Fly Fishing Maryland In Nearly Four Feet of Snow

The Gunpowder River After The Second Blizzard.
On Monday of this week it was time to put down the snow shovel and pick up a rod and head to the Gunpowder River. While the roads were clear, many accesses to the river were either not plowed, or plowed in with huge piles of snow. Masemore, Monkton and York roads had a few spaces cleared at each lot, and I saw a number of other anglers suiting up. Falls, Bunker Hill, Big Falls, and Blue Mount Roads had no parking, and much of Falls Rd was one lane. I parked at York and waded through the thigh deep snow to the river and snapped the pic above. The water temp was 38.1, clear and flowing at 120 CFs. After forty five minutes of fishing without a bite, I finally came tight to a brown in a deep hole, after countless other drifts in the same pool yielded nothing. I slowly worked two other pools for another forty five minutes without much action before heading home. Nymph fishing with heavy flies and long leaders will help get down to the bottom where the fish are holding and is one of the best options. Dead drifting buggers and streamers along the bottom has been consistently producing a few fish for patient anglers, versus anglers stripping streamers at faster speeds. Weather forecasts show possibility of more snow in the future, but the forty degree highs for the next few days may get the browns more active.

Presidents Day Brown Trout
Tom Starrs sent in another fishing report and the nice pic above with a wild brown. Tom, nice fish and nice hat too!

I took off President’s Day and fished a little Frederick County stream. With all the snow it is hard to find access to any stream. I did take this nice brown trout wearing my Backwater Angler hat!

Tom Starrs