Humbled on the Upper Potomac

[Nick F - Gaucho Fly]

Took the nucanoe down from Old Anglers to Lock 8 yesterday with a buddy and what seemed like a promising morning quickly turned into a fiasco.  While the bass seemed to be active on top early morning (not sure what they were hitting) we could not get one to strike. Though the river was very low, there still seemed to be a few promising spots along the way, but no matter what we threw, we couldn't find any takers. From there, things went even quieter as the sun got high and things went from bad to worse shortly thereafter.  Perhaps a bit too complacent with the river as low as it was, we managed to dump the boat in one of the deeper chutes about two hours into the float.  We were lucky to escape unscathed and recouped most of our gear after some search and rescue efforts below the rapids (including a frantic swim 200 yards downstream to catch up with a runaway paddle), but the incident was a good reminder of how important it is to keep safety in mind, and everything tied down and in waterproof containers.

In the end, we made it back in one piece but with only three very small bass between us to show for our efforts, and lots of wet gear. Hopefully some of you had better success in the upper Potomac this weekend, so curious to hear what others encountered and whether anyone found success...  As for me, it might be time to start fishing the Shenandoah instead!

[Bob Smith]

The day you had is paying dues for a better day coming! Stick with it on the Potomac and wear a life vest. 😎

[namfos]

Amen on the PFD. I was out on Potomac yesterday, approx. 8:30 am til 2:30 in my kayak. Paddled from Riley's Lock up to Tenfeet Island. Saw lots of herons, a couple of cool water snakes, one sunfish and one catfish and caught nada. I did manage to refresh my tan. And decided I need an anchor trolley for my kayak.  

Anglers might be liars, but we're also optimists. There will be better days.

Mark

[Charles.Tapp]

I fished Lock 10 up to the cabin at Plummers Island from noon until 4pm on foot. I had never fished this stretch of the river before; the water looked good, but I was amazed at how few fish I saw. 

I was able to land some bluegills and sunfish, but didn't have a single bite from a bass. I did see some carp, mostly quillbacks, but had no luck with these either. 

Sounds like it was a humbling day all around.

Charlie

[Nick F - Gaucho Fly]

Interesting how bad it seemed to be for everyone. Maybe its just how low the river was, but fishing as hard as we did this time of year, one would expect some solid numbers... 

[Carl Z.]

I wonder if the gunk floating down the river and the hot temperatures have the Oxygen so low that the fish have gone into hiding. Hopefully fall will be better.

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[namfos]

I'm just hoping September 18 will be better. That's my next fishing staycation.

Mark

[Jonathan Strong]

I rented a cabin in Paw Paw, WV on the river Aug 23-29 and caught like one tiny smallmouth despite diligent efforts. I was convinced that section of the river must be bad but sounds like maybe it was something else.