Upper Potomac Fishing Trip

Greetings Everyone!  The good news is that the waters have subsided long enough for me to brave the Upper Potomac.  Earlier this week, while visiting my parents, my father and I snuck out to spend a few hours on the river for some summer smallmouth action, and the river did not disappoint.

It's always nice going out on a river with someone familiar with the water, and my father chose a spot packed with smallmouth, and a few other surprises.  While most smallies were subsurface along the edges of the whitewater, requiring a sinking leader to get down quick while moving the fly quickly...luckily I forgot mine, a few were found to take a topwater popper, which I was happy enough to oblige.

Any size smallmouth is a blast on the fly

It is always a blast to catch smallmouth, and even more so off a fly rod.  If you haven't had the chance, I dare you to try.  Pound for pound, they are one of the scrappiest fish, and I dare say more fun than a trout twice its size!  The little guy pictured above was no exception, and decided after several failed attempts to shake the fly while going airborne the best course of action was to do a crazy Ivan, and swim right under a log.  Fortunately, I was able to get Mr. Smallie out from under the submerged tree, and safely land and release...to be caught another day.

In addition to the abundance of smallmouth, my father also managed to land his first tiger muskie.  While it was a far cry from the size of some of the monsters the Potomac is known for, it gave him quite a fit on his ultra light outfit.  Personally, I have yet to battle a hybrid or a full strain muskie on the fly, but, just like my father, there is always a first time for anything.

As expected the rock bass were also quite active, being found near the edges of grasses, and in the shallows along the shore.  What was unexpected, was the occasional walleye we caught in the deeper pools and eddies.  For these, the trick was to get the lure down as far as possible, with slower movements.  I found the greatest success with a half n half, which is basically the offspring of a clouser minnow with a Lefty's deceiver.  Typically, this is a good saltwater striper pattern, but sometimes its worth throwing something they may not have seen before.  As always, tight lines.

An unexpected, but welcomed catch