If you have been looking for new and innovative materials stop by Backwater Angler on your next fishing trip to the Gunpowder. We have a good mix of natural materials from blue pheasant to arctic fox, and plenty of flashy synthetics from Midge Cactus Chenille to UV Polar Chenille.
Wing cutters are available in caddis and mayfly wing styles and have been a great new addition to the tying room. Use these razor sharp cutters with the winging material or ultra thin foam in stock to make consistent wings. These caddis and mayfly wings are realistic and durable. Innovative winging materials are colorfast, ultra thin and won’t twist leaders. Anglers can even make wings at home using feathers backed with tape and the wing cutters to punch out extremely realistic mottled wings.
Our Saturday tying classes have been filling fast all winter with both new and experienced tyers. Many beginner class attendees are just getting into tying while experienced tyers are choosing our pattern specific classes. Many classes incorporate the latest materials and products into local patterns. Sign up for a tying class run by our very own Gunpowder River fly fishing guides.
February fishing on the Gunpowder at these low levels is not the typical winter fishing experience. Many anglers are opting to stay home or stop by the shop for tying materials to keep them busy. Contrary to what many anglers think the fishing on the Gunpowder has shown improvement over the past few weeks. The fish have seen little pressure and have developed an appetite since the drop in flow late last Fall. This picture below is Prettyboy releasing 30 Cfs and was taken during the low flow of January 07. In 2007 Prettyboy gained enough water to spill over in early March when we got an extremely heavy rainfall sending water over the spillways and the Falls Rd gauge to 1600 Cfs. PrettyBoy is currently twelve feet below the top of the dam, which may mean no spillover or change in flow until precipitation levels change over the course of the Spring.
Warm days have brought on hatches of stoneflies, gray and cream midges, throughout many miles of river. These brief hatches may not black out the sky, or bring hundreds of trout to the surface, but they do draw the finicky browns up off the bottom. Anglers are reporting rising trout during the brighter, warmer days. Whether the surface activity gets going, the trout will always take nymphs and midge pupae. As a rule for winter fishing resign yourself to nymphing and carry some dry flies in the hope the fish start hitting naturals on the surface. A good report came into the shop last week from a regular who caught a number of browns between eight and thirteen inches at Masemore Rd. He mentioned casting to rising browns with success on stoneflies when the weather broke 50 degrees. I witnessed the same scenario that day, only I was ten miles downriver, where I had stoneflies crawling up my waders and witnessed my first rises of 08. I was having success nymphing the deep holes so I never switched, but it was good to see the fish looking up.
The Lower Gunpowder River has been fishing great all winter and offers ten miles of water to explore. Little Falls and a number of tributaries helped send the Glencoe gauge to 2,500 CFS during the first week of February. When the water levels drop to the 400-100 CFS the fishing has been very good. All this water is dumping food into the river, putting the fish on the feed and turning the water a nice off-color. Fishing has been best two to three days after it rains, as it can be too high to wade or dirty to fish. Anglers should be aware that the Sparks-Glencoe area will close on March 9th for stocking and will not reopen until the 29th for opening day.
I make very few fishing trips a year outside of Maryland, yet I always make one that completely takes me out of my comfort zone. Bonefishing, especially self guided week long trips, can test instincts, casting and patience. My recent trip to North Caicos had the normal hurdles of winter tropical trips; a day or two of fishing lost to 30 knot winds, hours of searching flats, and intense moments. I had to deal with curious lemon sharks on numerous occasions and paddled countless miles in an ocean kayak across a lagoon to a ankle-knee deep, twenty square mile flat. I was fortunate to have days of less than five knot winds, catch some fish, and see schools of up to sixty bonefish fish along with a few eight pound loners. Essential gear lists for the tropical flats destined angler may seem daunting for first timers. Bonefishing doesn’t require the angler be burdened with a vest, numerous fly patterns and gizmos. I’ll highlight a few of my favorite items and essential rod, reel and line suggestions.
Long Sleeved Flats Shirts- Cloudveil Cool Shirts are UVA and UVB rated fabrics, which are important to reduce exposure to the sun’s rays. The pockets provide storage and the fabric breaths so well that wearing long sleeves on hot days is never an issue.
Flats Booties- I have the Chotas. Protective footwear is a must in areas where coral, sea urchins and stingrays are found.
Rods- Bring a fast action rod like the Sage Z-Axis Fly Rod in a eight or nine weight for the windy days or bigger fish. When faced with days of 15 knot winds with slightly increased breezes, this rod had the power to send the line on its way. I bring a softer eight weight like the Scott X2S, for days of no wind or when you want a rod to that loads at shorter distances with less effort.
