Fly Fishing the North Branch of the Potomac River. Harold Harsh

      North Branch of the Potomac River (Maryland–West Virginia)

       Location: The North Branch is in western Maryland, forming the border between West Virginia and Maryland. It is 2½ hours from Pittsburgh, and 3 hours from the Baltimore/Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia metropolitan area. Hagerstown, Maryland Regional Airport is 2 hours away; Morgantown, West Virginia Regional Airport is 1½ hours away.

      The North Branch of Potomac tailwater section begins below Jennings Randolph Lake and holds trout for 19 miles. Jennings Randolph Lake was completed in 1982 for flood control and water-quality improvements. The North Branch (or NB) was a dead river due to acid mine drainage for more than 100 years, but with the advent of the dam, plus five lime dosers upstream of the lake, the pH has increased enough to sustain trout. The first rainbow and brown trout stockings began in the late 1980s. While there is some natural reproduction in the river, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources stock fingerlings in the catch-and-release areas, and keeper-size fish in the put-and-take areas.

      Water temps in the early spring hover in the mid-40s to 50 degrees and rarely rise above 65. Wade anglers should look for flows below 350 cfs, and be careful; this is a slick-bottomed river that runs fast and deep with the very clear water. The State of Maryland has banned the use of felt-soled wading boots in all streams. Float fishers want water flows from 200-600 cfs. Inflatables are the way to go, due to the very rocky nature of the river. All the guides use rafts on the upper 7 miles. There are four weekend whitewater releases in the spring, starting in mid-April and running every other weekend through May. Flows during these releases are 1,000 cfs when they ramp up early on Saturday, with the flows continuing through Sunday afternoon. The dates of these releases are set in early January and posted on the Army Corps website. The rest of the time, flows are dictated by the lake level and the amount of rain and snow received in the area. Flows are very predictable through the summer and into the winter.

      The mile-long catch-and-release area just below the dam is walk-and-wade, accessed through West Virginia from Barnum Road, then walking upstream of the parking lot along the old railroad bed, which is open only to foot traffic and bicycles. This is artificial lures only, and anglers must have no bait of

      Wading the Potomac and changing flies. Harold R. Harsh