Monthly Archives: April 2010

Custom Dry Fly Patterns and Accessories in Maryland

Dry Fly Supplies
We have a wide assortment of dry flies in the shop tied by Mike Bachkosky to match our Maryland hatches. There are quill bodied parachute patterns great for spinners, which can even be used as cripple/dun patterns in flat water areas. In the photo above are snow shoe winged Unusuals for midges, PMDs, olives, light cahills, hendricksons and sulphurs. The mayfly hatches are just starting, and the muffin tins are loaded in preparation for the next months ahead. These patterns are not just generic flies found in most catalogs, but are tied in the sizes and colors we see in Maryland. Mike is always willing to gather input and alter the patterns he ties for the Delaware, for use on our local waters. Another reason we get so excited about these flies is they are unsinkable when used with the products pictured above. The Dry Magic pen is a special gel designed for snow shoe rabbit fur and CDC feathers, which both utilize natural oils to repel water. Gink is great for hair wing and hackled patterns, but can actually counteract the natural oils and sink CDC or snow shoe patterns. Dry Shake is another popular alternative to gels and coats small flies with a white dust, making them easy to see on the water. Dry Shake Primer rubbed on the fly, is a wax that greatly enhances the effectiveness of the Dry Shake powder, by allowing the powder to adhere to the fly longer. “Priming and shaking” the fly often will allow the fly to ride higher, longer and be much more visible than using only gel based products. We have the patterns and accessories that can make the hatch fishing experience much more productive and enjoyable.

Quill Gordons, Hendricksons and Midges along the Gunpowder

The Gunpowder river is 60 F, clear and is flowing at 121 CFs. Small midges and the Hendricksons are upon us. Soft hackles and emergers are proving to be tough to fish especially with some of the didymo “letting go” with warmer stream temps. Bright sun filtered by trees that just leafing out made conditions tough last week, but after a few days when air temps approached 90 F, the river is shaping up. Hendrickson emergers, duns, and spinners. are worth a shot-especially in the riffles. Next time you’re up at the shop, be sure to pick out a few snowshoe rabbit midges that are very effective in imitating those difficult to match midges along the river.

Thanks to Fr. paul for his stream report from Thursday March 27,

Theaux,
Just wanted to report on today’s fishing. It was one of those days on the
river that will be remembered for a long time. I fished just upstream
from Falls Road this morning and am happy to report that fish were rising
all morning long! Five fish were fooled by the tiny trico pattern I
picked up at the shop a while back (thanks for replenishing the supply
this afternoon). I have found this to be one of the most effective
patterns on the Gunpowder. After the winter we’ve had, rising fish seem
even more special than usual. Thanks again!

-Fr. Paul

Thanks to Bryan for his stream report from April 3,

Guys,
Went out on Sat. at Bunker Hill Rd. Gorgeous day. Saw a number of small fish on the surface chasing a bug so small, I never did get a chance to see what it was. Since it was so bright out, I tried hitting the deep holes. I was fishing my way down towards one with my gold bead head black woolly bugger when I saw an absolute horse come up and follow the bugger, then turn away at the last second and sink back down. To put it in perspective, I saw an 8-10″ fish right at my feet, but the large one could have absolutely eaten that 10″ in a bite! He was a horse – had to be 2.5 – 3 times larger than the small fish at my feet. Caught one small brownie, and two other bites that I missed.

Just a beautiful day
Bryan

Thanks to Dick for his stream report from April 5

Theaux,
Only spent about 30- 40 minutes on the water on a long overdue mental health day :-). Probably spent more time getting “suited up” than fishing, since I hadn’t even lawn cast since last fall. I am a terrible photographer, but caught this pretty brown on a #16 hendrickson a moment after missing another about 100 yards upstream from the bridge at Masemore, hard against the bank. Only had a little time, as you know I almost didn’t go out, but glad I did. Thanks for the encouragement!

Dick

Related Post:
Don Quixote and Quills along the Gunpowder

Gunpowder River Fly Fishing School

Please join us for a flyfishing school. On Saturday, April 17, a Backwater Angler Guide will be teaching a fly fishing school that is ideal for beginners. If you’re planning on fly fishing in Maryland, or anywhere else for that matter, this course is a great introduction to the sport. The school covers knots, casting, gear, fly selection and an hour of on-stream instruction. Schools are held in a meadow overlooking the Gunpowder river by a Maryland state licensed and insured fishing guide. Class is held from 11:00 AM till 2:00 PM. Cost is $100 per person and includes the use of gear. A Maryland Non-tidal fishing license and trout stamp is required and may be purchased prior to the class with check or cash at the shop. Class size is limited to 4 and pre-payment is required. Please give us a call at 410-357-9557 or drop us a line at info@backwaterangler.com to register.

