Monthly Archives: May 2012

June Fly Fishing School at Backwater Angler

Please join us for a fly fishing school. On Sunday, June 10, a Backwater Angler Guide will be teaching a fly fishing school that is ideal for beginners. If you’re planning on flyfishing Maryland, or anywhere else for that matter, this course is a great introduction to the sport. The school covers knots, casting, gear and fly selection. 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 at the shop with check or cash the day of the school. Class size is limited to 4 and pre-registration is required. Please give us a call at 410-357-9557 or drop us a line at info@backwaterangler.com to pre-register.

Memorial Day Suphurs and 50 Degree F Water on the Gunpowder

Dragonfly Emergence
The Gunpowder River is clear and cold at 50 F. River temps have been swinging up to 53 F by late afternoon and river flow is ideal at 106 CFs. Sulphurs are peeling off midday and are in the #14, #16 and #18 range. The “mixed” hatch that we have along the Gunpowder is really just Sulphurs. I spent a nice afternoon along the upper river yesterday and found big spinners returning just as smaller Duns were lifting off. For the two gentleman from Towson that joined me, it made for very exciting and productive dry fly fishing. Clouds of midges and a just few caddis were about, but the wild fish were clearly seeing yellow. With warmer evenings in the forecast Spinners falls are inevitable. So if you squeeze out of the yardwork, picnic, ect… early, be sure to swing by the shop this weekend and pick up a 12 ft 6x leader, some 7x tippet and a few Quill Bodied Para-Spinners and Unusuals and tell everyone you’ll be (really) late for dinner. As a side note, Mike Bachkosky our consummate fly tier and baseball aficionado called in today to make sure that his flies arrived and related that he’s seeing 64.4 degree water temperatures on the Delaware River.

Memorial Day Weekend Shop Hours:

Friday 10:00 AM till 6:00 PM
Saturday Sunday and Monday 10:00 AM till 4:00 PM

Gunpowder River is High, Tribs are Muddy, Wild Trout are Resilient

Bush Cabin Run muddying Gunpowder River
The Gunpowder River is off color, flowing at 355 Cfs and is 61.8 F at Falls Rd. Just 24 hours ago the river was 66 Cfs and 55.3 F. Bush Cabin Run (pictured above) and other, smaller tributaries along the mainstem are muddy and high. Thankfully, it takes a while for the rain falling in the 80 square mile drainage of Pretty Boy to soak in. While the main stem is not typically as flashy as the tribs, spillover does make the river act more like a freestone than a tailwater when the reservoir is chock full. Expect the river to keep climbing as the forecast calls for rain throughout the day. If you must fish today, try your luck upstream of the tribs and realize that we’ve gone from shin deep water to waist deep water so be sure to bring a staff, a sink tip and large streamers. Exercise caution (no stream crossings) and try to cover as much water as possible while fishing from the bank. Thanks to Tom Starrs for the stream report and photo from May 12:

If you have not fished the sulphur hatch on the Gunpowder, now is the time. I really got into them last night. Good time on the river meeting and talking with several other fishermen. With so many fish coming up, it’s easy to share a pool with another angler. I fished with several including Frank Smith of NCCTU and Kiki Gavin of the Northern VA TU chapter.

Tom Starrs

Maysulph

Columbia Gas Transmission Line MB Extension Project Public Hearing Tonight at 7:00 PM at Youth’s Benefit Elementary School

As your Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER®, I’ll be attending a public hearing tonight at Youth’s Benefit Elementary School at 7:00 PM at 1901 Fallston Rd, Fallston, MD 21047.

If you are concerned about potential impacts about this Columbia Gas MB Extension Project and can make it on such short notice, please consider attending. If this notice of the FERC public meeting has caught you off guard rest assured you are not alone.

Many residents quoted in various media outlets have expressed concern in the past few days about the lack of notice, transparency, and due process surrounding the Line MB Extension Project and are of the opinion that Columbia gas has failed to adequately engage the general public, local stakeholders and residents of the diverse communities who live, work and play along the right of way in this project.

For anyone that is interested in potential water quality impacts of in Baltimore and Harford Counties, it is clear that the proposed 21 mile pipeline extension will cross many types of waterways in the area. I will be reporting the information gained at the meeting and until then, here is a glimpse of what others are saying:

ABC2NEWs: Controversy over Proposed Natural Gas Pipeline

Baltimore Sun: Residents Criticize Natural Gas Pipeline Proposal

If you are concerned about this project and would like more information please feel free to contact me directly at 410-967-3526 or keeper@gunpowderriverkeeper.org

G. Loomis NRX, Pro-4X Sales Rep Day in Maryland

IMG_4985

Please Join us Saturday from 11:00 till 2:00 on May 12, 2012 for a G. Loomis Sales Rep day at Backwater Angler. Dick Kondak, our G. Loomis sale representative will have a host of rods from the NRX and Pro 4x fly rod series. We’ll have the grill going and Dick will be giving away a Pro 4x, a few hats and t-shirts at the end of the afternoon to a few lucky anglers.

