The Gunpowder River is flowing at 70 Cfs is 54.5 F and clear. Fish are looking up and taking small caddis, Bwo’s and Tricos. Bright days are tough on the water so find some shade in the sycamore groves or hemlock stand along the catch and release area. Longer leaders in the 9ft to 12ft range ending in 6x and 7x will help deliver the small flies accurately and drag free. Think short cast-long drift.
Thanks to Josh Reider for the great photos and Stream Report from August 19:
After fishing this morning I hooked into plenty of fish in the catch-and-release section of the Gunpowder. I caught some fish on the surface with a caddis and dropping a small reverse hackle trico pattern behind. The majority of the fish I caught was nymphing small Pheasant Tails, Hares Ears, Black Copper Johns, and Caddis Pupa.You can get away with fishing 5X or 6X right now in riffles, but I would go to 7X in flat water. Flows are 94 Cfs–prime and should be taken advantage of…
I met Jerry K. in 1997 when I started working at the R. L. Winston Rod Co. as the Eastern Sales Rep. At the time I had a gas card, a small pickup with a topper and a U.S. map with a line roughly drawn down the middle from Minnesota to Louisiana that included all points east from Maine to the Keys. Traveling 28 states back then was always an adventure and the dealers always took great care of me. Visiting with Jerry, Glenn, and Jeff in the old airplane hangar that served as the boo shop was always a treat. One afternoon Jerry invited me to join him for an evening fishing craneflies patterns on the Beaverhead. On the drive, Jerry asked me how someone from Louisiana grew up fishing and guiding for trout in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina. About 6 months later I received my first bamboo rod from the boo boys signed by Jerry and built with pocket water, Cahills and long leaders in mind. The rod has always allowed me to show the art of the old guard to those interested in the beauty and craft that bamboo brings to the sport. Last year Jerry K. made a pilgrimage to the Gunpowder and ran into the likes of Jack (right) and Dave (left)–true Gunpowder regulars that appreciate bamboo and a good story.
Please join us at Backwater Angler from 11:00 AM till 2:00 PM next Saturday the 24th of August. Jerry will be stopping in to talk about bamboo and you’ll have an opportunity to cast some beautiful Sweetgrass bamboo fly rods. Please RSVP at 410-357-9557.
Jerry Kustich has been a part of the “Boo Boy” team for the past twenty years learning the many intricacies of rod building. Always found on a stream testing anything from flies to waders to pentagonal bamboo designs, he has become an outspoken advocate for public access to Montana’s rivers. Author, writer, devoted environmentalist, rod designer, and dedicated angler, he spends much time on the road as a fly fishing ambassador lecturing on and representing the ideals for which all serious fly anglers stand.
The Gunpowder River is flowing at 110 Cfs, is 55 degrees and clear. Bwo’s, Tricos and Caddis are all part of the mix now that the water has reached the mid 50’s. As the following report indicates, insect and fish activity is closely linked to water temperature.Thanks to Gary for the stream report from August 10
Theaux,
Fished the upper section of the river on Saturday 8/10 and had some ‘maddening’ fun with the tricos. It still amazes me how the fish can see those things but I took a lot of hits and landed quite a few fish using a reverse hackle pattern. At about 6:30 pm the water looked like a missle launch site with fish coming out of the water up and down the river. Earlier in the day I started with a #16 dry tan caddis and landed two fish but it stopped producing which surprised me because I caught a fish on the very first cast of the day. I switched to a grey ghost but unfortunately I lost it when a good size fish took a hard swipe and broke the line. That’s when I switched to the trico. I fished a long leader at around 14 feet but didn’t go down to 8x. There was some nice mist hanging over the water and that appeared to keep the fish from spooking and in an active feeding mode.
All in all another great day fishing the GP.
Gary
We have a full size run of these Patagonia Ultralight Wading Boots in stock at Backwater Angler. We’ve waited most of the Spring Season for these but did not want to bring them in until Josh, Jennie and Jeff put them through the paces on the upper and lower stretches of the Gunpowder River. This week, after reading Josh’s review I even picked up a pair of the new sticky shoes. So far I’ve been in mine for an evening fish, during two fly fishing schools and a guide trip in the canyon stretch of the Gunpowder in just the past week and have been impressed.