Reels- Bonefish pull hard, make sudden runs, and many fish are lost if the drag is set too tight or not tight enough. Good reels include Abel, Bauer and Lamson. I use an Abel Super 7 on my eight weight rod and a Bauer MX5 on my nine.
The best tropical fly line is one I have used the past three years. The Joan Wulff Bermuda Triangle Taper fly line has a heavy, stiff head and the two toned line makes it easy to see where the shooting head ends and running line begins. This line loads the fastest rods, helps casting in the wind, and should increase distance for most casters.
In bonefishing one theme that holds true is the need for less gear, but better quality gear. The wind, longer casts and bonefish running drag are normal conditions which anglers need to be able to handle. Appropriate gear should be on the top of the list when months of planning and hours of travel are involved.
While fishing a quiet stretch of the Gunpowder River on Friday, I noticed a good stonefly hatch along the banks of a small glide. The size #16-20 stonefly adults crawling along the rocks, logjams and snow banks could easily have gone unnoticed as there were only two to three winged adults per foot spread over both banks. Few of the adults were flying about, as most were engaged in the act of mating or crawling on the snow. The sun was at just the right angle and intensity for a series of days to cause the stoneflies to emerge. Most of the stoneflies were a size #18-20 with a black body and mottled gray wing. A few larger size #14-16 dark brown stoneflies with a tan mottled wing were also present. This video short shows an up close look at these often elusive winter insects on a 42 degree day with bright sun.
Even with an abundance of insects, anglers walking and looking for rising trout may not notice a stonefly hatch. The adults tend to crawl more than fly and can remain unseen amidst the debris on the water’s edge. A single stonefly in flight, may not appear as much of a hatch, but may indicate that many more are present on the banks. Under ideal conditions, adults gather along the river’s edge and take to the wing in spurts, cued by mating and optimal conditions, bringing numerous trout to the surface.
The trout feed in sporadic bursts as the adults land in the water and may not rise until the next group of adults repeat the cycle. The cycle of rising trout to naturals can occur a few times an hour or more if the hatch really gets going. The sun and air temperature help determine this, but I have had good days when the air was in the upper 50s with intermittent sun, or in the low 40s and bright sun. Sections of river in direct sunlight over a series of days will have more insect activity, than areas shielded from the sun by hillsides.
On days when the trout are rising to stoneflies or midges the dry fly action is exceptional. Nymph fishing is effective all winter on the Gunpowder, but extremely effective when stonefly adults are present, and few fish are rising. Small black pheasant tails, wire nymphs, and sunk adult stonefly patterns are best fished close to banks, rocks and log jams. A size #18 black PT nymph produced five browns in quick succession at one pool where the bugs were hatching. The surface action never really got going that day, but the action on nymphs was steady in deeper areas.
New lines always promise high floatation, extra distance and slickness to improve casting. One of the most recent lines to hit the fly fishing market is the Sharkskin Line in the Ultimate Trout Taper from Scientific Anglers. The blue heron colored line has a gritty feel, which is actually a precision textured pattern that raises the surface area of the line off the guides. The idea is that the less line surface area contacting the guides during casting will mean less friction and more distance.
The first noticeable attribute about casting the line is that it creates a sound, as the fine grit on the line contacts the guides. The sound is similar to a zipper on a tent being opened or closed, as the line is stripped in or cast through the guides.
The Sharkskin’s second most notable attribute is that it shoots really, really well. The line’s slickness is a step above most other lines and the textured surface no doubt offers extra distance, although it is not a replacement for poor casting abilities. Once the rod is loaded properly and line is released with the correct timing, the line “sings” through the guides on way to its target.
The Sharkskin line has a longer head than many other popular lines we carry. Shorter, heavier heads such as Airflo’s Ridgeline, Joan Wulff’s Triangle Taper or Rio’s Clouser Line load faster action rods more quickly with less effort. Airflo’s Ridgeline uses a similar line surface technology which loads stiffer rods more quickly, and is ultra slick without producing any sound while casting.The longer head on the Sharkskin line requires more fly line to load faster action rods properly. Short, stiff, fast action rods may not be the best choice to pair with the Sharkskin Line, unless the caster’s style is extremely aggressive and distance oriented. Fishing larger rivers or streams which allow casting at greater distances would be a good fit for this line. The line would excel on softer action rods and bamboo where casting dry flies twenty to thirty five feet is common.
