-- Last Updated: Apr-13-12 10:52 PM EST --
....... at the Mouth of Monocacy river , MD .
The bridge is the old C&O Canal Monocacy aquaduct which is about a 1/4 mile from the Monoc's confluence with the Potomac river .
An typical rise on the Monoc. during spring high water from heavy rains is about 16'-17' on the gage at Frederick . You can time it as it's falling again . One spring we got there and the the intire upstream face of the aquaduct was a solid log jam dam shore to shore ... not passable from upstream side , so we carried to the downstream side and slide in . The launch is 100' or so upstream of the aquaduct .
When the gage 16.9 mi. upriver in Frederick MD. reads 6.5'-7' and the almost yearly log jam dam builds up against the aquaduct , it causes the water to split around both sides and the resulting wave trains for about 400' . You actually have to drop in off the water pillow that forms just as you head under the bridge on which ever side is still open .
There are large boulders and irregular bottom that inhabit the river bed immediately below the aquaduct all the way to the Potomac . When the gage is reading that 6'-7' , that's an avg. of 3-3.5' above normal avg. flow .
For us it's a matter of just getting out to the main river (Potomac) , from the launch at Mouth of Monocacy . We're going fishing , not running WW , but it seems there's always WW somewhere getting in the way ... guess that's just peidmont/mountain rivers , it's there so you learn to work with it .
The Monocacy is just one place , there's plenty more of this kinda stuff all around the Potomac ... Potomac just happens to be one of the rivers we fish .
That was paddling our canoe , leighrobin and I , I think this girl is crazy (about fishin , lol) .
You ought to see how brave (stupid) the nephew and I get when we are using the Jon boat in the cold spring high waters ... you ever see a Jon boat w/jet climb a waterfall , lol ... how about side slipping (the big slide) across a long ledge (75'-100' to cross upriver) sideways trying to find a pass upriver in the fast waters of the Susquehana , lose it on the slide and you gonna roll , would probably be hilarious to on lookers to se us roll the Jon .