The Gunpowder River flow climbed into the 600 CFs range over the weekend. A release was made to stop the hot spillover, which began after a thunder storm produced heavy rains. The water temp rose into the low seventies, but quickly dropped when the valve was opened. Flows are now back to a normal 103 CFs, and a chilly 50 degrees. Sulphurs and caddis are still bringing fish to the surface, and small nymphs will work when the hatch slows. A black Zonker worked well for me on the Gunpowder, as the flow dropped yesterday evening. A few days ago I decided to try my luck on a small stream, and happened onto some decent sized brook trout. Hiking a few miles away it switched over to primarily smallmouth and largemouth bass. The fish were smaller in this stream, but still eager to hit a good sized streamer. I covered a lot of ground and the water was surprisingly cold despite hundred degree days earlier in the week. The bass were fun for a while, but I relocated to still water with a lot of carp, which were quite a challenge. In the clear water the fish were ultra selective about taking my nymph, but I finally connected with a small one. The Scott G2 four weight got quite a bend in it, as this fish refused to budge. Numerous carp pushing ten pounds had me rethinking my plans, since a three pounder was tough to turn on such a light rod.
The day took an interesting turn when I was leaving for home. I bushwhacked through some brush toward the gurgle of falling water. A small water fall made by this tiny stream was the only give away it existed, since the flowing stream emptied into swampy marsh. I walked up a few hundred feet, and after feeling the cool breeze coming off the water, took a water temp in the high fifties. The stream shielded from the heat by the canopy of the trees, and obviously fed by cold water, looked perfect for brook trout. I dapped the streamer in a bathtub size pool. A few small shapes darted out from under the rock for the big fly. A switch to a small pheasant tail quickly produced a brook trout. I didn’t have my small stream rod, but the 9 foot rod allowed me to hang back, and dap nymphs in each sink to bathtub sized pool. Twenty five minutes later and my total landed was 9 small brook trout. These native trout had vivid markings, and the unbridled aggression of trout living in such small waters. The thick ferns, heavy shade and damp environment created a micro climate that dropped the air temp a few degrees. Each bend in the stream lured me to explore farther and farther up this creek. Once the water shrank and divided, I knew it was time to turn around. The latest video post features an interesting day, which started and ended with native brook trout, and a mix of bass, browns and carp.