Trout Recon - North Branch Potomac (Gormania)

This is the first in a series of articles that will work downstream on the North Branch of the Potomac from Gormania to Lostland Run. I did not have time to actually fish this section.  Instead, I checked it out from an accessibility perspective and gave an eyeball to the quality of the water. I looked at this on a Friday, so the pressure was not there - hard to say what this looks like on the weekends.  However, having been on other water up here, I doubt that this stretch sees much action.  Those who head to the North Branch are probably looking for the wilder water that you can find inside the Potomac State Park. This section of the river is calm and wide.  As you can see from the pictures, the water is not boiling downstream - more of a meander as would be expected from the topo map that shows the river flowing through a wide spot between the mountains and not really dropping much in elevation. There are plenty of turnoffs on this section.  You can park there and then walk down to the railroad track that runs next to the river and use it to scoot up or downstream.  From the road, it looks like it is not that deep, but this is a deceptively clear river, so I would recommend you take chest waders.  Given the overgrowth on the banks, your best bet will be to wade in the water to move up or down stream.  I did not see any evidence of a fisherman's trail next to the water, but one may exist. Switchfisher's bottom line:  Worth more than a recon.  From the boundary of the park upstream for about 8 miles is all good trout water with no special regulations. Given the extreme danger of the North Branch in the park from the very slippery rocks, this would be a better place to fish if you are by yourself.  It's close enough to the built up area where you could get help if you needed it.	Getting There:  For detailed directions, please purchase either the North Branch Map Book for $4.95 or the full 190 page Fishing guide to the North Branch for $9.95.  After checkout, you can download the books instantly. The fishing guide is also available in hardcopy - click here Both books include detailed directions overlaid on topo maps with pictures for the confusing places to get you to the river.  The key difference is that the full book walks you up the river from Westernport to Wilson using over 140 pictures with a detailed discussion of what to expect beyond the parking lot. Sorry to have to do this, but selling these eBooks is how I support the cost of maintaining this site.  Please support the site.
At the bottom of this picture, you can see the railbed.	This shot is typical of the river in this section; wide, calm and quiet.
Looking upstream from about the halfway point on this section	At the bridge in Gormania

 Unless stated otherwise, this article was authored by Steve Moore

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Finally, access points may be different or restricted based on changes in property ownership since posting the original article.  It is up to you to make sure you are fishing where it is legal.