Upper Potomac

[BigTerp]

At 4' your good to go. We ran from McCoy's Ferry to Licking creek a good bit this winter waterfowl hunting. Water was almost always over 5' though. Made running that stretch in the foggy dark not as scary.

 

[97Aero]

Another great day on the Potomac. Hancock gauge read 4 feet this am. Water is starting to really clear up. 8 smallies and 3 cats on the deck. Buddy hooked a very nice one but it broke his line at the boat and made off with his Rapala. Doh! Ran up past where the power lines cross and got scared due to seeing bottom so clear. Probably could have went further. Good day though. Nobody got hurt.

 

[stevesecotec02]

whats the water temp? Thinking about heading out next week near brunswick.

 

[BigTerp]

97Aero » June 27th, 2014, 5:40 pm[/url]"]Another great day on the Potomac. Hancock gauge read 4 feet this am. Water is starting to really clear up. 8 smallies and 3 cats on the deck. Buddy hooked a very nice one but it broke his line at the boat and made off with his Rapala. Doh! Ran up past where the power lines cross and got scared due to seeing bottom so clear. Probably could have went further. Good day though. Nobody got hurt.

Nice!! We were out on Saturday below dam #5. Wife caught 7 and I caught 0. Spent the better part of the day working on the motor though. Having issues with something in the ignition system. Hope to have it figured out soon!!

Where did go from/to? I'm guessing McCoy's Ferry up past Licking Creek? I've went up past the power lines past Licking Creek when Hancock gauge read 3.45. Never been up that way any shallower than that though. It gets pretty sketchy down towards McCoy's Ferry at that level!!

 

[97Aero]

BigTerp » 01 Jul 2014, 09:10[/url]"]

97Aero » June 27th, 2014, 5:40 pm[/url]"]Another great day on the Potomac. Hancock gauge read 4 feet this am. Water is starting to really clear up. 8 smallies and 3 cats on the deck. Buddy hooked a very nice one but it broke his line at the boat and made off with his Rapala. Doh! Ran up past where the power lines cross and got scared due to seeing bottom so clear. Probably could have went further. Good day though. Nobody got hurt.

Nice!! We were out on Saturday below dam #5. Wife caught 7 and I caught 0. Spent the better part of the day working on the motor though. Having issues with something in the ignition system. Hope to have it figured out soon!!

Where did go from/to? I'm guessing McCoy's Ferry up past Licking Creek? I've went up past the power lines past Licking Creek when Hancock gauge read 3.45. Never been up that way any shallower than that though. It gets pretty sketchy down towards McCoy's Ferry at that level!!

Went out of McCoys ferry to maximize fishing time. Would rather launch at Four Locks as MF is a pain to launch from and the ramp is getting washed out past the concrete. Anyway yes it does get sketchy not far upriver. Had to make some pretty quick decisions on the way back to the ramp and though I was gonna beach it but the G3 pulled thru in about 6" of water. I was sweating that one.

 

[JoshKeller]

the recent storms have given the water a little color and higher level - the time to be out there is now! caught some good ones this evening after work. put in at shepherdstown so i had enough water to run a bit and test of the motor.

caught this one first in a current break with deep water near by... 2.75" mizmo tube in penrod purple, 1/8 oz jig head.

then caught this pig on the next cast.

 

[Blue Dawg]

I haven't had a tin since back in the early '70's. Totally new to the river. Used to fish near Seneca, but more interested in upper Potomac. Where is the best place to put in to avoid the dams and have good large areas to fish. Got a 16' Lowes with a 30hp Honda prop. Conococheague creek on the bing map shows what looks like a dam near intersection of Kemps Mill rd & Rock Hill rds. That correct? Little help fellows please. Hopefully we can share lies and have a cold drink together soon.

Dawg

 

[97Aero]

Blue Dawg » 16 Jul 2014, 09:30[/url]"]I haven't had a tin since back in the early '70's. Totally new to the river. Used to fish near Seneca, but more interested in upper Potomac. Where is the best place to put in to avoid the dams and have good large areas to fish. Got a 16' Lowes with a 30hp Honda prop. Conococheague creek on the bing map shows what looks like a dam near intersection of Kemps Mill rd & Rock Hill rds. That correct? Little help fellows please. Hopefully we can share lies and have a cold drink together soon.

