides a sharp boulder waiting to turn your ankle or bark your shin.
Since there was fast water, I started with nymphs since I had good results with them at Harper's - no action beyond the trusty bluegills that huddled everywhere. This was before I had read Dave Cartier's book and I did not know about the affinity that smallies have for hellgrammites - I did not have any of those on this trip.
Failing with the nymphs, I switched to hopper patterns and large stimulators. Bang! The smallies perked up and jumped on these without a second thought. It was quantity vs quality. At my stage in fly fishing, quantity is a better choice as it allows me to tune my "technique" and refine my skills. I still find that I jerk the fly out of the mouth of the fish as it swirls and sucks it in. Geez. Got to insert that delay before popping the hook.
I worked from rock to rock and fished each pool as I came to it. There was a routine. First, the bluegills investigated and snapped happily at the offering. Second, the smallies would line up. I found I had to work the fly out farther from the rocks to get them away from the bluegills and give the smallies a chance to take a whack.
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Remember to refer to my rating explanations - these are based on what I look for - so RED for Physical Fitness translates to easy physically - you do not need to be in shape to fish this section. I prefer terrain that is tough to get into and out of.
I spent about 3 hours working the pattern shown on the map above.
I also tried streamers in the deeper sections. Every living creature was happy to strike at the Patuxent Special worked slowly back on sinking line.
The key observation from this second wading foray into the Potomac was that the water is deceptive. Any calm section can either be an 6 inches or 6 feet deep. With the late afternoon glare on the water, it is difficult to tell. My solution was to work around to bet the sun at the right angle to provide some color to the glare. Once I started working the greener color patches and holes, I laid into more of the smallies.
Bottom Line: I wonder about the pressure. This might be better in the winter or first thing when it warms up. That will give the bigger fish guys time to move back into position. Of course, the big guys may already be there but were not impressed with my fishing skills... Would I go back? Yes - especially when I run out of other options for my after work fishing expeditions.
Getting there: Easy. Just turn on Violets Lock road off River Road. When you look at the map of the Maryland side of the Potomac, River Road is the long road that runs the length of the upper Potomac in this area.
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