Lock 7 was easy to find. It's a quick drive down the Clara Barton Parkway.  Be alert for the small sign that marks the turn into the Lock 7 parking lot on the right. The trail to the river starts at the north end of the parking lot, goes downhill and around a small house where you cross the bridge onto the tow path. Since I did not have a lot of time to fish on the late September evening I was here, I pushed my way through the brush onto the first dim trail off the tow path that would lead to the river. Even though the map indicates that this is an area of substantial rapids, it was mostly flat water with a couple rocks poking up here and there. When I waded farther out into the river, I discovered that there were a number of rocks just under the surface which is why there is a rapids designation on the topographical map. There are a few small barrier islands paralleling the shore which you have to walk around before you actually reach the main body of the river. The water was very shallow here and presented no obstacle as I waded farther out. In fact, the collection of fallen trees presented good targets for the initial flips of my fly as most of them sheltered deeper cuts which would hopefully harbored a fish or two. I was rewarded with a couple bluegills in an 8 inch smallie on a size 6 blue popper -- not a bad appetizer as I moved farther and farther out into the river. As you can see from the map, I basically just went straight into the river. Thankfully, there was a ridge of rocks that provided rapid, easy access to support my progress. The Potomac here is a little more challenging than some of the other sections because of the submerged rocks. Since they don't poke above the surface of the water (or a least did not on the day I was there as a result of water levels) you have to use your eyes to detect slight differences in the color of the water to discover the deeper areas that will shelter the fish. I was surprised at how deep some of those holes could be. There were a couple times that I had to retreat and move in a different direction as the water came up above my waist. As I've mentioned before, I always wear a life preserver while fishing on the Potomac because one misstep could find you floating downstream. There were a few other guys fishing downstream from me and it looked like they were having pretty good luck as well. I could hear a few hoots and hollers of "fish on" as they wandered their way down the shoreline moving away from me. I continued to fish my way out into the river until I was finally closed out by deeper water. Looking up and downstream, I saw some other opportunities to detour around the deep spot but decided that there was plenty of water to fish between myself and the shore.  I stood in that spot and caught fish for the next hour. If you follow my track, you'll encounter two deeper areas to your left once you get past the fallen tree shown in the picture below.  One is a small pool of about 20 feet across, and the other is a narrow cut about 10 feet wide. On your right, as you move out, there is a broad shallow pool which ranged up to 6 feet in depth that also held smallies . Therefore, you can have a good time fishing either right or left and catch as much as you want. I found that poppers are not effective once you get beyond rock or tree cover. Therefore, I used my fly rod bass rig loaded with 2 inch grubs of different colors. The current was a little bit faster here so, in addition to the 1/32 oz sliding bullet weight, I added a split shot or two as needed to get the lure down to the bottom. Bottom Line:  It continues to be amazing to me that we have such a great fishery inside the Beltway. Lock 7 is across the river and downstream a little bit from Turkey Run -- which was also a very productive place to fish. You can stand in the river and not realize that you were in the heart of a major metropolitan area. I always feel sorry for the people on the American Legion Bridge as they sit in traffic waiting to get home just upstream from where I am hauling in some nice smallies. I'm glad I can spend the hours that I could sit in a mind-numbing commute pattern out on the water unloading stress after a tough day at work.	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 on the Maryland DNR website as well as RiverSmallies.com
Upstream from entry point	Downstream from entry point
Some other guys fishing along the shore	Interesting structure
Downstream from the middle of the river	Looking over to the Virginia side