Gunpowder River Stream report for October 23

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 …

Read more

Gunpowder Fishing Report October 10th

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. …

Read more

Early October Gunpowder River Fishing Report

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 …

Read more

Late August Gunpowder River Fly Fishing Report

The Gunpowder River is flowing at 30 Cfs, is clear, and is ranging from 52 to 58 F at Falls Rd. In the past month, we’ve had some tough fishing on the Gunpowder River owing to low flows and lots of high, sunny days.  The fishing should improve as we move into fall. In the past couple of weeks I have been fishing a Chernobyl Ants sized #14-16 with a small, #18-20 BWO dropper 12-16 inches off the back with Trout Hunter tippet such as 5x-7x on these hopper/dropper rigs. Longer leaders, such as a 10-12 footers will help keep the fly line out of …

Read more

Higher Flows in Late July

  Note: As of 7/23, the water has dropped back to 30 CFS. While our tactics are still the same, be careful to limit your wading. With thunderstorms hitting the area quite often this past week, the city raised the flows to 50 CFS. Although this may not seem like a significant jump, the added water will give the fish more security and more food to eat. Unlike other creeks and rivers in the mid-Atlantic, the Gunpowder has stayed cool through the heat and low water, with temperatures swinging from 50-55 degrees through the day. Fishing terrestrials have been the most successful method lately. Lots of …

Read more

Mid-July Fly Fishing Report

  This past week the water has dropped down to our low summer flows at 30 cfs and is swinging from 50-58 degrees as the day goes on. Fishing has been particularly good in the morning before the water starts to heat up. Fishing a caddis in the riffles and faster water has been effective, while targeting the banks and structure with terrestrials has brought up fish for many. One of the most effective methods to fish this time of year is a dry-dropper. A midge or small mayfly imitation dropped off the back of a caddis or beetle allows you to effectively nymph but …

Read more