Now is the time to break out the streamers and October caddis patterns. The time of year has finally come around again and the Gunpowder River is looking good. While the river is flowing at 34cfs, the water temps are staying between 50 and 55 degrees. Sculpin patterns such as the Near Nuff Sculpin and my personal favorite, the Maddison Sculpin are working well mid to late afternoon. Caddis patterns such as the cornfed caddis are working exceptionally well in the evenings. Although tricos are gone the fish in the upper river are still looking for them. I recommend using a lighter tippet size due to the lower water conditions. Stop in and fill a brand-new Umpqua fly box with all your favorite seasonal flies and get on the water prepared.

Its Crazy to think that both of these fish were caught in the upper gunpowder.

The river is flowing around 34 CFS and is peaking around 55 degrees on most days.  We typically don’t see major hatches this time of year, but the fish definitely have a wide variety of food options.  Recently I’ve found a small caddis dry to be the most productive fly when prospecting, especially in the riffles.  However, the fish in slower pools and runs prefer smaller midge and ant patterns.  Look for fish gently rising amongst the fallen leaves in the glassy water throughout the catch and release section.

The brown trout are getting a little more aggressive toward streamers as their spawning date approaches.  With the water being on the low end, streamers are best fished downstream of Bluemount Rd where the Gunpowder starts gaining more volume.  Streamer and nymph fishing have also proven effective in the deeper plunge pools above Falls rd, particularly in the early morning, but can be frustrating due to the leaves in the water.

As always, enjoy the river! This is my favorite time of year to be in the park!

Also, please note that the shop will be closed on Monday October 11th.

The Gunpowder River is clear and flowing at 52 Cfs and is 53 degrees F. With football in full swing the river is a bit quieter-even on the weekends! We still have a few Tricos on the wane. Fishing has been consistently good especially in the riffles. Try a small caddis throughout the catch and release area. In plunge pools and the lower river, streamer fishing has been productive-especially with large profile patterns (we have a few in the muffin tins now that are worth a shot). Sunken ants are also easy to fish-one can swing them like a soft hackle and cover a lot of water during non-hatch periods. Longer leaders ending in 6x are still very helpful as they keep one from lining fishing in the shallows. If you waders were leaking all summer, with colder water temps ahead now’s a great time to come in and get fitted for a newer, and certainly, drier pair from Patagonia.