Gobble Gobble! Walleye and Smallmouth Bass on the Potomac

Type: Nontidal
Region: Western
Location: Potomac River C&O Canal

My wife and I went camping at one of the Potomac River C&O Canal campsites on Thanksgiving. We were the only ones in the campground, so I'm glad everyone stayed home!

The river level had come down a little bit after the rain earlier in the week, so fishing looked like it wouldn't be too bad.

Thanksgiving evening, I caught a walleye that looked to be keeper size, but I let it go.

Friday morning near the confluence with Antietam Creek, I caught a beast smallmouth bass. It scooped a jig on the bottom, and I thought I had another walleye since this time of year favors them over them ol' brown fish. It jumped, and I saw it was no walleye! It jumped again -- it was a BIG smallmouth bass.

After wrestling it out of vegetation along the shore, I landed it, took a couple pics and released it. For reference, the butt-end of my rod to the black of the blank ahead of the grip is about 20-1/4 inches, so I'm going to say the fish was easily 20 inches.