I fished this week in the mornings at Masemore, and didn’t see any anglers before 10 AM. Small caddis and ants were producing fish in the riffles above the bridge. The Acid Ant pattern we have in the shop was really working well I think due to the sparkle under the wing, Alex and I fished on Thursday morning and saw tons of flying ants on the windshield of his car so we decided to fish the flat water using a very small black ant pattern, 7X was the key along with a 14 foot leader and light rod. Nymphing with caddis pupas also produced in the deeper water. I’m fishing the Winston BIIX 3 weight which is a perfect summer rod for the Gunpowder because of its versatility. I can cast small dries without its butt stifness interfering with the light tippet, and the stiffer butt helps flip out nymphs and indicators. Fishing smaller streamers really isnt even a problem with the rod since the boron butt really helps with the heavier flies. With terrestrials and tricos coming up, I test cast one of the Sweetgrass Mantra Rods, and it would be perfect for flipping out small ants and beetles. The softness of the bamboo makes casting truly effortless, and fighting fish is that much more fun because you can feel it all the way to the butt of the rod. It’s been pretty hot, but wet wading has made the heat more barable. I’d recommend getting out in the mornings and evenings to avoid the midday heat.
-Max