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Jason du Pont

Hatching Mayfly Nymphs On The Gunpowder River

The mayfly nymphs living under the rocks in the Gunpowder river are beginning to hatch in good numbers. Many anglers are experiencing good dry fly fishing during the hendrickson emergence and spinnerfall. The trout are really eating nymph patterns under the surface, especially at the end of the swing. The real mayflies are drifting down river to hatch in mass it seems, as the fish can be seen flashing and chasing bugs up to the surface. Just turn over a few rocks in a swift riffle area and you will quickly see the river is full of life. While fishing in the evening I spotted …

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Drying Required To Kill Didymo, Protect Our Maryland Waters

Over the past three years there is no denying that the “rock snot” has changed the aesthetics along the river and effective techniques during Winter months. Since this invasive was transferred to the Gunpowder its life cycle has become easier to follow. In the Winter the air and water temps hit the magic number and a tan peach fuzz begins to cover the rocks. In the following months from Jan-March the growths begin to cover wide expanses of the river bottom, and form long tendrils of grayish white snot. Those anglers who fished through this time frame the past few years know that at times …

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Hendricksons and Perfect Flows On The Gunpowder River

The month of April is prime time for dry fly anglers since the fish begin to respond to hatching mayflies and larger fly patterns. The midge fishing on the Gunpowder has been good early and late in the day, but reports of trout caught on hendrickson patterns increased this weekend. Some anglers witnessed emerging hendricksons midday and fish taking naturals and dries, while other anglers fished the dries blind in riffles. Swinging wets and soft hackles has been really effective any time of day, but especially in the evenings. When I got a call from my buddy Matt that he would be in town, we …

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Custom Dry Fly Patterns and Accessories in Maryland

We have a wide assortment of dry flies in the shop tied by Mike Bachkosky to match our Maryland hatches. There are quill bodied parachute patterns great for spinners, which can even be used as cripple/dun patterns in flat water areas. In the photo above are snow shoe winged Unusuals for midges, PMDs, olives, light cahills, hendricksons and sulphurs. The mayfly hatches are just starting, and the muffin tins are loaded in preparation for the next months ahead. These patterns are not just generic flies found in most catalogs, but are tied in the sizes and colors we see in Maryland. Mike is always willing …

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Sixty Degree Water Along the Gunpowder River

A week of unusually hot weather has changed water temps dramatically along the Gunpowder River. The air temps hovered in the 80s in Nothern Baltimore county all week, and the river is much warmer than two weeks ago. The cold spillover that slowed the fish’s metabolism all winter, is now warmer than the bottom release, which may jumpstart our hatches early. The past two weeks kept us busy guiding on the river, which allowed us to fish a variety of access points. On a number of trips we encountered brief periods of rising trout, and the clients enjoyed a break from the nymphing and streamer …

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Scott Fibertouch Fly Rod, Small Water And Big Brown Trout In Maryland

I recently hit the road in search of some water I only fish a couple times a year. I rigged up my Scott Fibertouch six foot one weight fly rod. This particular Scott Fiberglass rod works great on the smallest of native brook trout streams in Western Maryland, and the smaller wild brown trout streams across the state. I spent the afternoon sneaking and crouching, threading casts through tight cover onto small pockets and pools. The wild browns were aggressive, taking dries on the first drift in each piece of new water. A light rod is great because most trout in these streams are a …

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