Upper Potomac - Edwards Ferry

[UnkleRob2020]

I am meeting a buddy at Edwards Ferry tomorrow to do some fishing. I have no idea what the fishing is like or what lures to use, etc. Does anyone have any ideas?

[bignose]

Hey Rob,

I haven't fished that part of the Potomac, but you'll be fishing in moderate continuous river current, for mostly Small Mouth Bass and assorted Sunfish, with the occasional Catfish thrown in. You should have weed beds and water willow along the shore to fish.
It's not a real rocky part of the river.

Typical Bass lures, small crankbaits, surface poppers, and possibly some light curly tail jigs, say about 3/16 to 1/4 oz. depending on current will work for you.

According to the USGS website, the river is dropping and should be in pretty good condition.

[UnkleRob2020]

Thanks Stu. I have purchased some crankbaits recently for Tridelphia, but I think they are pretty large....certainly they are deep diving. I would much rather be fishing for rockfish in Rocktober but I am trying to be a good friend and fish with my buddy at his preferred location. I haven't fished the upper Potomac in many, many years so I am not expecting much other than a nice day on the water and a lot of paddling upstream

[DanMarino]

I used to fish that area all the time before I sold my jet boat. Smallie populations are down. Dragging a green pumpkin tube bait on the bottom is always a good call. Likewise, a safety pin style spinner will catch fish if they are around. I recommend cat fishing if the bass aren’t around.

[jbrown]

You probably have already returned from your trip –It’s a great place to paddle but it’s a bit slow on the fishing. The best option is to go directly across to the mouth of goose Creek and throw some wacky rig Senkos. And then head back to the north side of the river down about 100 yards to the old stone/ concrete water conduit. If you go just a bit downstream from there be careful but there are some huge boulders but nice for smallmouth. There are more productive portions of the Potomac in that region but would require a one hour paddle but it’s typically worth it. How did you do? PS. You can fish the river at a gauge height at point of rocks of 2.5 or below. However if the river is above 1.8 visibility and fishing production is low. Always best when the river is Gin clear and low.


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[UnkleRob2020]

Thanks to all of you for the input. I did not go to Edward's Ferry as my fishing buddy had a family emergency. He caught a very large walleye there earlier in the year and has been inviting me to go ever since. He did not have a scale or a hawg trough but it looked very big in the pictures, so I understand why he wants to go back. I am much less interested in returning there after reading the responses above, as well as having researched some threads. I would have gone to be social and enjoy the paddle, but my hopes would not have been set terribly high with regard to the fishing.

[Red_Beard]

Rob, I have thoroughly enjoyed fishing for smallmouths on the Potomac. I've never fished Edwards Ferry before, but I've spent a good bit of time doing various floats from Brunswick to Monocacy. I've found the stretch from Brunswick to Point of Rocks to be the most productive, although I caught my biggest just above Noland's Ferry. I've enjoyed wet wading around Harpers Ferry, and caught a few nice ones up there, but the rapids there are more than I want to handle in a fishing kayak. My go to baits for smallies on the Potomac have been inline spinners, ned rigs, 4-5" shaky head worms, senkos, and grubs. Topwater poppers and whopper poppers work too when the fish are in the mood. I will take the fight of a smallmouth over any other fish in freshwater.

The fishery isn't what it once was thanks to a few failed year classes due to extremely high water in the spring and summer of for a few years around 2018, but I'm starting to see more small fish in recent outings which is a good sign.

[El Lobo]

Here is a video fishing the Potomac Brunswick area. https://youtu.be/Kijt5Bwwmf0