fishing report - BACKWATER ANGLER

Summer Fly Fishing on the Gunpowder

July 28, 2011

The river is flowing at 35 CFS and is 55 degrees at Falls Rd. Fishing has been productive throughout the day. Ants and caddis have been go-to patterns in the mornings and afternoons, while small midge and pheasant-tail nymphs have been working during mid-day. Tricos have just started coming off and the fish will begin eating them in the next week. A long leader ending in 7X has been the key to fooling the wary fish in low water. Fishing the upper sections of the river is a good idea if you want to fish pocket water and deep pools. Stop in and pick up …

Heat Wave Fly Fishing On The Gunpowder

July 21, 2011

The heat this week is approaching triple digits, but the Gunpowder River is still well below the threshold where trout become stressed by warm water. The upper reaches are still below 50 degrees in the morning, and may climb into the sixties in the mid to lower accesses of the catch and release sections. Areas below Bluemount Rd are likely to be too warm for fishing, so consider taking a water temp before fishing. Generally the trout become less active once the water gets into the 68-70 degree range, so fishing farther up river will be far more productive, and less stressful on the trout. …

Gunpowder River Tricos, Flying Ants and Beetles…

July 18, 2011

The river is low at 34 CFs, clear and 58 to 61F by mid-afternoon. Look for active fish in riffles and shade lines and stop by the shop and give the muffin tins a once over-we have plenty of terrestrials and caddis on the counter and are always happy to lend a hand in suggesting the most productive access points along the river. Thanks to Josh Reider for the stream report and photos: The Gunpowder is at 34 CFS and fishing at this level has its advantages. Fish will be stacked in deeper pools and riffles, making it easy to see and target individual fish. …

Fly Fishing the Gunpowder River with Caddis and Midges

June 29, 2011

The Gunpowder river is flowing at 66 Cfs, is gin clear and cold at 52F. Mixed hatches of cream midges, Bwo’s, caddis and a few #19 Sulphurs are spurring wild fish to look up-prompting folks to try their luck on the river with dries. With the holiday approaching the river is surprisingly quiet. Nymphing with #16-18 pheasant tails trailed by a zebra midge in the mornings is a safe bet. Switch gears instead of swinging streamers, slide on an indicator at about twice the water depth and cast upstream and dead-drift a zonker along the log jams. Thanks to Kiki for the pic and stream …

Another Release On The Gunpowder River

June 23, 2011

The shop received an update that a release was made this morning at Prettyboy Dam. The latest release is an attempt to draw down reservoir levels to eliminate spillover. When reservoir levels drop below the lip of the dam, the release will be cut back to a lower flow. Flows are expected to level out at 100 CFs through the weekend into early next week. Water temps are fluctuating from the low to mid fifties through the day. Caddis and sulphurs are still hatching midday, and bringing fish to surface. Nymphs are working well, and anglers should consider fishing midge or nymph patterns down to …

Cold Water Release On The Gunpowder

June 14, 2011

The Gunpowder River flow climbed into the 600 CFs range over the weekend. A release was made to stop the hot spillover, which began after a thunder storm produced heavy rains. The water temp rose into the low seventies, but quickly dropped when the valve was opened. Flows are now back to a normal 103 CFs, and a chilly 50 degrees. Sulphurs and caddis are still bringing fish to the surface, and small nymphs will work when the hatch slows. A black Zonker worked well for me on the Gunpowder, as the flow dropped yesterday evening. A few days ago I decided to try my …