Fall weather has arrived in North Baltimore County. The morning’s air temps began rising from 44 degrees at 7:30 am and river temps should remain below 60 degrees in the upper river. A bass angler on Prettyboy reservoir stopped in to comment that the surface temp on the reservoir dropped 8 degrees from last week. Water temperatures south of the confluence of Little Falls are now at safe fishing temps to the Sparks Rd access.
Float trips have accounted for some nice fish outside the catch and release section. Long riffles, quiet water and summer float traffic will end even in the most heavily floated stretches as the cool weather continues. This cold snap will mean quiet water for anglers accessing areas south of Bunker Hill Road that have been crowded by weekend tubers and kayakers all summer. York, Big Falls (parking is still open at bridge), and Blue Mount Rd are all now viable options for fly fishing with few interruptions or intrusions.
Today’s morning angler update:
“It’s cold out there, but caddis are hatching until 11:00 a.m.”
Warm fleece pants, socks and shirts will be needed as water and air temperatures continue to drop over the next weeks. The colder water temperatures should get the trout feeding as the start of their pre-spawning cycle nears. Dry fly fishing is providing good results for anglers fishing caddis, midges, adams and small olives. Size 18-20 Comparadun patterns in gray, rust, cream and olive have worked well for many anglers. Stop by the shop to check out some hot new caddis patterns to arrive early this week. We have a snow shoe olive pattern that when combined with the Magic Pen Floatant and Dry Shake is nearly unsinkable. Terrestrials are still getting bites, but hoppers can be a great indicator for nymphing caddis pupae and pheasant tails.
Streamers will begin to catch more of the larger fish for anglers willing to fish areas with lots of structure and deeper water. Wet flies and soft hackles are also good choices for anglers looking to swing flies and cover more water.
Water levels will be dropped on September 24-26 for the electro-shocking survey. If you have not netted a large Gunpowder brown yet, now is the time to assist MD Fisheries staff in the annual shocking survey.