November through December are exciting times to fly fish for trout in Maryland. The possibility of catching a really big trout is very good on the North Branch of the Potomac tailwater fishery. This Fall the rainbows made up the bulk of what was being caught by many anglers. Small midge pupaes were producing fat, chunky rainbows up to four pounds.
These fish looked good, fought hard and some appeared to be second year or older stockies. A few of the shorter, “fatties” were freshly stocked but fought hard in the river’s flows. The extremely low flows made accessing the river very easy, but may have forced the bigger browns into deeper water or made them very skittish. Warmer days and a slow Fall transition may cause spawning rituals to unfold later than normal.

This video short shows some trout that were caught on small midge patterns nymphed behind rapids during mid October.
Want to go on a guided trip next Fall?
Mark some dates on your calendar and check out our Guide Trip Gift Certificates on our secure site.