The Gunpowder River is a little green and flowing at 90 Cfs and is 55.5 F. Many fishing this week have been surprised by the excellent flows and ideal water temperatures to fly fish for wild brown trout. BWo’s and small midges have been coming off mid morning in the flats up and downstream of Masemore Rd. Parking has been tight at the upper and lower lots at Falls rd in the past week as many folks are out “leaf watching” so a full parking lot does not denote a river full of fly fishers. Streamers on a sink tip are a good bet in the boulder pools and this weekend may be the last real shot at throwing large terrestrials like madame x’s and Rainy’s hopper patterns.

The Gunpowder River is clear, 53 degrees F. and has just dropped in flow from 104 Cfs to 48 CFS. I spent a very enjoyable morning fishing with Tom. We saw a Great Blue Heron, Kingfishers and a Bald Eagle and plenty of fish rising to tricos and a few caddis. That said, water temps have dropped a bit and nymphing might be a better approach through the weekend. Tiny BWO’s and zebra midges-the smaller the better as leaves are starting to drop. This time of year Terrestrials fished among the leaves is always a good bet.

Thanks to Alex McCrickard for the excellent (per usual) stream report and photos of his family fishing the Gunpowder!

Theaux,
Greg, Gray, and I got out on the river for a few hours Saturday morning. The 127 cfs flow is perfect right now. We caught fish in the rainy weather on nymphs and streamers. A few fish were taken on a size # 16 bead head caddis pupa. Fish were also aggressively chasing, rolling, and swiping at our streamers.

We landed a handful of wild browns in the 7 to 10 inch range and I was able to land one large brown at the end of the morning.The larger brown was 15 inches and inhaled my streamer as it came off the bank. The fish fought hard and put a good bend in my 6wt.MAn, I miss living 20 minutes from the Gunpowder. You really take it for granted when you live in Baltimore.

Please join us for a fly fishing school. On Sunday, October 23, 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 and fly selection. Class is held from 10:00 AM till 1:00 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.