The Savage and North Branch of the Potomac Rivers are down to easier wading levels and conditions are great on both rivers. On a recent July trip, I guided and fished both rivers over the week. My fourth outing to Western Maryland this year brought yet again different conditions, but plenty of options for fishing.
The Savage flows were clear at 70 Cfs and fish were less willing to rise to larger dries, than previous high water levels. In many flat water areas fish were sipping tiny Blue Wing Olive spinners through the afternoon and refusing everything that wasn’t an exact match. I always bring some tying supplies and caught some naturals to take back to the campground. I tied up some size 24 and 26 dries with an olive/amber body and snow shoe wing, which worked great. The other most prevalent hatch was blue quills, sized 18 and many could be seen on the water or in spider webs along the river. Most days I covered a lot of ground from 9 AM and nymphed with caddis pupae, micro nymphs and attractors. By late afternoon the selectively feeding fish and a good BWO spinnerfall was always a way to bring a few more fish to the net, and take it light. Slate Drakes were hatching in lower portions of the Savage, as shucks could be found on many rocks. Larger nymphs and San Juan Worms in deep pools produced wild browns and a surprising number of healthy rainbows. The rainbows either washed down from Savage Reservoir or more likely swam up from the North Branch and took refuge in the Savage River. One morning I caught nine rainbows which were mostly eleven to thirteen inches, except for a few thick, seventeen inch bows in a hundred yard stretch miles above the confluence. The rainbows were healthy, fought hard and were beautifully colored.
The North Branch was at a great wading level flowing at 275 Cfs and 59 degrees. I’ve focused all year in Western Maryland on the Savage, and decided to break in a new rod on the North Branch. The Scott S4 ten foot four weight model paired with an Abel Brown Trout Super 4 Reel, is a great big water or nymphing set up. Standard 12 to 14 foot leaders for rough water nymphing taper down to 4X or 5X tippet, and 3/4 inch Thinagamabobbers help keep the heavy rig at the desired depth.
The rainbows were abundant throughout both Catch and Release sections above and below Blue Hole in Barnum, West Virginia. The hike between pools is long, but each pool produced fish. Rainbows ranging in size from eleven to twenty inches were common, and many were heavy Freshwater Institute fish in the two to four pound range. A variety of San Juan Worms, caddis emergers, and heavy stonefly nymphs worked great in the rough water pockets. A few medium size browns came to the net, and larger browns were looking at hoppers. One fish never gave me a clear look, but took me into my backing twice and bulldogged to the bottom of a deep hole for two minutes, before shaking my fly. One client hooked into some big rainbows, but the fish did everything to shake the hook or break the tippet. Fishing and wading the North Branch requires a lot of leg work, but the reward of big fish is well worth the extra effort.