Trip Report - North Branch Potomac River - Memorial Day Weekend 2018

[Connor Donovan]

Spent this past weekend fishing the Savage and floating the North Branch Potomac with some fellow TPFRers and friends.  Arrived on Friday evening and fished from 7:30 pm until dark and landed a nice brown trout.  On Saturday we floated Westernport to McCoole with flows hovering around 950 cfs.  We caught fish on double nymph rigs throughout the day and landed a nice rainbow on a crayfish imitation.  We were on the water from about 9:30 am to 5:00 pm and hustled up to the Savage to fish for the rest of the evening which included a few more fish brought to hand.  Both nights, the evening spinner activity on the Savage was very thick but didn't notice much activity on the North Branch during the day.  Flows on the Savage were right at 200 cfs all weekend.  We tried enticing a few rising fish on Saturday evening but to no avail, only on nymphs.  On Sunday we floated the Barnum stretch from Blue Hole down to town.  The dam was releasing in the 450-475 cfs range.  Although we didn't catch nearly as many fish as Saturday, the water level and weather were perfect all day and included views of about a dozen springs that transformed into waterfalls coming over hillside cliffs into the river.  On this trip, from all the springs and waterfalls, this stretch of river looked more like a spring creek than it's typical clear-self. We were on the water at about 11:30 am, reached the take out at 4 pm, and after a quick ride to grab the shuttle car, we were on the road shortly after 5 pm. 

At the put-in on Saturday (Westernport) we spoke to a few guides waiting for clients.  They mentioned that a few river features below the paper plant had changed due to the recent high water and that a fishing vessel, maybe a raft (can't remember), recently flipped in the ledge rapid close to Speedy Mart/Gas Station towards to the take-out.  Apparently a rock shifted in the lower portion of the rapid and at lower flows could become an issue.  We noticed a few changes on a our float, mostly some of the regular down trees no longer in their typical spot or the odd rock no longer blocking a route but didn't notice the rock they mentioned likely due to the higher flow.    They also brought up river temps and fish mortality.  With temps in the 80's on Saturday, we kept a close eye on the water temps throughout the day with the highest reading being 66 degrees at the takeout.  

Anyone planning to head up there to float in the coming months, take a thermometer to monitor river temps and above all else, be safe.  

[Charlie Church]

Awesome work, Connor. 

That brown is awesome. 

[Misha Gill]

Awesome fish and great report! Where did you guys camp?

[Connor Donovan]

Thanks guys!  

We camped up on the Savage in the grass lot.  Seemed there were more RV's and yappy dogs than I usually encounter on weekends up there but could have just been the holiday weekend.

[Abdullah bin Bobby At-Taaeb]

Where is the Savage?

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[John Hammill]

It’s in Garrett County out near Deep Creek Lake. It’s a tributary to the north branch of the Potomac. Many sections are in the shade and the section right below the reservoir is great fun and challenging. Hike up as far as legal from the parking lot and fish down from there. The spot right above the lot has a huge pool and is over fished. Careful with some of the currents and slippery rocks. I took my one and only header in that section of the Savage. There’s much shade it’s hard to see, and it’s slippery and some of the channels when crossing can be deep and fast, depending on CFM.

Good luck!

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