On this visit to Pennyfield, I decided to go right to the water, walk upstream a bit and then fish my way over to the big island.  On my last visit here, I walked down the C&O towpath and then popped in the river to follow the same strategy with a smaller island.  Given the great time I had on that adventure, I was convinced this was the correct approach upstream as well. The character of the river had not changed.  The water was still low and flat with the sun creating a wicked reflection in the late afternoon.  It was warm enough to wet wade, so I left my waders in the car and hit the river.  After dealing with the initial shock of the cool water, I churned my way out to the middle.  Pennyfield, as I mentioned in the other post, is a big flat lake.  There is no rushing water, not structure; just hidden rocks that lurk under the surface and hold tons of stringly green vegetation.  The grass like vegetation grows in pods and forms a set of pools all over the river.  My correct assumption was that the fish would hang near the fringes of the cover and target anything that drifted into their overhead window.  Loading up a size 6 popper, I started to work that strategy.  Instant results with the bluegills lining up to take a whack at the popper. But, I was after smallies.  I decided that the close attack I was using might be putting them down.  With all the grass, I would try and sneak my way up to a "pool", position far enough away not to spook it and then cast in.  The calculus was to be far away, but avoid hauling a lot of grass in on your fly as you stripped it back off the water for the next cast.  Given that conclusion, I looked around for a larger set of clear water and spotted some over closer to Watkins Island. I slowly waded over, dodging the few rocks that are in this area and positioned myself next to where the current was creating a small stir as it swept down the eastern bank of Watkins.  I was able to attack this from about 30 feet away and that was the ticket.  I started picking up a few small smallies that were in the 12 inch range as shown below in the pictures. While all of us would like to get the monsters, I'm happy with any size smallie as they are real fighters and fun to work on a long rod. I continued to follow the current down the bank.  On this particular day, poppers that were yellow or black seemed to be the ticket.  As a side note, I recently read that bass see best in the red and green spectrums, but the best color is black and silver.  I am going to look for a popper in that color for use this coming season to see how that plays out. The water here has a slight green stain which could just be a function of all the vegetation.  I did not take this into account when selecting lures, but probably should in the future as well as the visibility of a green popper might be minimized in green tinted water. Bottom Line:  Pennyfield Lock is already a popular spot and I can see why.  If you are willing to cut away from the bank, get wet, you will also get into some fish.  The walking here is easy.  I did not feel like I needed a wading staff, but I did need my stream boots. The bottom is a bit slippery and if you wade here with sneakers, you may slip as you walk over the submerged, moss covered rocks.	Pressure Trout Size 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 - the hot spots map of the Upper Potomac covers this area and there is a good write up on RiverSmallies.com
Looking up river.  Broad and flat	Watkins Island
The Maryland shore from Watkins
Clumps of vegetation like this complicated the fishing	Nothing better than the early evening to be out fishing
Nice underwater smallie