Re: NANFA-- Sunday Old Fashioned Fishing Trip

Dave Neely (rheopresbe_at_hotmail.com)
Thu, 24 Jul 2003 10:52:25 -0500

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Bob and Sunday Potomac trip folks;

I've collected in lower Muddy Branch three times; the first was at
Pennyfield Lock on 8 July 1994, got 37 species but no rainbow darters. This
may be the most speciose collection known from the Potomac system, but we
had six people and two backpack shockers...

The next collection was at Muddy Branch at River Rd. (Rt. 190), 4.5 km S of
Darnestown, Montgomery Co., MD; 14 March 1996. I got 15 species
(collecting by myself with a shocker), including two weirdos-some Umbra
pygmaea (consistent with them using the C&O canal to move above the Fall
Line), and a single rainbow darter.

The third time was 8 July 1999, with one other person and a 4x8 ft seine,
and though we got lots of eastern silvery minnow (what I was looking for),
we didn't get any rainbows.

If you're after rainbows, I'd try up by River Road. If you're after
diversity, head downstream.

>Depending how gung ho we are, we could also stop to seine at Seneca Creek,
>North of Pennyfield. This would be an exploratory trip. I don't know the
>area that well, and haven't collected there before.

MBSS has picked rainbows up at several locations in this region in their
2000-2002 sampling, but your best bet might be the Little Monocacy River up
by Dickerson (near the Montgomery/Frederick Co. line), or in lower Bush
Creek just SE of Frederick. I've spent a fair amount of time in Seneca Creek
w/o rainbows (but lots and lots of Potomac sculpin!! ;). The rainbow darter
map on their webpage is slightly outdated- doesn't include any post-1997
data. That said, any trib in this region has a possibility of rainbows,
especially near the mouth. If you can find riffle habitat in the mainstem
Potomac, work it - you may be pleasantly surprised.

Have fun,
Dave
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