From the benchWith the Potomac running elevated at 22,200 cfs following recent rains, abandon the mid-river wading game and focus on the margins — fish are pushed into slower water behind large boulders, along undercut banks, and in the back-eddies where they can hold without fighting the main current. Go heavier on your nymph rigs: use a tungsten anchor fly like the Straggle Stone or Frenchie and get it down fast in the deeper seams. The evening window from 4–7 PM is your best shot at dry-fly action as caddis and sulphurs come off — position yourself in the slower glides and tail-outs well before the hatch starts, as the rising water means fish will be tighter to structure and less forgiving of a clumsy approach.