The Gunpowder is clear, cold and flowing at 32 Cfs. Caddis and terrestrials are working in the riffles, while nymphs and streamers are catching fish in deeper holes. Zebra midges, caddis emergers and small midge dries are catching fish in slow moving areas. A long 12 foot leader tapering to 6x or 7x is best in these low water conditions.
Backwater Angler will be open at its regular business hours this weekend.
Friday the 3rd, 10 am-6 pm.
Saturday the 4th, 8 am-4 pm.
Sunday the 5th, 8 am-4 pm.
The recent changes in flow on the Gunpowder River either concentrate the fish in low flows or spread them out in higher water. Each extreme has its advantages and disadvantages, but the fishing remains productive. Many fish are holding on the bottom, so nymphing is a good way to cover water in the high flows, or dredge the deeper slots in low water. The water is very cold, in the low 50s in the C & R, and in the upper 50 to low 60s in the 2 fish a day regulated water. Last week, friend and “Glimpses” co-star, Matt Devlin made the trip from South Carolina to the Gunpowder and we dropped the raft into the river in a steady rain. The combination of overcast skies, rain and low water made for a great day on the river. The sixty degree water was clear, and some bigger browns were active on nymphs and streamers. Matt and I got into fish quickly with a pair of thick browns in the first riffle we fished. Each spot we tried held hungry wild browns, and most strikes came on the first few drifts. Streamers also got a lot of chases, hits and produced one brown over twelve inches for me from the boat. Matt worked one riffle with nymphs, and got two fish on consecutive casts; One thick, thirteen inch brown and one heavy, fifteen inch brown.
My net, the Oconto by Wolf Moon, features a lightweight rubber bag and a fifteen inch handle for easy measuring. By the time we reached the takeout we caught all the usual wild fish ranging from 6-11 inches, but also a number of quality twelve to fifteen inch wild browns. Matt lost a decent fourteen to fifteen inch brown at the net, and I had my biggest brown of the day inhale a sculpin pattern under an overhanging tree, but I couldn’t set the hook quickly enough. We caught fish, hooked fish, lost fish and made the most of less-than-favorable weather and cold, low flows.
Backwater Angler Guides will be available for four or six hour wade trips on the Savage River in Western Maryland from July 6th-July 10th. The Savage is known for its beautiful wild trout and also its extremely challenging wading and technical fishing. While the hatch fishing can at times be exciting, many fish can be caught using a variety of surface and subsurface patterns. Guides will be available for morning or afternoon start times and standard rates apply. Food and lodging will not be provided, nor will transportation to and from the river. Details on lodging and camping options, meeting times & places, and recommended gear will also be discussed prior to the trip. Trips can be scheduled and prepaid by contacting the shop Please give us a call at 410-357-9557 or drop us a line at info@backwaterangler.com to book a trip.
2009 has been a great year for rain in the Central Maryland region. Both City reservoirs were full since late winter, and Prettyboy Reservoir has added warmer spillover all Spring to the cold bottom releases on the Gunpowder River. The mix of warm and cold water is the result of Baltimore City Water and MD Fisheries officials attempting to maintain levels in the reservoir, while increasing water temps in an effort to boost insect hatches. After numerous gate changes this Spring, the City was pulling from the 55 foot gate, yet surface spillover brought temps to nearly seventy degrees in the upper C & R sections with recent thunderstorms. Considering the river supports wild browns for 17 miles, the few miles below the dam were reaching stressful levels for the trout, let alone the many miles further down river. Last weeks fluctuating flows were the result of a quick response and planned release by the City to lower levels in Prettyboy and prevent warm spillover from mixing with cold bottom releases. By Friday of last week temps dropped from 68 to the 56 degree range midday at Falls Rd. Currently flows are clear, in the 31 Cfs range and ice cold in the mid to upper fifties throughout the C & R sections.
Sulphurs and Caddis are still hatching along the Gunpowder, but there are other opportunities for dry fly fishing during the day. Hatches of BWOs, Sulphurs, and caddis may be concentrated very early or very late, so if fishing midday consider throwing terrestrial patterns. A recent shipment from Rainys includes a variety of hoppers, beetles and ants that are proven patterns on the Gunpowder. The brown pictured above fell for a size twelve rubber legged foam beetle fished against the bank. In a few hours, from noon to four, on a bright day I landed eight browns on the same fly. The browns were quick to inspect anything dropping into the water near overhanging trees, undercut banks or logjams, so be sure to get a good drift the first time. Larger patterns may get more refusals, but are easy to see and tend to catch the bigger fish. Smaller terrestrials sized 18-24, such as flying ants and smaller flying beetles are also causing the fish to rise in good numbers throughout the Catch and Release sections.