After numerous days of fishing the Sharkskin line on the Gunpowder, the line does float high, is extremely slick and can no doubt add distance to casts. The line “singing” during casting may turn off some anglers, or the line may not be a good fit for nymph fishermen who rarely cast for distance in the traditional sense. The Sharkskin’s long head made for tough roll casting and “flip nymphing” fifteen to twenty feet of line, although the line is designed more for distance than nymphing. We have demo lines spooled up in the shop for four and five weight rods for anglers interested in casting this line out back.
Maryland has ample brook trout fishing opportunities in the western region of the state. The small mountain streams that contain these native trout may only be six to twelve feet wide and less than a foot deep in many areas. The brook trout can grow to twelve inches and many streams have good populations of eager trout. Exploring small streams can uncover larger pools and deep narrow bends where larger trout hold versus the pocket water and riffles.
Gear includes one to three weight rods with a length no longer than seven feet. I use a Scott Fiberglass 6 foot one weight to load quick for minimal false casting. Waders are not required for most small streams due to shallow water. Kneeling on the bank, stealth, and good casting equal success. Bring less gear so the long hikes are easier and usually well worth it for the better fishing. One box of flies with dries, a few streamers, and small nymphs will always work. Some brookie favorites are the Elk Hair Caddis, Foam Beetle, Fur Ant, Pheasant Tail Nymph, Royal Wulff, small Olive Wooly Bugger, and Snow Shoe Mayfly patterns. Brook trout will eat almost anything if you can approach and cast without spooking the fish or snagging a tree.
Airflo fly lines are our most popular lines in the shop and many are spooled on guide service and guide’s reels. The Airflo Ridge lines uses a design featuring small ridges, which run lengthwise down the surface of the line. These ridges raise the surface area of the line, which decreases friction and increases distance. The Airflo Ridge Line Tactical Trout Weight Forward lines also feature Airflo’s low stretch Power Core. The Power Core means better casting, because the line has no memory. This line is great for loading faster rods at short distances.The Airflo Ridge Line Tactical Trout Double Taper Fly Line is ideal for bamboo and glass fly rods.
The Airflo Ridge Distance Fly Line is great for casting bigger flies and heavy nymph rigs. The long belly and no stretch core is ideal for casting small to medium flies for extra distance.
The Airflo Depth Finder Quick Max Fly Line has a shorter 22 ft head than the original Depth Finders. The shorter head is easier to deal with than full sinking lines and is ideal for Rockfish in the Chesapeake Bay and Susquehanna flats.
Bonefishing requires heavy duty rods, tippets and hooks to catch these powerful fish. Heavy duty foot wear is essential where shallow water flats present dangers like stingrays, sea urchins and sharp coral to the wading angler. Open toe sandals, flip flops or hiking sandals leave exposed skin and may be in adequate, for anything but soft white sand flats.
The Chota Flats booties have an inseam zipper with sand guard and elastic upper to keep feet protected. The boots have a 5 mm neoprene ankle area and a 7 mm thick vulcanized rubber sole.This lightweight bootie is comfortable, and offers protection and traction on lava rock shores, reefs and grassy beds. Chota flats booties have allowed me to wade around coral and grass areas in Hawaii, Belize and the Bahamas safely and confidently. Check out these essential Chota booties on our secure site.
A recent shipment of Chota boots in a complete size run of the Citico Creek Boot (top) and STL+ Boot (bottom) are in stock. Chota boots feature felt soles and the ability to screw studs into rubber grommets in the sole.The patented footbed is shown to the left.
Anglers can easily replace or remove studs with a screwdriver when changing from treacherous wading conditions to fishing in a boat, or streams that don’t require studs. Both shoes feature the same sole design, but the Citico Creek is a lighter weight, entry level synthetic shoe, while the STL+ has more support, and durability in a leather design.
Trout fishermen now cringe at the thought of killing and mounting a trophy trout merely to hang on the wall. Today’s technology now allows photographs of trout complete with measurements to be turned into life-like reproductions. Pennsylvanian George McGinty of McGinty’s Taxidermy has recently brought a selection of large browns, rainbows, brook trout and char reproductions for display and sale in the shop. Seven of these mounts are ready for sale off the wall and can be shipped for the holidays.
Anglers mounts created to match a personal trophy require only length, girth measurements and a photo to recreate the exact markings and coloration. A six to eight week time frame can be expected for reproductions to be created.
Many anglers can appreciate these trophies despite having never fished for or caught char, browns, rainbows or brook trout so large. The mounts make great conversation starters, and can be inspiring additions to tying rooms, game rooms and fishing cabins.
THANKS FOR VISITING! The shop is open from 10 AM till 3PM on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Stop in this Sunday, November 10, or November 11, Veteran's Day, spend $100, and get a free Backwater Angler Hat!
