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North Branch of the Potomac River Until recently, the North Branch of the Potomac was considered to be so degraded by acid mine drainage that it would never support fish populations of any kind. For most of this century the ground water flowing from abandoned coal mines has polluted the river with iron, aluminum and sulfuric acid, lowering the water's pH level to the point where fish and the invertebrates they feed on could no longer survive. Thanks to the dedication and hard work of individuals from the DNR's Freshwater Fisheries Division, the Bureau of Mines and other agencies, the North Branch is now on it's way to becoming on of the finest trout fisheries in the east.
This large freestone river is divided into two types of fisheries by Jennings Randolph Lake, a man-made impoundment used for flood control. Above the reservoir the river is subject to natural increases in temperature and flow. The nine mile section of the river that borders Potomac State Forest has been heavily stocked with rainbows and fish over 20 inches are not uncommon. Although the tailwater section of the river has yet to reach it's full potential, it is one of the few eastern rivers that is inhabited by cutthroat as well as brown, rainbow, and brook trout. Anglers fortunate enough to land all four species have bragging rites to the only "Grand Slam" in eastern fly fishing. |
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