Trying for smallmouth bass

Like last year, the first part of summer has been wet and river levels correspondingly high.  Nevertheless, although the upper Potomac has been low enough to wade my favorite spots for a week or so, I hadn't gotten up there until today when I drove to Nolands Ferry.

It was good to be catching large bluegills in the morning because I hadn't seen any that big for a while in those waters.  They put quite a bend in the seven weight fly rod, and I would have been satisfied with that although I was really looking for smallmouths.  When eating lunch on a gravel bar, I noticed some surface activity and paddled a little further upriver where I put on a surface slider which had not been effective earlier.

 Bingo, I got a hit and when it immediately jumped I knew it was a smallmouth.  It turned out to be a typical Potomac bass, about foot long and healthy-looking and feisty.   While floating back to the ramp I spotted some larger ones which I'll remember for the next visit.  Water level was 1.5 at Point of Rocks.

My updated list of species caught this year is as follows:

Blue catfish
Striped bass
Brown trout
Bluegill
Crappie
Rainbow trout
Largemouth bass
Hickory shad
Bluefish
Fallfish
Smallmouth bass