The Gunpowder River is flowing at 38 CFS and is 43 Degrees with mid 60’s air temps forecast and with low flows expect the River to continue to warm up through the week especially by each day in th elate afternoon. Stoneflies might be worth shot and streamers are in the mix and a fun way get a good hike in along the River this time of year. Thnaks to Liam for the great photo of a recently released 17″ brown and the following stream report:
Theaux, Gene and Stefan,
First of all, happy holidays! I hope you all find a plethora of fly fishing gadgets beneath your Christmas trees this year! I’d also like to thank you; 2016 has been a monumental year for me in terms of fly fishing. I’m endlessly appreciative for the help you’ve provided me in the past year. I would never have thought I’d have such success when I began fly fishing in 2015. Secondly, Gene mentioned last week that I could send in a picture of the fish I caught last weekend to be featured on your blog. I actually caught another fish of the same size yesterday (Thursday), as well as saw a huge fish (20+ inches) tucked beneath a log jam!! It seems that by now the Gunpowder browns have completed their annual spawn and are quickly transitioning into winter mode. After fishing streamers almost exclusively for the past few weeks, it has become apparent that the fish are in a sort of post-spawn, pre-winter feeding mindset. I found that very few fish bumped, chased, or slashed at my fly. Rather, almost every trout that showed interest took the fly in its mouth with confidence. This has led me to believe that the fish are no longer feeling territorial and aggressive, but instead are hungry and therefore happy to eat whatever tasty morsel passes by. In my opinion, this scenario is preferable to the pre-spawn aggression phase since the fish are more intent on eating the fly as opposed to chasing it away or giving it an angry bump. Furthermore, the fishing pressure is slowly declining on the river, especially in some of the lesser fished spots. It’s amazing how receptive the fish are of your fly when they haven’t been bombarded with artificial food for a few days! In terms of fly choice, I think picking the right sized streamer is more important than any other factor. The fly should be large enough to make it worth the trouts effort, but not so big that it’s downright obnoxious. Adding weight to a streamer and getting it down to the fishes level can never hurt this time of year, but I’ve had no problem getting fish to move a good distance for the fly. In fact, I’ve seen a number of trout break the waters surface in an effort to grab my fly as I lift it from the water into my back cast. I think that anyone who ties on a good streamer and really puts it to use will have some success on the Gunpowder this time of year. I’m certain that any medium sized streamer in a dark color will be productive!Once again, thanks and happy holidays!!
Liam
Please Note: The shop will open Thursday and Friday from 10 till 5, New Year’s eve from 10 till 4 and will be closed on New Year’s Day.