Mods, I know this is technically about a state in a different section, but please leave it here, I want to see if some of the NoVA anglers want to make this trip because I know many are getting into the Potomac smallmouth bite.

Anywho, guys, I have a friend coming into town this weekend and I told him we could go to Great Falls to do some fishing/hiking. I've fished here before and I know there are lots of smallmouth and the canal and ponds nearby have some nice size largies as well. I talked to a guy today who recently caught a 5lb+ LMB in the canal and then went to the river and caught two 3lb+ smallies from the river. I've also caught a walleye from this area. If anyone is interested, let me know. It will probably be early Saturday or Sunday morning, depending on weather and who can go and when.

A warning: fishing this area can be very physically exhausting, especially on hot days. We will be bank fishing because kayaking and boating is very difficult in this area. Walking the banks includes lots of hiking which in some points can be very strenuous as it includes climbing over huge boulders.

It should be fun, though. The canal is easy to fish because the bank is just a flat path. The river banks are very rocky but very fishable. There is also a small pond that is pretty easy to get to that I know for sure has some good sized LMBs. Hopefully we might see someone catch a walleye like I did last summer (only to have it stolen from our stringer by a heron, funny story, ask me about it sometime) as well as some nice bass

EDIT: I forgot to mention that you don't need a MD license to fish at Great Falls as long as you have a VA license.

I talked to a guy today who recently caught a 5lb+ LMB in the canal and then went to the river and caught two 3lb+ smallies from the river.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that you don't need a MD license to fish at Great Falls as long as you have a VA license.

Dan - you're right about the largemouth fishing in the C&O canal, it can be really good.  Two Sundays ago I met up with my cousin (lives in MD) and we fished the canal at Pennyfield Lock (in Potomac, MD).  On my third cast I caught a nice 4lb'er, which I happened to see cruising by and pitched my senko to (sight fishing outside of the spawn - sweet).  Shortly after that, we walked down to the river and spent a few hours wading for smallmouth, where we each caught several nice bass (and lost just as many).  That area is a great wading spot.

Anyway, note that while you don't need a MD fishing license to fish the river, you do need one to fish the canal.

-Rich

crap! I thought that might be the case. Even so, I may get a license so I can fish there this weekend and also later up on the Patuxent near my Aunt's house.

The temporary (3-day) license is only $10.  So unless you know you're gonna be fishing in MD a lot over the next year, that seems to be the best way to go.  I think the annual out-of-state one is like $40 or something like that.

yeah, I looked that up, but my Aunt lives very close to the Patuxent River and I have been wanting to try fishing up there.

So, I guess nobody is interested in going, huh? I guess it'll just be me and my friend then...