I expanded my exploration of the upper Potomac to include the areas downstream of River Bend Park. The first place I visited was the Carderock Park on the C&O Canal. It was easy to find -- a quick turn off the Clare Barton Parkway and you soon find yourself in a parking lot facing an open field containing picnic tables separated from the river by a narrow band of trees. After changing into my swimsuit without embarrassing myself or anyone else, I grabbed my stuff and I hit the trail to the river only to be brought up short by a sign planted prominently at the trailhead indicating wading was an offense punishable by death.  Well... it was not that strict, but it lumped wading into a category of prohibited activities. That was not a good development! I've seen one of these signs over on Turkey Run and had to work around that by leveraging all of the rock ledges that existed in that area. Shrugging my shoulders, I walked down to the river hoping for similar rock patterns. Now, I always wear my life preserver when fishing on the Potomac so I'm not really concerned about drowning as long as the water is at a reasonable level. What I am concerned about is getting fined as I would rather spend that money on buying more fly fishing junk I don't need rather than feeding the government. I was disappointed as I left the trees and slid down the steep bank to stand with wet feet on the shore. What I was looking at was a broad bay -- no structure -- nothing I could climb out on and avoid breaking the law. I did notice a rocky section farther downstream which supported lateral movement into the heart of the river but, before I walked down there, I may as well fish the shoreline. In it turns out that was a good call. I picked up a couple smallies right off the bat by flipping out 2 inch plastic grubs fly rigged as I discussed in an earlier post. Encouraged by the action, I walked down and danced across the rocks to get a little bit farther out into the river. In early September when I was here, the river was not that bad. It had plenty of water but not so much as to present a challenge to fishing. I fished all of the cuts between the rocks that I could reach and continued to pick up panfish and another couple of smallies. I saw one other fisherman when I was here and there was no evidence of trash along the shore. Bottom Line: The prohibition on wading and the lack of trash leads me to believe that the pressure is moderate on this section. As you can see from the map this is the "Stubblefield Falls" section of the river which is probably why it's posted with the warnings against wading. During high water periods, I imagine this could quickly become very dangerous. Even though I caught fish here, I do not think I will return because it's just too awkward to have to fish from the bank. Secrets Revealed?  No.  This is a very public location that is documented on the Maryland DNR and RiverExplorer websites.	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:
Downstream from the entry point	Upstream from the entry point
Nice rock field downstream	River broadens beyond the rock field