Friday night the river swelled to a new recorded high of 409Cfs. By Saturday afternoon the flow had dropped to 385Cfs, and people were fishing for trout and catching a few largemouth at Masemore. Challenging wading yes, but well worth it and loads better than reality T.V. It is likely that these bass tumbled over the dam during the night-what a ride! Currently the gauge at Falls Rd. reads 2.3 and flow is 201CFs, water temp is 50F and the water is a little off. Yesterday lots of anglers were casting to rising fish as the Sulphurs made their presence known. Quite a few #12’s were buzzing around but most of the fish were taking #14 Duns or emergers. Slashing fish were after caddis in a #18-20.

Note: Try Sulphur patterns in a #12-14. Comparaduns, sparkleduns, and traditional duns should work fine

No Sulphurs as of yet but we’re hopeful. Flood warnings abound but luckily the Gunpowder is a tailwater so we’re likely to find some very consistent flows through the weekend. As of 12 Pm water was flowing at 204 Cfs-ideally we’re hoping to see the flow drop to below 180CFs if the rain stops. Check out the underlined link above to go directly to the stream gauge.

This Tuesday a fellow from Duluth, MN drove in town for his daughter’s graduation and stopped in the shop to tell us that the Gunpowder was the only river he had crossed during his travels that was not full of mud. It’s certainly off color but should clear up soon enough. For the weekend streamers should work fine. Stop in and pick up our favorite zonkers in brown and olive. You’ll stand a good chance of seeing some Olives come off up top above Falls if the rain slows down you could try a dry but emergers can be great fun in the rain.Water temp is around 49 F.

Note: Want to stay dry this weekend? Check out the gear reviews section for our thoughts on rain jackets. Stop in and try one-you won’t be disappointed.

How is the wind? You could fly a #10 white Wulff today over the powerline pool.Just picked up a note from a lucky angler that released a ~14″ Brown at Bunkerhill. Caddis seem to be the ticket and an Elk hair sized #16-20 should work fine. Pheasant Tails and soft hackles have been turning fish in riffles. We fielded a few reports of poaching activity between Masemore and York Rd last week and the proper authorities have been notified. It’s certainly best to report these activities ASAP. The # to call is 800-825-PARK, (7275).

Is it raining yet?
We had lots of folks in today getting ready for the weekend. Mothers day is Sunday so y’all come out to the shop this Saturday and meet Ken Lagerveld from Scott, Bauer and Chota. We’ll have some steamed shrimp and stories for you around 1 PM.
If you are fishing this weekend remember that the fish are already wet and usually get fired up after a shower. San Juan worms are a safe bet and the upper river should be off color enough to allow one to get close to fish without spooking them. Skating an elk-hair in a #18 is a safe bet.

Currently the gauge is at 1.89. This height is ideal for those who enjoy fishing the undercut banks with streamers. Flow is 98 Cfs at this level and allows for relatively comfortable wading. Hendricksons are still coming off around 2:30 PM. We’re drifting a CDC Biot Red Quill Emerger #14-18, swinging a Z-Lon Loop Wing Emerger #16-18 and nymphing with Pheasant Tails #14-16 in between hatches.Masemore through York have been the most productive stretches. When faced with undercuts or deadfalls try this method.

On the first pass try dead drifting a weighted streamer behind an indicator. On the second, swing the fly away from the undercut or deadfall without stripping and finally, on the third cast, try stripping the fly away from the bank. What if you do all of this and still come up empty-handed? Don’t take it personally. Fish are great survivors. The fish won’t send you back to the dugout but it may be prudent for you to switch flies or move to another “Fishy” spot and repeat.

Note: A #8-12 Olive or Brown bead head flashabugger is ideal for covering undercuts.