Earlier this week, when temperatures rose above 90 degrees in Maryland, I decided it was a good time to head west and explore the cool waters of the lower north arm of the Potomac River. The North Branch downstream of Jennings Randolph Lake is an underwater fishery that takes advantage of the dam’s cooler waters to create quality trout habitat. Many miles downstream, the cold water trout fishery eventually shifts to hot water perch fisheries.
The description on the Department of Natural Resources Fisheries website of a 25 mile long catch-and-release area for perch between Keyser, West Virginia and Cumberland was fascinating. According to the website, this area supports some of the best perch fisheries and the largest perch to be found anywhere in the Potomac watershed.
This section of the lower part of the North Branch was classified as a zero creel limit fishery by the Fisheries Service in 2001, after successfully establishing a reproductive population of black bass in 1997, Randolph Lake became a success story when the water was extracted from acid mine drainage. In 1993, lime metering machines were installed at several locations in the North Branch catchment area, which are very effective in neutralizing the acid in the acid mine drainage and restoring the water quality so that fish can survive and thrive.
The swimming plan
The entire 25 mile section is way too big to swim and fish in a day, so I made up my mind to swim a short section starting at the top section of the catch-and-release bass area. This section overlaps the 30 mile trout limit, which extends from below Barnum, West Virginia to Pinto, Maryland. The swim time should be about six hours depending on how often we stopped to fish.
The night before the float, I loaded my Outcast Pac1200 inflatable pontoon raft along with my gear onto my truck and set my alarm clock for 4 a.m. It was still dark when I left my home in Thurmont to meet my fishing partner, Mark Richardson in Myersville. At 5 a.m. I could see the sun rise in the rearview mirror during the two hour drive to the river. We left Richardson’s car at the pick up location, Gary Yoder Boat Access, formerly known as Black Oak Bottom Boat Access, about 15 miles south of Cumberland on Rt. 220 in Rawlings Township. It was a short drive to the McCool Boat Access entrance on Rt. 135, about a mile upstream from the bridge over the river at Keyser.
On the river
It was shortly before 8 o’clock when we launched the two-man raft and worked our way downstream. A raft is one of the best ways to fish the North Branch. The raft provides access to the remote stretches of the river that would require hours of hiking and bush chopping by poison ivy infested river brushes.
The steep incline of the North Branch moved the boat quickly downstream. The raft was developed for rocky, turbulent runs and offers the angler in the bow the comfort of a swivel chair with the option of standing safely when casting. Due to time constraints, it is not possible to fish every run, reef and pool as effectively as wading.
Some runs were fished more effectively from the raft, while other runs were more easily fished while wading. The trip was broken up with frequent stops as we approached nice looking runs and pools and stopped to wade fish. A word of caution: the river floor is fairly slippery and the rounded rocks make it difficult to maintain. Wading boots with a studded sole and a wading stick are recommended.
With little observed surface action, we initially worked on streamer flies with little luck. As the day went on, the action increased and we started catching a few fish. Although based on the information on the website we had imagined that we would be targeting mostly black bass, it turned out to be trout day.
Richardson got lucky with a Harry Murray crab pattern and landed several small rainbows and a hefty fall fish. Although I had multiple punches on a black Wooly bugger early on, my luck changed when I switched to a copper / black Kreelex streamer fly. In the afternoon it was more exciting to watch the trout in the clear water as they chased the streamers. The trout were all rainbow trout, mostly small, likely finger cots, with the largest about 12 inches long. Many fish hits have been missed and some larger fish have been sighted.
The landscape along the North Branch is impressive, with towering, rugged cliffs along the West Virginia coast. Much of the area has a remote and wild character and few signs of nearby communities are seen. As I mentioned earlier, the river is probably best enjoyed while float fishing. The DNR fishing site recommends kayaks or inflatable boats and canoes as suitable boats. Access is limited, so boaters must carefully choose where to get on and off. In the water below Gary Yoder’s boat entry, landowner permission may be required to launch or take out. Guided raft trips from local outfitters such as the Savage River Outfitters are available.
