North Branch Potomac River

The North Branch of the Potomac forms Maryland's border with West Virginia in Garrett and Allegany counties, and after decades of cleanup from acid mine drainage it has become one of the state's best big-river trout fisheries. Cold releases from Jennings Randolph Lake keep the tailwater trout-friendly all summer, with stocked fish plus wild brown, rainbow and brook trout, and the river below Westernport grows trophy rainbows and browns from stocked fingerlings. Smallmouth bass fill the lower river toward Cumberland.

When to fish

• Late spring through fall: the prime season. A guide quoted by DNR puts the best float fishing from June to late November, with caddis, March browns, sulphurs and slate drakes on the water and ants and beetles in summer.
• Summer: the tailwater stays cold, so catch-and-release trout fishing holds up when other streams are too warm.
• All year: the river is open year-round, and DNR lists it among favored winter fly-fishing spots.
• Mid-June to September: the delayed-harvest water in the Potomac State Forest opens to harvest; the rest of the year it's catch and release with artificials.

Where to fish

• Above Jennings Randolph Lake: about 21 miles of stocked water, including delayed-harvest water in the Potomac State Forest between Lostland Run and Wallman. Much of it is remote and reachable only on foot.
• The tailwater below the dam (Barnum): catch-and-return water for lures and flies, with parking along Barnum Road and a popular pool known as the Blue Hole.
• Westernport to Pinto: a catch-and-release trout area and the stretch where rainbows now spawn in the river. Ramps at Westernport, the McCoole Fishery Management Area about four miles down, and the Gary A. Yoder area at Black Oak five miles further make it a classic float.
• Down toward Cumberland: smallmouth bass water.

How to fish it

DNR calls a float in a raft or kayak one of the best ways to fish the river, and suggests going with an experienced guide the first time because of boulder rapids and small falls; its article gives about 300 cfs as a good floating flow. Wading works in summer. Anglers quoted by DNR catch fish on dry flies, nymphs and swung streamers. A Fish & Hunt Maryland writer fishes small attractor dry flies, tan and olive caddis, blue-winged olives on overcast days and small nymphs as droppers, concentrating on riffles, where rainbows sit in summer, and around submerged rocks. For the larger browns and rainbows, try big streamers or minnow and crayfish lures. Spin and fly tackle are both allowed in all the North Branch trout areas.

Getting there

DNR access points include Wallman and Laurel Run Road above the lake, Barnum below the dam, and Bloomington, Westernport, McCoole and Black Oak downstream. Some float put-ins and take-outs may need landowner permission, so plan them ahead. Check flows before you go. The catch-and-return and delayed-harvest areas require artificial lures and barbless hooks and have their own seasons, so read the trout section of the Maryland fishing guide. You need a Maryland nontidal fishing license and a trout stamp. Maryland residents with that license may also fish from the West Virginia bank, and West Virginia residents with their own license may fish the river opposite their shore.