Counties: Allegany and Garrett Counties

Information: The North Branch of the Potomac River forms the border between Maryland and West Virginia from it's origin at the Fairfax Stone downstream to it's confluence with the South Branch of the Potomac. The following are descriptions of three management zones in the upper watershed beginning with the most upstream area. The area of the North Branch in Garrett County upstream of Jennings Randolph Lake (JRL) is a high quality trout fishery, but that wasn't always the case. Prior to 1994, the North Branch was badly polluted by acid mine drainage (AMD), created when surface water comes in contact with mine wastes left over from old coal mining activities. Those old mining activities, conducted before the advent of modern mining practices, left a legacy of pollution that destroyed aquatic life and rendered the upper North Branch biologically dead for many decades. Today, environmental laws regulate the mining industry and protect water quality, but eliminating water pollution from old sources is a continuing challenge. Although AMD pollution in the North Branch watershed has not been eliminated, it's symptoms have been treated. Lime "dosers", machines which add lime to neutralize the acid in AMD, were placed at several sites in the North Branch watershed in 1993. The dosers function to neutralize AMD and restore water quality while more permanent solutions are explored. By 1994, the system of lime dosers had improved water quality to the point that fish life could once again survive in the North Branch. MDNR Fisheries Service initiated a trout stocking program in two different management zones totaling 21 miles upstream of JRL. About 14 miles are stocked for harvest under put and take regulations while about 7 miles within the Potomac State Forest are managed under delayed harvest regulations. The upper North Branch affords anglers an opportunity to fish for trout in a truly wild setting. Although some areas can be reached easily from roadways, much of the river is very remote and scenic and can only be reached by hiking in. For those anglers willing to walk, the reward is the opportunity to fish in solitude. The trout will be there because MDNR Fisheries Service stocks remote areas from a tank truck that rides the railways, courtesy of the CSX Company through a cooperative agreement.