Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Pennyfield Lock Smallie question/ stumped

Sean,

FWIW: I was out at Lock 10/Swainson's Island last night -south of you — but same thing. In three + hours covering just under a mile on foot, I spotted two fish (one, a carp), and hardly any forage at all. I've been in MD for 3+ years, and right now is about as close to "dead water" as I have ever seen this stretch,  between Locks 6 & 10… what I'd consider my home water.

-Steve

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 12, 2025, at 1:35 PM, David Vazquez <nwfloridian@gmail.com> wrote:


I was up around Brunswick yesterday morning. It was a little slow, but I landed three and had a couple of other swipes before losing my phone and car keys (which brought the fishing to a screeching halt). But while I was looking for my lost phone/keys later in the am, I saw quite a few fish, some in the 20-inch range. I wouldn't say I saw huge numbers, but there were more fish I wasn't catching than I imagined. They were super duper spooky. I didn't even have a rod with me and they were spooking before I got within 30 feet of them—most likely due to the crunch of gravel under my wader boots. But I have heard that the fishing was much better in the past. I've only been fishing them for the past three or so years, but I usually manage 5-10 decent fish, with usually a really nice one or two thrown in. 

Dave

On Tuesday, August 12, 2025 at 12:01:51 PM UTC-4 jhaner...@gmail.com wrote:

Sean,

I have written similar things to the above regarding the upper potomac over the years.  When i first began fly fishing as a teenager between 2012-2014, i used to go out to various areas on upper potomac (lock 7, lock 10, swains lock area, harpers ferry, seneca creek, etc...), barely being able to cast at that time, and would catch smallies every day, in large numbers.  Since ~2015, it seems that the population has gotten crushed (likely by high water events, pollution, etc....)  I no longer live in the DC area, but fished the upper potomac quite a bit during the summer of 2020, and probably caught a total of 3 smallies over 8 outings....the fishery seemed to just be completely dead, and many others have voiced this.  

Within the potomac watershed, i really only fish for smallies on the Monocacy (where i have actually done pretty well since 2019), but if i get the itch to target smallmouth, i make the drive to the juniata or Susquehanna.  I typically do a float on the juniata every summer, and a "bad day" on a 6 mile float for me during the summer is 20 landed fish.  I have had days of landing over 100 fish, and even some in the 4lb range (though the majority of fish are closer to 10-12 inches).

I do not know what has happened to the potomac smallmouth population over the last 10-12 years, but it is a real bummer.  I have not fished the upper potomac for smallmouth in over 3 years, but would be curious to hear if others have noticed the above.

Tight lights,

JH 

On Tuesday, August 12, 2025 at 11:06:50 AM UTC-4 Sean Fine wrote:

I've been fishing the Upper Potomac since the late '80s. A few nights ago, I floated from Seneca Breaks to Pennyfield, fishing until about 10 p.m. I expected the topwater bite to be incredible as dusk set in—but it was absolutely dead. I had a few swipes at my fly and one fish follow, but not a single hookup.

I cycled through a smaller topwater Kreelix, a dragonfly pattern, Ole Mr. Wiggly, and, once it got dark, a frog pattern. I fished mid-river, along the banks, and everywhere in between—still no bites. My son was with me throwing a small floating Rapala, and he also came up empty.

I was stumped. I saw very few fish breaking the surface and almost no damsel or dragonfly activity. The only noticeable insect activity was swarms of what looked like caddis flies, but nothing seemed to be feeding on them. As I pulled my raft out at the dock and headed home, I noticed a full moon—maybe that played a role?

It was a strange evening, especially because just a week earlier I had fished the same stretch at 5 a.m. and fish were chasing minnows everywhere.

I fish this section often, but I can't help wondering if there aren't as many fish here as there used to be,  or there is too much opressure here, or if they've moved to another part of the river due to the recent high water.

It's been driving me crazy—especially since I was hoping to put my son on some great fish that night. I'd love to hear your thoughts or ideas on what might have been going on.

Thanks so much,
Sean

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