Finally, I was able to land, take pictures, and release a bass that measured 20 inches.

Between mileposts 12 and 13, you’ll note where Back Creek enters on the right and Fort Frederick State Park lies on the river’s left. In this area, you’ll also encounter a number of riffles, a Class I, and a cliff on river right. As noted earlier, the McCoys Ferry take-out is at mile 14, but since Doak, Tim and I were on a three-day excursion, we opted to float a mile more downstream so that we could have a more secluded campsite along the C&O Canal.

The C&O Canal is a wonderful part of the overall Potomac experience, and I thoroughly enjoy spending the night along any of the many campsites available. Luckily, we found a campsite that offers a water pump, picnic table, and a place to grill, which Doak used to cook some fresh tuna that he had brought. Good food and good conversation after a good day of fishing is always memorable.

McCOYS FERRY TO
FOUR LOCKS
(Distance: Six Miles) At Four Locks, a concrete ramp exists off Four Locks Road via SR 56. Parking is available.

Matt Knott describes this float as “miles of no current” and he is correct. Some scattered riffles appear for the first mile, but after that, the backwaters of Dam 5 dominate. That first mile, though, can offer some quality angling as ledges, water willow beds, and dropoffs exist in addition to the aforementioned riffles.

After that first mile, you may be better off to target largemouth bass rather than smallmouth and to be in a motorized boat instead of a canoe. Indeed, canoeists infrequently take this trip. Actually, the wintertime is one of the best times to use a powerboat on this section, as the scattered rocks off the river tend to concentrate bass.

Those rocks are part of a four-mile-long U-curve. At the bottom of the curve, you will float by the community of Little Georgetown. Generally, the river’s left shoreline is heavily wooded and farmland, campers, fields and houses characterize the Mountain State side. As you near the Four Locks ramp, you will notice a helpful landmark, a cliff on river right.

FOUR LOCKS TO WILLIAMSPORT
(Distance: Eight Miles) At Williamsport, a concrete ramp exists at River Bottom Park via Salisbury Road. Parking is available in a gravel lot.

Since Harbison and I were in a canoe and Wimer in a kayak, and since we were on a three-day voyage, we obviously opted not to debark from the river at Four Locks and quickly paddled the two miles from there to Dam No. 5. As you near the structure, you’ll see the obligatory “Danger Dam Downstream” warning, as well as buoys indicating the dam’s proximity. The best portage is on river left, and you can put back in just below the dam and above some water willow-covered islands.

The six-mile section below Dam No. 5 has much to recommend it. We caught good numbers of smallmouths up to 13 inches throughout and found the habitat superb -- more encouraging signs toward hopefully a better future for the upper Potomac. After you work the islands below the structure, some swiftly flowing riffles and gentle Class I rapids will send you downstream. A little over a mile below the dam, you’ll come to a series of large islands that extend for approximately a mile. The best passageway is down the right sides of these islands. At the end of these islands, an old bridge support serves as a landmark and a quarry is also in the area. Numerous water willow beds, dropoffs and cuts lie within these islands and offer marvelous mossyback potential. You also may be able to glimpse where a spring enters the river.

A river-left outside curve (known as Millers Bend) characterizes the next two miles with a cliff occurring on river right at the beginning of the bend and a stone wall lying in its heart. Once again, we caught plenty of bass through here, as much of both shorelines are heavily wooded. In the spring and summer, this area is a wonderful place to work slow-sinking soft-plastic jerkbaits through the water column. The next major feature is a quarry on river’s left and the rocky pools and riffles continue to provide angling opportunities.

The quarry ends about a mile above the Williamsport ramp, and the river slows considerably below the quarry. During the warm weather period, expect to see vast fields of star grass throughout this section. A half-mile or so above Williamsport, you’ll drift by Duck Island, which is soon followed by another island as the Potomac makes a gentle turn. Below these islands, figure on observing a number of wade- and bank-fishermen, as well as pleasure boaters and anglers motoring upstream from the launch.

Right before the take-out, you’ll see Conococheague Creek enter on river left and you’ll paddle under the SR 11 bridge. Next month, this magazine will cover the upper Potomac from Williamsport to Shepherdstown and hear from others about how the Potomac’s smallmouth fishery can hopefully recover.

IF YOU GO
Contact the C&O National Historical Park at (301) 739-4200, www.nps.gov/choh River Riders, Harpers Ferry, (304) 535-2663 or (800) 326-7238, www.riverriders.com

For topo maps of the Potomac, contact MapTech at (800) 627-7236, www.maptech.com Ask for the CD titled, West Virginia: Eastern Gateway and Greenbrier Valley. I extensively used these maps for planning and implementing my three-day voyage.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bruce Ingram is the author of the following books (cost in parentheses): The New River Guide ($15) and The Shenandoah/Rappahannock Rivers Guide ($18.25). To obtain a copy, send a check to Ingram at P.O. Box 429, Fincastle, VA 24090 or contact him at be_ingram@juno.com