Sixty Degree Water Along the Gunpowder River

Brown Trout UW Release
A week of unusually hot weather has changed water temps dramatically along the Gunpowder River. The air temps hovered in the 80s in Nothern Baltimore county all week, and the river is much warmer than two weeks ago. The cold spillover that slowed the fish’s metabolism all winter, is now warmer than the bottom release, which may jumpstart our hatches early. The past two weeks kept us busy guiding on the river, which allowed us to fish a variety of access points. On a number of trips we encountered brief periods of rising trout, and the clients enjoyed a break from the nymphing and streamer fishing. The streamers continue to be a sure bet, and one client this week landed a fifteen inch brown that had the brown pictured above beat by a solid three inches. The dry fly enthusiasts should get excited with the photo below, as this was the water temperature at 2 p.m. on Wednesday of this week.
Sixty Degree Water Temps
The river flow leveled out today in the mid 130 CFs range and is crystal clear. The Didymo is still worse the closer you fish to the dam, although it can be seen floating down river at many access points. If the past two years are any indication of what to expect, we should see a “breaking up” phase where the algae dislodges from the bottom over the next weeks. In the next few weeks we should also see an increase in the number of mayflies already hatching sporadically along the river. Midge hatches are good now, and I filmed a foam line in a back eddy where the river had collected a number of small midges. I also noticed a small fish moving about and after a bit of watching, I confirmed it was a freshly hatched quarter-half inch brown trout fry. I began to look for more and found them in good numbers along the slow side of the river. I also turned over some rocks and included a nice brown in the latest video while “creekin” with my Scott Fibertouch Fly Rod.

Scott Fibertouch Fly Rod, Small Water And Big Brown Trout In Maryland

Silty Bottom Brown Trout
I recently hit the road in search of some water I only fish a couple times a year. I rigged up my Scott Fibertouch six foot one weight fly rod. This particular Scott Fiberglass rod works great on the smallest of native brook trout streams in Western Maryland, and the smaller wild brown trout streams across the state. I spent the afternoon sneaking and crouching, threading casts through tight cover onto small pockets and pools. The wild browns were aggressive, taking dries on the first drift in each piece of new water. A light rod is great because most trout in these streams are a few inches bigger or smaller than the trout in the pic above. I now use the term “most” loosely, as the pic below shows a brown quite a bit larger than I expected from this stream. I switched to swinging a small streamer on my walk back out, and drew a half dozen strikes. Near the car I tried one last cast into a nice hole, and was shocked by the hard take and subsequent head shaking. When I laid eyes on the fish I never expected to bring it to hand using such a light rod and tippet. The rod was seriously overmatched, but the soft fiberglass may have helped save the 5X tippet numerous times. The brown tried every trick in the book to get off, but quickly surrendered for a picture. I never put a tape to the brown, but it was easily approaching the twenty inch mark.

Big Wild Brown Trout
Bamboo rods are certainly growing in popularity, but few anglers realize many of the fiberglass rods have similar slow actions, without the four figure price tag. Scott makes a number of models perfect for small stream brookie/brown fishing found across the state. These rods are available up to a four weight model perfect for fishing the Gunpowder, Savage or larger streams with small dry flies. A few Fibertouch rods are scheduled to arrive in the shop this Spring. These extremely soft rods are fun on trout streams of all sizes and can also handle big trout, especially when you least expect them.

Maryland Fly Fishing School

Please join us for a flyfishing school. On Saturday, April 10, a Backwater Angler Guide will be teaching a fly fishing school that is ideal for beginners. If you’re planning on fly fishing in Maryland, or anywhere else for that matter, this course is a great introduction to the sport. The school covers knots, casting, gear, fly selection and an hour of on-stream instruction. Schools are held in a meadow overlooking the Gunpowder river by a Maryland state licensed and insured fishing guide. Class is held from 11:00 AM till 2:00 PM. Cost is $100 per person and includes the use of gear. A Maryland Non-tidal fishing license and trout stamp is required and may be purchased prior to the class with check or cash at the shop. Class size is limited to 4 and pre-payment is required. Please give us a call at 410-357-9557 or drop us a line at info@backwaterangler.com to register.

Beginner’s Fly Tying: Gunpowder River Favorites

Fly Fishing Maryland? Please join us for a Beginner’s Fly Tying Class on Sunday, April 11, 2010 from 9:00 AM till 12:00 PM. The class focuses on Gunpowder River Favorites. Our very own Gunpowder river guides will be teaching this fun-filled beginner’s class. Cost of the class is $45 per person, and includes the use of materials. Please bring your own tools.The class is limited to six and pre-payment is required. Please give us a call at 410-357-9557 or drop us a line at info@backwaterangler.com to register.