fishing report

for river related condition reports

Holiday Season Fishing Report

Flows on the Gunpowder have been favorable recently, fluctuating between 60-120cfs.  This provides enough water to make the fish feel comfortable, but not so much that wading is too difficult.  That being said, please use care when walking the banks of the river as recent snows have formed a lot of ice.  This is particularly true for rocky sections such as the boulder pools above the Falls rd access point where the sunlight rarely reaches the trail deep in the river valley. As for the fishing, it seems to be improving as December progresses.  On days when the water level is rising streamer fishing tends …

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Early December Fishing Report

After a long period of low water, Friday nights (12/4) rain increased the flow on the Gunpowder to ~100cfs.  The higher water levels have temporarily put down most of the rising fish in the river, but streamer fishing and nymphing have increased in effectiveness. When streamer fishing we recommend using small streamers in darker colors such as black and olive.  In slower runs and deep pools a short strip of ~6inches can be effective, while dead drifting a streamer on a tight line tends to be more effective in riffles and fast cuts. Nymphing with small zebra midges, caddis pupae, and pheasant tails has been …

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Fly Fishing the Gunpowder River Over the Fall Holiday

Here’s an update on stream conditions a few pictures of the new shop and shop protocols during the Fall Holiday. The Gunpowder River is flowing at 33 CFS and is 54 degrees F. Small unweighted streamers in the bend pools and around the log jams and drifting nymphs on a tight line are worth a shot… With water temps on the rise, count on fish midging and use a longer lighter leader to trick them in bright and low conditions.Limit your wading and use the trail network through the catch and release area.The river is too shallow to float. Please don’t risk damaging potential spawning …

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Gunpowder River Stream Report

  The water level on the Gunpowder is at 34 CFS with waters temperature of 52-54 degrees F. Fish haven’t been rising too much so nymphing has been good, especially in the deep pools. The two patterns that have been doing best have been #20 midge emergers in black, brown, or olive and #16 tungsten jig heads. Dry droppers, like a small foam hopper followed by a midge emerger, have been working excellent this morning. Please follow the leash law if you’re bringing a dog with you. There are lots of little deer on the trails right now that dogs love to chase. It’s a beautiful …

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Fall Fishing on The Gunpowder

The water level on the Gunpowder is remaining low around 30 cfs with water temperature being the much more favorable factor.  On most days the river is peaking around 54-60 degrees, triggering hatches of midges and the occasional stonefly.  Very small dry flies in the size 20-24 range have still been the key to catching fish sipping midges on the surface. Nymphing is becoming increasingly effective as the weather cools.  One of the best nymphing setups for the catch and release section is a caddis pupae paired with a zebra midge or similar midge larva.  When nymphing, we recommend sticking to a few fly patterns …

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October Gunpowder River Fishing Report

Flows on the Gunpowder River are still low at around 30cfs. The few tricos we saw this year are beginning to taper off, but midges are still in abundance. Now that tubers have vacated the river we fly anglers can start taking advantage of more access points. So keep an eye out for trout sipping midges from Prettyboy dam all the way down to Monkton. As the weather cools off, larger brown trout will start moving upriver. That being said, don’t be afraid to toss a streamer around. We have some great unweighted streamer patterns in the shop that work well in low water. Lastly, …

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