The famed Green Drake hatch occurs on few Maryland rivers, but I encountered the hatch while fishing the Upper Savage River on the first two days of June with Neil, a shop regular. We spent two evenings wading areas where primarily brook trout were feeding on these large size eight bugs. The action was right before dark, and while fish were rising, the small brookies and large mayflies allowed the fish to gorge themselves quickly it seemed, and begged the question, just how many of these huge Mayflies can a seven or ten inch brook trout eat? I spent some time photographing this hatch and shot some footage of the huge Coffin flies returning to the water.
I moved down onto the Lower Savage below the reservoir for the rest of the week to fish my usual haunts. The flow was at a near perfect 120 Cfs, which I like for nymphing and fishing dries in the rough pocket water. The cold 48-49 degree water was clear, and the fish were surprisingly active on dries, so I only nymphed a few hours during the week. Some sporadic hatches of Hendricksons, BWOs, and March browns had the fish working the surface for a short time each day. The fish though were more than willing to eat a large dry throughout the day, regardless of what was hatching. A size 12 snow shoe winged March Brown dead drifted in the seams around the roughest water, pictured below, produced steady action. Fishing blind with a few casts into each likely holding spot, and covering water brought roughly two dozen wild trout to the surface by day’s end. The thrill of dropping a large, buoyant dry into a precise pocket amidst the chaos of rushing water, and watching trout erupt on the fly, was reason enough the brave the steady rain each day. While I landed no large fish over fifteen inches, I hooked a few by weeks end. The smaller browns and brookies were eager to rise and fought hard in the strong currents. The latest video features Green Drakes from the Upper Savage and native brookies and wild browns on the Lower Savage River.
The Sulphur Mayfly hatch is providing excellent dry fly fishing on the Gunpowder during the early afternoon through nightfall. The water temps are fluctuating between 60-66 from Falls Rd to Glencoe Rd, but are steadily dropping as spillover slows. Sulphurs are coming off consistently in many areas through mid to late afternoon. The shop’s wide variety of Sulphur dry fly patterns have proven effective for numerous customers who connected with the Gunpowder’s wild browns over the past three weeks. Sulphur dries fished through riffles are working during the midday, but skating or twitching them is the key.
Small Caddis dries fished blind will get strikes in the morning or midday, in the faster water. The best time for dry fly fishing is AFTER 4 PM, but most intense after 8 PM for rising trout during the Sulphur spinnerfall. Smaller duns, size 18, are emerging as the spinners drop, so consider a small dun if the browns are rising, but refusing spinner patterns. Lime and Yellow Sallies are also hatching toward dark, due to warmer water temps, and the stoneflies were heaviest downstream of Bunker Hill Rd through the lower C & R. Although not dry fly fishing, but certainly easier, swinging flies or nymphing is a great way to get into a lot of trout midday or during the evening hatch. Browns are eating all varieties of nymphs. Stop in the shop for latest up-to-date info on patterns, techniques and locations as BWA guides are on the water daily.
Anglers fishing during the peak of the Sulphur hatch should expect to see other anglers, but as a general rule fishing within the same riffle, pool or roughly 100 feet is too close and where possible give a wider berth. When an angler is fishing a pool, other anglers moving up or down, should get out and step around them on the trail, not wade past on the opposite/near side, or fish down the middle, (that’s not helping anybody catch fish.) There are miles of river, thousands of trout and good hatches at any access point on the Gunpowder right now. Give your fellow anglers some room, or wait until they move on, before moving into a spot nearby.
The latest video post includes some footage of hatching Sulphurs, an unusual meeting of a Sulphur and lime Stonefly, and my first Gunpowder Brookie for 09′. I managed 11 last year on the Gunpowder, so I have some catching up to do.