Thanks to Josh Reider for the Gear Review:
I have worked in a fly shop the past five years and have used about every rubber-soled wading boot under the sun. Up until Patagonia came out with this boot I used Simms Guide-Boot which at the time seemed great. The Patagonia Ultralight Wading Boot is significantly lighter and WAY MORE COMFORTABLE. When in the water I feel just as safe as any other top boot on the market. I have been using the boot hard for the last month (I fish about 3-4 days a week) and have had no problems with them! It is a great product design and look forward to using them in the future!
The Gunpowder River is clear and flowing at 43 CFs and is 50 degrees F. With lower flows forecast for this week, if the sun ever breaks through the clouds the river will warm up much quicker. Monday it reached 55 degrees and by noon there were a few size #16 caddis coming off in the upper catch and release section. BWO’s, sized #18-20 were drifting through the Beaver Dam flat just downstream of the High Trail by 3 PM. Small Hare’s Ears with a little Deep Soft Weight ahead of them accounted for a few fish in the runs and deeper riffles between the boulder pools. The meadow stretches from bunkerhill through Big Falls Rd have yielded a few fish on terrestrials. Grasshoppers and beetles are still worth a shot especially along grassy banks. At Masemore, Tricos have been very late but will start earlier as the river warms up and the reverse hackled patterns are still the best way to imitate these devilishly small patterns.
Thanks to Backwater Angler Staffer Max for the following stream report:
I fished a few days this past week and had great success on small caddis and nymphs. The fish were looking up in the riffles and taking dries during the morning and evening. During the mid-day hours I had success on bead-head caddis imitations also fished in the fast riffles under an indicator. Being a tailwater, the Gunpowder is blessed with cold water all summer so the fishing has remained good throughout the hot days and heavy rain. Sticking with smaller tippet in the 6-7X range has been a must especially on sunny days.
Please join us for a fly fishing school. On Saturday, September 7th, 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 $125 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 to pre-register.
Please join us for a fly fishing school. On Sunday, August 25th, 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 $125 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 to pre-register.
Please join us for a fly fishing school. On Saturday, August 17th, 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 $125 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 to pre-register.
The Gunpowder River is flowing at 90 CFs and is 51F. The river is clear above Bluemount but a little off-color below Little Falls and downstream through the two-fish a day section. Streamers such as light bright Zonkers and olive Wooly Buggers have accounted for larger fish in the boulder pools this week-one taping out at 17 inches that was released by a new Gunpowder regular. Guide trips have produced fish consistently on terrestrials including ants and beetles but the nymphing has been difficult. A good bet is a beetle or hopper trailing a #18 olive bodied Caddis or tiny BWO’s or midge emerger. Tricos in the #20-22 range are in the spider webs and Mike Bachkosky’s reverse hackled patterns in male and female have been tricking quite a few fish. Try a longer leader, 12to 13.5 feet ending in 7x to present these flies properly in flat water. One can get by with a 9 footer with a bit of tippet in the riffles. With air temps in the mid-80’s during the last week, small Joe’s hoppers have been effective in the meadow stretches of the river. We outfitted folks this week that were traveling, well, seemingly everywhere. Jackson Hole for Cutthroats, Banff for Pink Salmon, the Restigouche for Atlantic Salmon and the Catskills for Brookies. Pennsylvania anglers that are limited to spring creeks come August and even some local folks from Baltimore, D.C. and Northern Virginia are giving the cold restorative waters of the Gunpowder River a try. We have a two full fly fishing schools on Sunday and will be offering another on Sunday August 11th. Yesterday, I tripped over a few walnuts in my yard that were surely signaling that summer is on the wane. For those anglers with kids that are just starting to eye up pencils and binders it’s time to make that last fly fishing trip before the leaves start getting a little crispy and your schedule goes straight to hell.
