The river is in good shape with flows around 120 CFs and temps from 39-41 F. A lucky angler found a half dozen willing fish Saturday on bead heads and soft hackles, (thanks for your report Dick!)It should be warm enough for some dries this week, so dig out your little black stoneflies and fish them in riffles. Skating them down and across midday on a tight line is sure to add a little excitement to your winter fishing. If you’re starting earlier try a red butt and bead head prince rig well before lunch. Ready for a walk? Give the Falls Rd stretch a go and bring a few “snowflies” with you. These are best fished in sunny pools and flats, be sure to bring a long leader,(12 ft 6x) and a wading staff.
Monthly Archives: January 2005
Mardi Gras Sale thru February 8th…Save 25 to 40% on select goods…
Tired of single digit temps?
Parade on down to Backwater Angler for a fine winter sale.
Bakers’ Dozen Flies-buy 12 get 1 free
25% off all “in-stock” tying materials, hooks and books.
35% off clothing-excluding waders, rainjackets, shoes and gloves
25-40% off select rods
Note: This sale is limited to stock on hand and we expect these items to move fast!
Spikes in!
It’s time to put those spikes in! It’s not hard to get to the river yet, so give it a try if you are dressed for it. River temp is 41 F, and flow is at 164 Cfs way down from last week and at a great level for nymphing red butts and orange butts in riffles and fishing large streamers including muddlers and small clousers along the cut banks.We had a few fisherman out today enjoying the quiet that comes with Winter fishing. With snow in the forecast, we have just received “snow flies” that imitate the little black fly we see this time of year in the stretch just below the Dam. A 12 ft 6 to 7x leader really helps to deliver this tiny pattern within range of sipping trout.Take your time along the trails, as some have a little ice underneath the snow, and bring a wading staff along for a little extra support. If it warms up measurably in the next week don’t leave home without a few little black stoneflies sized #14-16.
Twice the fun!
The shop will be open this weekend from 10AM till 4PM Saturday, Sunday, and Monday-and we do sell fishing licenses. We’ll also have a booth at the College Park Show full of great stuff from Patagonia, Fishpond, Winston and St. Croix. As for the river, flow is 640Cfs as of this morning and should drop quickly over the weekend. If you’re itching to go fishing, check the USGS gauge and look for levels under 275 Cfs, limit your wading by using the trails along the river and be prepared to chuck large streamers and heavily weighted nymphs.Prior to the rain, we had several reports of stoneflies and a few olives during the warmer days this week.
Overcast and beautiful…
After a healthy rain yesterday, the river is in great shape. The river level is at 2.11Gh, (gauge height) and flow is 142 Cfs. With the water temps in the low 40’s you won’t find many fish going out of their way to chase flies zooming past their heads. When nymphing, make sure that you cover riffles and shelves with enough weight to slow everything down to a crawl. Larger #10-14 Zug Bugs and #12-14 orange butts should work fine. A number of nice fish in the 10″-14″ range were taken on larger than usual, (a #4-6 instead of #10-12) streamers last weekend, so keep fishing them big and slow.
If dries are more your speed, Midge activity above Falls Rd should pick up in the next few days. If ringing fish are spotted, we usually start with grey, cream or olive hackled midge or cdc midge in a #22-24. If bulging fish are present, Brassies, both with and without beads, RS2’s and WD40’s sized #20 and smaller work great on fish taking emergers.If you find that the fish are tough now, remember that the Sulphurs are only 4 months away.
Note: Gauge height is measured at the Falls Rd. access, (check last report for details) and will be featured in future stream reports to confirm the USGS flow readings.
Yes, we do sell Maryland Fishing Licenses!
2005 MD Freshwater Fishing License Fees
STATE
ANNUAL
3-DAYS
5-DAYS
MARYLAND
$10.50
$7.50
$7.50
DELAWARE
$15.00
$7.50
$5.00
NEW JERSEY
$34.00
$14.00
13.00
NEW YORK
$40.00
$18.00
$11.00
OHIO
$40.00
$31.00
$19.00
PENNSYLVANIA
$35.00
$21.50
$15.00
VIRGINIA
$30.00
$6.00
$5.00
WEST VIRGINIA
$40.00
$25.00
$15.00
WASHINGTON DC
$10.00
$7.50
$5.00
Don’t see your state listed?
2005 MD Freshwater Fishing License Fees continued STATE ANNUAL 3-DAYS 5-DAYS ALABAMA $31.00 $8.00 $5.00 ALASKA $100.00 $21.50 $20.00 ARIZONA $51.50 $21.00 $13.00 ARKANSAS $32.00 $14.00 $11.00 CALIFORNIA $88.20 $25.20 $23.00 COLORADO $40.25 $18.25 $11.00 FLORIDA $31.50 $12.00 $5.00 GEORGIA $24.00 $17.50 $10.50 HAWAII $25.00 $7.50 $5.00 IDAHO $74.50 $26.50 $18.50 INDIANA $24.75 $9.00 $5.00 IOWA $39.50 $22.00 $15.50 ILLINOIS $24.50 $9.50 $7.50 KANSAS $43.25 $21.75 $13.00 KENTUCKY $35.00 $25.00 $21.00 LOUISIANA $60.00 $19.00 $11.50 MAINE $53.00 $27.00 $24.00 MASSACHUSSETTS $37.50 $30.00 $23.50 MICHIGAN $41.00 $28.00 $21.00 MINNESOTA $36.00 $18.00 $11.00 MISSISSIPPI $33.00 $28.00 $17.00 MISSOURI $35.00 $25.00 $15.00 MONTANA $69.25 $32.90 $23.50 NEBRASKA $45.00 $28.00 $14.00 NEVADA $69.00 $46.00 $32.00 NEW HAMPSHIRE $53.00 $31.50 $28.00 NEW MEXICO $44.00 $21.00 $13.00 NORTH CAROLINA $30.00 $25.00 $15.00 NORTH DAKOTA $37.00 $25.00 $17.00 OKLAHOMA $37.00 $18.50 $11.50 OREGON $61.50 $43.50 $33.00 RHODE ISLAND $35.00 $27.00 $5.00 SOUTH CAROLINA $35.00 $8.00 $18.50 SOUTH DAKOTA $59.00 $50.00 $30.00 TENNESSEE $51.00 $34.00 $20.50 TEXAS $55.00 $49.00 $33.00 UTAH $70.00 $23.00 $14.00 VERMONT $41.00 $33.50 $20.00 WASHINGTON $43.80 $16.50 $10.00 WISCONSIN $40.00 $22.50 $13.50 WYOMING $75.00 $50.00 $30.00
Note: Coming up to the Gunpowder to fish for trout? Please add $5.00 for a Trout Stamp. The stamp will allow you to fish any designated “trout water” in the state.
If you’re planning on fishing for Shad or Rockfish this season add an additional $9.00 if you’re a Maryland resident, or $14.00 if you’re a non-resident for a Bay Sport Stamp.
You’ll need a Bay Sport Stamp when fishing the bay and/or tidal water.IE:Tributaries flowing into the Chesapeake that are tidally influenced.