fishing report

for river related condition reports

Early February Gunpowder River Fishing Report

The cold is persistent with chances of snow on most days in the upcoming forecast. The trails will continue to be covered in mixture of ice and snow, so wading may well be the safest method of moving spots. The river is staying around 39F and is currently at 65 cfs. Fishing has been difficult for most, but nymphing can still be effective. Especially with small tungsten midges. Fish are mostly feeding on the stoneflies and midges tight to structure and the bottom. 

January Stream Report for the Gunpowder River

As 2021 kicks off, it seems like we’ve gotten into a pattern of crisp winter weather.  Water flow on the Gunpowder is good, around 65 cfs.  However, the water is on the colder side, peaking at around 42-43 degrees on most days.  Due to the chilly temps rising fish are difficult to find, but these conditions provide a great opportunity to practice your tightline nymphing skills. We’ve also had a number of anglers in the shop reporting good results from streamer fishing.  Personally, I’ve enjoyed dead drifting small streamers close to the bottom this winter.  Sometimes giving your fly an occasional jigging motion while it …

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Gunpowder River Returning to Safer Wading Levels

  The Gunpowder River is flowing at 131 CFS and dropping while reaching temperatures around 45 degrees during the afternoon. With the water levels up, using tungsten nymphs will be very helpful in getting your flies down towards the bottom. We just received a bunch of tungsten Euro-Nymphs and Jigs. Fishing current seams and wooded structure will be most effective throughout the day so don’t just target the deeper pools Thanks to Hudson, a new employee at Backwater Angler for the following stream report. I was out fishing yesterday above Big Falls road. The fishing was decent and the river looks great. The water has started …

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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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