There was one other area that I needed to fish in the Brunswick region. According to the map of the Upper Potomac that I have, there's a good stretch downstream from the Brunswick Family Campground that I had to investigate. After fishing the  Upper Potomac near the Harpers Ferry bridge, I drove down to the campground and pulled into the parking lot. I walked over to the office and asked if I could park there while I hiked down the towpath. The very nice administrator told me that the campground is owned by the city and that not only could I park but that the boat launch was free as well. All good news! Once back outside, I looked at the campground and was favorably impressed with its cleanliness and the variety of the facilities that it offered. There were broad grassy areas, picnic pavilions, and even a nice restroom available for use. In addition to tent campers, there were numerous people here with RVs. Since I did not have my canoe with me, I hit the towpath and headed south. According to the map, the area I needed to fish was about a mile down the river from the parking area. With an eye on my GPS to measure my penetration, I quickly covered that distance and began looking for a good spot to cut over to the river. I finally found a place where I could twist through the underbrush and slowly worked my way to the river's edge. As the shoreline came into view, I was stunned to see an array of big smallies lined up in front of me, finning in the calm water. I quickly hid behind a tree and rigged up a damselfly in a desperate attempt to try and make an easy catch. After a few frantic flips, I finally got it out into the water only to watch it drift by the smallies -- evoking no interest on their part. In short order, they became aware of my presence, gave me a dirty look, and slowly swam away. Encouraged by that evidence of fish activity, I decided to begin fishing right here instead of going back to the towpath and heading farther downstream. When I waded out into the river, I was impressed by how wide and generally shallow it was. It had a rocky bottom with periodic boulders and fallen timber to add structure to the mix. There were also weed beds growing in the center that provided additional structure without being obnoxious and overwhelming. Since I had seen the big guys next to the shoreline, I decided to work the bank with an eye on a deep cut that was a bit farther out to the middle of the river. I waded out 20 feet, looked up and downstream and decided to fish my way down. There were plenty of large shade trees throwing black bands of coolness across the river. I also wanted to keep an eye on the deep cut towards the center of the river and fish both sides as I moved downstream. Since it was late in the afternoon and I only had an hour to fish, I decided to make one decision on the lure and stick with it. Wanting to maximize my chances, I decided to put my trust in a large grasshopper and tied a damselfly on as the dropper. On my first cast to the shoreline, I pulled in a good smallie who slammed the grasshopper. He was pushing 13 inches long and proved that the fish were hanging next to the shore. I continued to pick up fish as I focused on the shoreline, so I ignored the center strip and moved downstream. Every fallen log, every tree, and every patch of the vegetation waving gently in the current proved to be a holding place for some kind of fish. I was stunned by the size of the sunfish in this area; most of them could cover my hand! Not wanting to ignore the center strip , I turned my back on the productive shoreline and flipped the same set of flies into the center. That turned out to be a bad decision - not as good as the shoreline but I did pick up a few fish out where I could float the flies across a rock or a log poking up out of the river. I fished downstream about a quarter-mile until I came upon a spit of land poking out into the river. I decided that that was as good a place as any to leave the river as it looked like the towpath passed close by and I would not have to climb up the cliff that protected the bank. With one last cast picking up one last sunfish, I put away my gear, turned my back and headed back to the truck. Bottom Line: The Upper Potomac never disappoints me. Each new place I discover is another place that I resolve to return to explore in more detail. The area south of the Brunswick boat launch is no exception. Remember that, except for a few probing casts, I ignored the river beyond the skinny strip of land next to the shoreline. As I fished my way down, I could see fish rising out of the center -- demonstrating the wide dispersion of the fish population here. This also looks like it's deep enough to float the canoe so I can round up the Basswife and bring her back here and we can both have a good day.

Pressure Trout Size N/A Physical Fitness Bass Size Access Regulations Hard to Find Stocking Scenery Overall 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. Getting There: I hate to do this, but I support the site by selling books.   My book on the Upper Potomac - "Wade and Shoreline Fishing the Potomac River for Smallmouth Bass" is available in both ebook format (instant download) or traditional print. This book walks the 57.3 miles upstream from the Chain Bridge in DC to Harpers Ferry, WV using words, annotated maps and over 200 pictures to provide you exact references while removing any doubt about what to expect in each section of the river.  The 230+pages include detailed directions, 42 maps, 45 tables and 208 GPS coordinates - more detail than you will see in any other fishing guidebook. You can purchase the eBook version for $9.95 by clicking on the buttons below:        To purchase the traditional print version: Secrets Revealed?  No.  This is a very public location that is documented in the following places: Virginia VDGIF Maryland DNR  Fishing the upper Potomac River Tell a friend about this article by clicking on this link Date Fished: 09/05/2009

Upstream from the entry point

Downstream from the entry point