The river is running at 61 cfs and the temperature is 41 degrees. Over this last week with the colder temperatures and snow the river has dropped in temperature and has raised in flows.  have been fishing a lot of small zebra midge patterns and also some small dry flies such as a sz 20 Griffiths gnat or a very small parachute style fly. although it has not been as productive the past couple of days, streamer fishing has been pretty good as well. Black and olive buggers have been working best with the occasional  Maddison sculpin picking up a few fish here and there.

We will be closed Sunday January 9th due to harsh weather conditions

The river is flowing at 138cfs and the temperature is 45 degrees, both dropping quickly with the cold front hitting today. The Gunpowder has been fishing best with streamers and small nymphs. With the cold streamer fishing could slow down, but with the water being higher fish may still be active enough to chase a bigger fly. Some patterns that have been effective have been the slump buster, grey ghost, and wooly  buggers.

Nymphing should be the go-to tactic if you want to maximize the amount of fish caught in the winter months. The most effective patterns have been those imitating midges: Zebra midges, WD-40s, etc. We often pair these with a hare’s ear or a euro-style nymph to help get the smaller flies down. It’s best to target the faster runs because there will be more food available so fish will eat more readily.

As always, keep a look out for the redds on the river, especially through the areas with more gravel.

The Gunpowder is flowing at 58.2 cfs and 44.2F. With warmer temperatures in the next few days, fishing should be exceptional until we get a cold snap. You can find fish sipping midges in the slower pools. Fishing Griffiths Gnats and small parachutes in sizes 16-22 will be the most productive. Often the smaller sizes work better this time of year.

Although nymphing has been effective on the river, the blooms of didymo can make nymphing tedious. One of the best ways to combat this is fishing a dry-dropper. The most effective nymphs this time of year are going to be midge imitations. Putting these nymphs a 12-18 inches off the back of a bulky dry allow you to cover all the water in the river effectively.

This week’s warm weather and possible rain could make for good conditions for streamer fishing. Target the biggest structure on the river: a large boulder, a deep drop-off, a log-jam. As always look out for redds alone the gravel beds and avoid those areas to ensure we have a good population in the future.

Backwater Angler will be open on the 28th, 29th, and 30th. We will be closed for the New Year(30th and 31st) and will be open again on January 2nd. 

The Gunpowder River is clear, 47.5 degrees F and flowing at 43.7 CFS. Fish are still midging in the flat water until the sun breaks through the clouds. Approaching wild fish this time of year requires limited wading and long, light leaders. Midge and midge emerges patterns in the #18-22 range will be most productive. Larger streamers will certainly move bigger fish but sometimes they just won’t commit to the fly. Sparse, traditional streamers twitched along the deadfalls, logjams, and bend pools may be more effective and are certainly easier to cast. Bald Eagles, as in the picture above, are frequently seen gliding among the tops of the Sycamores along the river corridor.