{Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Riverbend is NOT wadeable right now! Caution

Find yourself a copy of the GMCO Potomac Map. It is a folding map printed on water resistant paper. It lists the safe levels in feet for wading and boating for the entire Potomac by stretch. It also indicates what gauge you should use for each stretch. Also, all ramps on the MD side at least have lines painted on them so you can tell at a glance if the river is safe to wade. 

Beyond that, keep a journal. For each day you come back alive, you can enter another safe wading level.....

On Sunday, September 23, 2012 4:45:40 PM UTC-4, TurbineBlade wrote:

Hi,

 

I tried Riverbend early this morning with my wife.  I checked the water levels prior and it appeared to be in the "normal" range -- http://www.erh.noaa.gov/marfc/potomac.shtml

 

That said, when we arrived, parked at the nature center, walked the bootlegger trailer down the water -- boy, let me tell you that that water was moving fast and was deep!  I actually decided to try it against the wisdom of my wife (this is always, always a bad idea but I never want to listen for some reason) and it was treacherous.  You could barely keep yourself upright and there was no chance of wading out far enough to get a good cast. 

 

We decided to rent a canoe at the visitor's center down the road and the guy there said that water was moving pretty well and was about 8" higher than normal.  He said "yeah, I wouldn't recommend that you wade up the trail there (nature center) right now".  Go figure. 

 

So the noaa website above I assume is only for differentiating between "normal" and "probably doing to die" water levels on the river?  ;) 

 

No biggie -- just be warned that the water is pretty rough up there right now.  Is there a better way to keep track of the water levels?  The place looked pretty fishy, so I'd love to hit it when it's safer.  Renting a canoe was fun at riverbend....got a few bluegill, but no bass.  Strangely, much of it looks extremely rocky and would appear to hold bass, but we couldn't get into any and I didn't actually see one either.  Did see some carp and plenty of banded killifish though.  I guess we just haven't learned where the hot spots are around there. 

 

Well, I suppose if you're 7' tall and fill your boots with lead you might be okay.  Or bricks. 

 

Gene

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