The North Branch of the Potomac River, along the Maryland-West Virginia border, has the potential to become one of the greatest habitats for wild rainbow and brown trout on the East Coast. Some of us think it already is, with some 20-plus miles of excellent habitat. Brought back from the dead with smart fisheries management over the last four decades, the North Branch is now threatened with a flawed regulation practically unheard-of  anywhere in the country: Bait fishing is allowed in waters managed for catch-and-release!  This leads to a level of mortality that threatens the trout population and, worse, it encourages poaching, something that has become clearly evident to North Branch guides. With this petition, we are urging the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to do two things: Rescind the regulation allowing the use of bait and enforce the catch-and-release regulation to stop the poaching of reproducing rainbow and brown trout in the North Branch. It's time for the state of Maryland to recognize and fully protect this unique and excellent fishery.