Potomac River Fishing Guides and Conditions, Maryland

About the Potomac River

Above the fall line at Washington the Potomac is a completely different river from the tidal water most people picture. From Cumberland down through Hancock, Williamsport, Shepherdstown, Harpers Ferry, Point of Rocks and on to Whites Ferry it is wide, shallow, ledgy and full of grass beds, and it fishes as one of the best smallmouth bass rivers in the eastern United States. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath runs along the entire Maryland bank, which gives the river something few big rivers have: continuous public access for a hundred and eighty miles.

Smallmouth are the fishery. The combination of ledge rock, grass beds and abundant crayfish and baitfish produces both numbers and quality, and float trips in a raft or jet boat are the standard guided day. Largemouth take the slower backwaters and the grass, channel and flathead catfish are abundant, walleye run in the spring, and muskellunge have become a serious cold-weather pursuit in the reaches above Harpers Ferry. Striped bass come up as far as Great Falls in the spring below Point of Rocks.

The Point of Rocks gauge is the reference number for the whole middle reach and the one that guides quote. Moderate readings mean wadeable ledges, clear water and good floating. High spring water or a big rain in the Shenandoah Valley browns it out and makes the ledges dangerous; it clears from the top down over several days. Late-summer lows are clear, grassy and technical, and the best fishing is at first and last light. Wading anglers should respect the ledges, which drop off abruptly.

Point of Rocks, Brunswick, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown and Williamsport are the access towns along the corridor.

Access

Point of Rocks: boat ramp and access at the gauge.
Brunswick and Lander: C and O Canal ramps and campsites.
Harpers Ferry and the Shenandoah confluence: the best-known reach.
Dargan Bend and Antietam Creek: canal access points upstream.
Shepherdstown and Taylors Landing: mid-river ramps.
Williamsport and Dam Number 5: upper reaches and the pool water.
C and O Canal towpath: continuous bank access along the entire Maryland shore.

Seasons

March and April: walleye and high spring water; muskellunge fishing at its best.
May and June: the strongest smallmouth months, spawning and post-spawn.
July and August: low clear water, grass beds, topwater at dawn and dusk.
September through November: the biggest smallmouth of the year and excellent floating.