Dawg

I've put in at Williamsport and run up the Conococheague a couple of months ago when the water was high in my Jet. Made it all the way to the Dam but would not do it again. Especially not now. Actually ran up on a shallow spot and had to get out to push it off. This was in my 1860 CCJ.
Pretty shallow up that way.

 

[JoshKeller]

best place with a prop this time of year is shepherdstown, big slackwater and 4 locks. Id choose shepherdstown if you want to fish, as there is much less boat traffic.

 

[stevesecotec02]

I have a 16' with a 25hp prop and I usually put in at mouth of monocay. If i use the shallow water drive I can run all the way up to nolands ferry but i have to go slow once I get up to the islands. If the water is up a little I can go as far down as whites ferry with the only real trouble spot being the big island down river from the warm water discharge. Some good smallie fishing in thay stretch and some really nice size catfish.

 

[Blue Dawg]

Thanks for the input. Is there any place I can get a map of the river showing from warm water back up to the Williamsport area that shows landings, land marks etc?

Thanks guys!

Dawg

 

[stevesecotec02]

I make my own maps using google earth. Md dnr shows all boat ramps listed by county they are located in. Google search Md boat ramps. I will tell you this avoid nolands ferry ramp like the plague it is washed out bad and not taken care of. If you use the Mouth of monocacy ramp when crossing under the aquaduct use the archway on the far right as your facing the potomac river. Probably just confused you but if you go there you will see exactly what im talking about.

 

[stevesecotec02]

Were any of you out around mouth of monocacy yesterday? Seen someone in a black xpress with a jet and another in a older bass tracker jet. I was in the alumacraft with the prop motor. We tore up smallmouths with tube baits all day and managed to catch 7 catfish after dark. The catfish are starting to come off spawn and action should start heating up in the coming weeks. Water was down a bit but we never bottomed out and just idled through the really shallow spots with tje motor just far enough in water to to feed the water pump.

 

[BigTerp]

Anyone been up past Hancock lately, or knows how the river is this time of year? Thinking of heading from Hancock up to Cohill Station this weekend and fishing my way back down. Gauge reads 3.05 this morning. Wondering if it's to shallow to run or not? Haven't had a boat up past the 522 bridge since I was a kid.

 

[JoshKeller]

way too low... i wont fish above hancock unless its 4.5, preferably 5. if you dont mind idling/getting out for the first mile above the 522 bridge, you will be ok.

 

[BigTerp]

JoshKeller » Yesterday, 11:25 pm[/url]"]way too low... i wont fish above hancock unless its 4.5, preferably 5. if you dont mind idling/getting out for the first mile above the 522 bridge, you will be ok.

Thanks!!! I'll just stick with down this way somewhere. Any suggestions?

 

[JoshKeller]

Shepherdstown or lander for bass

 

[97Aero]

Out Sunday afternoon till dark. 5 SM in the boat. 10-13". Good evening on the river.

 

[JoshKeller]

likely be on the river tomorrow, saturday and sunday. ive really taken a liking to the area between snyders and taylors landing. rough to get into - you gotta jump 3 ledges, plus the hog back ledges, but its untouched after you get in there. kayla did freak out when I got hung up on a ledge and used the motor to power off :LOL2:

last saturday we left synders at 4, made it past the ledges by 5 (lots of idling), and fished our way back until dark. we had approx 20 smallmouths between 10 - 15 inches, and she caught a 3 or 4 pound channel cat on a senko. Normally i'd throw a jig and pig and really probe the area for bigger fish, but she likes to just drift and cast and catch whatever is biting.

 

[BigTerp]

JoshKeller » Yesterday, 7:50 pm[/url]"]likely be on the river tomorrow, saturday and sunday. ive really taken a liking to the area between snyders and taylors landing. rough to get into - you gotta jump 3 ledges, plus the hog back ledges, but its untouched after you get in there. kayla did freak out when I got hung up on a ledge and used the motor to power off :LOL2:

last saturday we left synders at 4, made it past the ledges by 5 (lots of idling), and fished our way back until dark. we had approx 20 smallmouths between 10 - 15 inches, and she caught a 3 or 4 pound channel cat on a senko. Normally i'd throw a jig and pig and really probe the area for bigger fish, but she likes to just drift and cast and catch whatever is biting.

I'll have to join you on that trip sometime. I need to learn how to get through that area so I have another area to fish. Any islands in that area that one could duck hunt from?