The Gunpowder has remained fishable the past weeks despite levels reaching the mid 200 Cfs range. Fishing streamers and nymphs was very effective in the higher flows, and dry fly action was good in the wider slower moving areas of the river. Flows have leveled out around 100 Cfs, with temps fluctuating from 60-64 depending on air temps and surface water temps on Prettyboy Reservoir. MD Fisheries and Baltimore City are working together to increase insect hatches by allowing the spillover/releases to warm up the river in a way that is closer to typical freestones in the region. The result being that Sulphurs are out weeks early, and spinnerfalls are happening throughout numerous miles of river. A week ago in the Glencoe stretch sulphurs and spinners brought trout to the surface in riffles after 6 PM. While Sulphurs are hatching in the upper stretches of the Gunpowder, warmer water down river may mean areas in the lower C & R or below Monkton could have good hatches and few anglers. Parking accesses in the C & R may be filled midday with cars, but by evening boaters, hikers and most fishermen have left before the surface action gets going. Caddis dries are working through the day, but for rising fish and strong hatches, fishing late is best.
The higher water tends to keep some anglers away, so adapting your tactics can result in great fishing, with little pressure. One day I brought out the Sage Z-Axis, sinking tip and medium size “brown trout” streamers for the midday fishing in the higher water. I switched back to dry flies for the evening bite, and yes the browns do rise when the water is over 200 Cfs. The latest video shows streamer fishing in the high water and hatching sulphurs on the Gunpowder.
The last two weeks of April brought warmer water temps and good hatches of Hendricksons, Blue Wing Olives and Midges. Lately my 9 foot 4 weight Scott G2 has been getting a lot more use than my ten foot Scott “nymphing” rod. The soft action of the whole G2 rod series excels at short casts, turning over long leaders and protecting light tippets. The brown trout may not be rising, (if you hit a good hatch they will), but putting a fly through the good lies produces strikes with regularity. The most successful technique for me has been fishing shallow riffles/rough pockets using light Hendricksons sized 12-14 on 6X tippet. The Hendricksons have waned, but the fish seem to remember them, as raising one-two dozen fish in a single outing has been normal the past week. Anglers dead drifting soft hackles and nymphs under indicators are getting strikes and swinging flies during a hatch is also effective. A report from Martin, a shop regular, shares his experience from the 30th.
Theaux,
Yesterday (Thursday) was outstanding. Best day I have ever had on the GP. As you suggested, I went up above Masemore in the riffles around the bend. I started around 2:30. It was overcast and about 60 F. A few fish were rising. I tried some sulfur dries and emergers for an hour with no success. I then switched to a Hendrickson/Sulfur Cripple soft hackle that I learned from Dave Smith in the tying class a few months ago at the shop. It was deadly. Five fish in the next 30 minutes and a few more that I lost. I rested that stretch for awhile and then caught another three, losing some more. What a great day to reintroduce Glenn’s quad.
I spent every day the last week and a half on the Gunpowder River, guiding and fishing different stretches at different times of the day. Midges and blackflies are hatching in good numbers and the blackflies can be seen “skimming” along the surface. They look like a miniscule housefly with a short, thick body versus the long, thin bodies on midges. Trout sipping in the flat water areas are usually eating these bugs and flies in the 20-24 range will work. Hendricksons are starting to emerge late in the morning through 2-3 pm, and many are a tannish-olive, although they darken up to a deep reddish brown. The brown trout are eating a variety of emerger, nymph and soft hackle patterns during the day, especially during these higher flows.
Dry fly enthusiasts should try prospecting with hendricksons midday, as the majority of anglers catching fish on dries over rising trout started before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. Although, on a recent guide trip the client rose around fifteen fish during the brightest hours of the day in less than 100 feet of river. Reports from customers include good dry fly fishing, yet the fish are not seen rising, but are rising to eat a properly presented fly. Midges are also hatching heavy toward dark, and while the sipping fish are only active the final hour of the day, they are eagerly feeding on the surface. Hendrickson spinners have been seen toward dark, and in good numbers bring fish to the surface. The rain has helped bring out some decent hatches, and raise water temps and levels with warm spillover. The rain predicted through this week may continue to blow out the Pennsylvania and Western Maryland rivers (Savage River currently spilling over at 345 Cfs and the North Branch at 1, 135 Cfs). The Gunpowder currently spilling over at 197 Cfs remains fishable with dries over 200 Cfs, and many die hard nymph and streamer fishermen target the usually wary, big browns in flows up to 300 Cfs. I included a short video of some blackflies and a close look at a Hendrickson mayfly along the Gunpowder.