Thanks to D & B for the report on the arrival of their NRX:

Thank you Theaux for your wonderful advice and help selecting our new fishing rod. The beautiful G. Loomis NRX arrived safe and sound yesterday, just in time as we head out to Western MD to try it out on the Savage and Casselman this weekend. We will report back! We appreciate your always dependable words of guidance and what you do for your customers and fly fishing in this region.

Sincerely and all the best,
D&B

Maryland Fly Fishing School on Sunday, May 13

Please join us for a fly fishing school. On Sunday, May 13, a Backwater Angler Guide will be teaching a fly fishing school that is ideal for beginners. If you’re planning on flyfishing Maryland, or anywhere else for that matter, this course is a great introduction to the sport. The school covers knots, casting, gear and fly selection. 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 at the shop with check or cash the day of the school. Class size is limited to 4 and pre-registration is required. Please give us a call at 410-357-9557 or drop us a line at info@backwaterangler.com to pre-register.

Read Stream Report, Go to BWA, Pick up Flies, Catch Wily Gunpowder Trout…Repeat

Wild Gunpowder Brown Trout in Baltimore County

The Gunpowder River is gin clear, 54 to 58 degrees is the catch and release section and is flowing at 72 Cfs. Sulphurs have been all the rage this week. Small caddis and grey midges have also been productive. Cloudy weather has been helping anglers connect with wild fish. Good reports of sulphur activity have been coming in from anglers fishing the catch and release section. Sulphur duns are in the #14 range and a mix of dun and emerger patterns out of the muffin tins have been accounting for a majority of the fish caught on dries. The lower river between the gas line downstream of Corbett through Upper and Lower Glencoe Rd, Sparks and Phoenix rd just reopened this past weekend after a recent stocking of 2, 640 rainbows.
Be sure to stop in the shop before heading out and please, don’t wait until June to fish the sulphur hatch!

Thanks to Joel for the following stream report and great photo from April 28.

Theaux,
Just wanted to give you a short report about the fishing yesterday. I spent the day wandering between Falls Rd. and the dam, and managed to get a few hookups, including this brown on a #14 sulphur pattern. There was not much surface activity in the morning, but the fish were more active once the temp warmed up. Looks like it might be another great day today, but unfortunately the yardwork is calling.

Best,
Joel

and thanks to Seth for the Stream report from April 29:

Theaux,
I stopped in the shop this morning, after seeing your report on an early Sulphur hatch, and to pick up some flies. As always, your shop is dead on, and subsequently, I had an epic morning. If I had brought to net every fish I caught (still working on that), I would have made it to eighteen! The takes were awesome – noisy and aggressive. I attached a few pics of these gorgeous Gunpowder browns we’re so blessed with. Can’t think of a better way to spend a beautiful spring Sunday morning. Will hit the spinner fall later!
Thanks again,
Seth

Beginners Fly Fishing School on Saturday, May 19

Please join us for a fly fishing school. On Saturday, May 19, a Backwater Angler Guide will be teaching a fly fishing school that is ideal for beginners. If you’re planning on flyfishing Maryland, or anywhere else for that matter, this course is a great introduction to the sport. The school covers knots, casting, gear and fly selection. 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 at the shop with check or cash the day of the school. Class size is limited to 4 and pre-registration is required. Please give us a call at 410-357-9557 or drop us a line at info@backwaterangler.com to pre-register.

Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER® Stream Waders Update!

Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER Volunteer Stream Waders use GPS Coordinates
GRK volunteers have just completed sampling three subwatersheds of the Gunpowder River using MBSS protocols. Thanks to all that participated! Following is an enthusiastic note from new GRK member/volunteer Stephen Knott!

Here are a few shots from the Stream Waders outing this Sunday. Willis, A. J., and I had a good time exploring in and around the lower Gunpowder. After a hard days work, I grabbed a bite to eat, watched the Orioles win with a walk off home run, and finished the evening at Falls Road with rising trout. Not bad.

Thanks,
Stephen Knott

Be sure to check out the rest of Stephen’s good work at the Herring Run Watershed Education Center at The Armistead Gardens School

And… in case you’re wondering how to join and participate in Stream Waders with Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER please give the GRK website a look-see.
Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER Volunteers Streamwaders

Fly Fishing School on Sunday, May 20

Please join us for a fly fishing school. On Sunday, May 20, a Backwater Angler Guide will be teaching a fly fishing school that is ideal for beginners. If you’re planning on flyfishing Maryland, or anywhere else for that matter, this course is a great introduction to the sport. The school covers knots, casting, gear and fly selection. 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 at the shop with check or cash the day of the school. Class size is limited to 4 and pre-registration is required. Please give us a call at 410-357-9557 or drop us a line at info@backwaterangler.com to pre-register.