The cold weather is back in Northern Baltimore County, and the recent snow storm dropped close to five inches in Monkton this past weekend. The Gunpowder flows dropped to 137 CFs on Sunday, and water temps are still below 40 degrees. Earlier this week I found some respite from numb toes and tough fishing by playing a hunch and venturing to some smaller water in search of warmer water temps. On a forty plus degree day, I took a ride to a tiny creek armed with only one small fly box, my Scott Fiberglass six foot one weight rod, and a pair of Hunter boots. A quick dip of the thermometer revealed 44 degree water temps, which confirmed that even the small freestones in the region would be more affected by warm air temps, versus the large volume of cold water in the Gunpowder.

The pockets and pools were tiny, but most held one to two brook trout, which would dart out from the cover of rock ledges to inspect the fly. The fish were aggressive, but would only take one look at the fly, forcing me to move frequently. Spotting fish and crawling into position was the typical scenario, and I was surprised to see some decent brookies from 7-9 inches, and a few browns a bit bigger than that in such a tiny stream. The great thing about small streams in Winter is they keep you moving (warm) and staying out of the water keeps the toes from freezing. After covering 20 pools/pockets I counted over 15 trout. I managed to spook half of those fish and miss most of the other strikes, but I brought two to hand; a french fry brookie and one small brown. The spot-and-stalk component, extremely skittish fish and tight casting on small water was a great change of pace from fishing the larger rivers in the region.

Winter temperatures, high flows and ice on the guides hasn’t kept many anglers from wetting a line this past week on the Gunpowder. My last day of fishing in 2009 was on Monday of last week, with a few friends willing to fish in the dropping 400 CFs flow. Each of us landed a few fish in as many hours nymphing the soft edges of riffles and bends. Big streamers produced a few strikes, but the browns were not really aggressive in the colder water temps. My last brown trout of 2009 was hard fighting and took me around some trees requiring an assist on the net by Matt, who snapped the pic above. Alex McCrickard stopped by the shop Tuesday afternoon to report a nice brown caught on a stonefly dry on the Gunpowder. Alex and Max (BWA shop interns) should be experiencing some good dry fly fishing this week, as they explore some rivers in Chile. Good luck guys!

For the rest of us fishing locally this January, high flows on the Gunpowder dropped midweek and leveled out today in the 200 CFs range. Angler’s reports relay fairly tough fishing, but the majority of anglers are catching fish by getting flies down on the bottom. Water temps will fluctuate with the volume of spillover and dropping night time air temps, so midday is a prime time for warmer water temps. While the next few months are usually the coldest of the year, many anglers enjoy bundling up and having miles of river to themselves. A thermos of coffee, good pair of gloves, and frequently moving from spot to spot, can help locate some fish and fend off the cold. Be sure to stop in the shop for fly pattern and access recommendations.

The Gunpowder River flow increased to over 600 CFs midweek at the Falls Road gauge, when warm air and rainfall melted the snow that fell the previous week. Once the river flows dropped below 400 CFs, I spent some time nymphing and swinging streamers Thursday. A combination of cold night air and spillover dropped river temps into the 40s, but browns were still eating a variety of patterns. The increase in flow and colder water required deep, slow drifts for nymphing. The takes were really subtle, so using a Thingamabobber, and extra weight on the line helped detect these strikes. The trout preferred big or small flies, either a size 22 or a size 8 nymph pattern fooled a few fish. Streamers were still getting chases and swipes, but the fish were a bit more sluggish and preferred a less erratic, slower swing. A larger streamer required a bit more determination and patience than nymphing to get results, but produced one nice brown trout.

The flows at the Falls Road gauge leveled out at 173 CFs this morning, but higher flows from today’s heavy rains should be expected. A variety of patterns in the muffin tins on the counter produced for anglers sending in recent fishing reports from the previous days of higher flows. Reports from anglers nymph fishing ranged from just a few fish, to over ten fish in a few hours, and not many skunkings. Dry fly enthusiasts reported feast or famine, as far as locating and timing a hatch to the warmer hours of the day. The fluctuating flows, and effects from night and day time air temperatures can certainly make the fish sluggish, but it can also get them feeding. The best way to truly determine how active the fish will be is to suit up for a few hours, versus dissecting the forecast. On Monday of last week, I was surprised by a hook up on my biggest brown in years, on a cold day when I expected just to get outside for a few hours. The huge brown threw the hook after it provided fifteen seconds worth of excitement for me and a shop regular who watched the scene play out from the bank. One brown trout that size on the line and mid thirty degree air temps, high flows and rain suddenly have less bearing on whether to fish or stay at home tying flies. I know where I’ll be this coming week.

The first snow storm of the year dropped three to four inches in the Hereford/Monkton area yesterday morning through late last night. Anglers braved the snow storm yesterday, and a number of reports included rising trout and empty parking lots at river accesses. Today the bright sun is melting the snow on the roads and trees, so river flows may increase over the next few days. A number of cars were parked along the Masemore stretch this morning, yet no anglers in sight at the bridge above. This week a good olive hatch had trout feeding on the surface on the tiny mayflies, and many anglers reported extremely active, but selective fish. On Friday while guiding during a short olive hatch we picked off rising trout, moving less than a hundred feet in two hours before the hatch ended. One of the trout caught later in the day was a small brook trout, the second one I’ve seen this week. I caught the brookie below on Thursday while nymphing a BWO emerger I tied. A variety of nymph, emerger and olive dun patterns in the shop have proven effective for anglers this week. The dry fly activity can be short or sporadic, but only a few bugs on the water will bring the trout to the surface. Winter weather has arrived, but the fishing opportunities will continue through the season.

The Gunpowder flow has dropped below 100 CFs, and is currently 52 degrees at Falls Rd. Rain is forecasted through the week, so expect water levels to rise again. Warm air temps and added spill over may increase water temps, and create ideal conditions for olive hatches with rainy, cloudy days ahead. Caddis, adams and small olives have worked for many anglers preferring to catch fish on the surface. A few fish can be found rising to midges or olives, but the majority of trout are caught on dries fished blind. Nymphing with small nymphs and midge patterns sized 20-24 are working, along with larger caddis larva patterns. Streamers of all sizes and colors are catching fish, especially when the flows climb above 100 CFs.

The past two weeks trout began making beds and started spawning in the Gunpowder river. Anglers should watch out for the redds (pictured above) and avoid wading or fishing through these areas. The light colored redds are clearly visible in lower flows, but in higher flows anglers should be extra cautious while wading, to avoid crushing fragile eggs.
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