The Gunpowder is a tail water fishery that flows through calm sections and a series of bouldery rapids through hard, erosion-resistant mica schist rock. This area produces habitat for trees adapted to cool, steep and floodplain hillsides, including river birch, cherries, oaks, hemlocks, mountain laurel, dogwood, spicebush, and witch hazel. Early spring wildflower displays include hepatica, bloodroot, spring beauty, rue anemone, and pink ladies slippers. Late summer flowers include goldenrod, asters and woodland sunflowers. Beaver activity in the river, evidenced by gnawed trees, is common. Numerous brown trout thrive in pools in the cool water.  The fishing varies from hatches (sulfurs in May and June) to midge, to terrestrial fishing.  Guided trips are wading and you will not find a prettier place closer to a metropolitan area.  The fishing is catch and release.  Be 30 minutes from Baltimore and feel like you are in Montana.

Solitary fishing is easy enough with a hike of a mile or two if some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet.  The Shenandoah Park has over 40 freestone streams to choose from and the Rapidan is one of the best.  Most of the park's streams are catch-and-release only with the change in regulations a few years back.   The Rapidan does see its fair share of mayfly hatches in the spring, but terrestrials work on the pocket water and pools most of the season, especially in late summer. I like ant patterns in the heat of summer and early fall. Flies should be bouncy and visible to both the angler and the small (6- to 12-inch) native brook trout found in every stream.  The stream rushes down steep gradients, rarely slowing down long enough for the small trout to become picky about the next meal. Attractor flies like the Royal Wulff, Adams, and a local favorite, the Mr. Rapidan, are frequent producers.   Terrestrials are the best flies to imitate when summer heat draws the streams low. Ants, beetles, jassids and grasshoppers are a few of the best to use on these narrow, brushy streams. Light rods and light leaders are necessary to work through the dense foliage.   The river is a gallimaufry of pocket water, pools, riffles, chutes, glides and runs, all of them holding trout.  We leave the nymphs at home and bring a box loaded with bright attractor flies and a camera to capture the brilliance of the native trout.

The Shenandoah River and its two major tributaries, the North Fork and South Fork, glide by apple orchards, hay fields, rail fences, and dark forests.  The North Fork of the Shenandoah River begins in the mountains of northern Rockingham County near the community of Fulks Run. It is a small river with clear water, pleasant scenery, and lots of wildlife—deer, wild turkey, beaver, raccoons, muskrats, Canada geese, and great blue herons—along its banks.  After flowing through a gap in Little North Mountain, the North Fork enters the Shenandoah Valley at Cootes Store west of Broadway. The North Fork of the Shenandoah River then slides along the western edge of Massanutten Mountain, which rises like a loaf of bread in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley floor. The river takes a turn around the north end of 50-mile-long Massanutten Mountain then heads east for some 4 miles to its juncture with the larger South Fork of the Shenandoah River at Front Royal. The two forks—the North Fork and South Fork—of the Shenandoah then become the main stem, or the Shenandoah River proper. The South Fork of the Shenandoah forms at the community of Port Republic in the southwestern tip of Rockingham County. Here the good fishing and floating begins.

The Upper Potomac River technically starts at Little Falls near the DC/Maryland line and is nontidal water. Just below Oldtown, Maryland, (above Paw Paw) the Potomac splits into the North and South Branches. Most of the Upper Potomac River is about 3/4 mile wide and slowly narrows as it reaches up to its origin as a deceptive trickle at Fairfax Stone near Kempton, Maryland. Numerous small islands dot the river and some very large ones split the river in half, making it look narrower. In the summer, the water is typically gin clear with a sand and rock bottom that is easily wadable in sneakers and shorts, all the way across in many places. The most popular game fish in the Upper Potomac River is the smallmouth bass, but there are also catfish, sunfish, crappie, walleye, tiger muskies and carp. Largemouth bass can also be caught in the quieter pools. Catfish are actually more sought after than bass, but they are most often caught for food. Smallmouth bass in the Upper Potomac forage mainly on minnows (including spotfin shiners, bullnose minnows, spot tail shiners and darters), crayfish, stonecats and hellgrammites. An important aquatic hatch is the mayfly, the most common of which are the white miller and the march brown. Smallmouth fishing in the Upper Potomac River can be a rewarding and peaceful experience. The park is full of history and wildlife, and it is easy to forget that you are only a short drive from a major metropolitan area.