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the news section is for shop events and programs

Jerry Kustich Book Signing and Sweetgrass Bamboo Fly Rods this Saturday, Nov. 30 from 10 till 2

Please join consummate Bamboo fly rod builder and noted Author Jerry Kustich at Backwater Angler this Saturday, Nov. 30 from 10 till 2. Plan on picking up a signed copy of his new book Around the Next Bend, an Angler’s Journey. With a release date of December 1, You’ll be among the first to pick up one of Jerry’s books before they hit those larger stores. Stop in and cast some beautiful Sweetgrass Bamboo fly rods while you’re at it… From Headwater Books: Jerry Kustich is author of At the River’s Edge: Lessons Learned in a Life of Fly Fishing, A Wisp in the Wind: …

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Busman’s Holiday

Please note: The shop will be closed this Friday, November 8th and will reopen on Saturday at 10:00AM.

Baltimore City DPW and Gunpowder River Flooding

A full Baltimore City Reservoir and a Nor’easter that brought rain to the Hereford Zone last evening through today combined to create a spillover event at Prettyboy Dam. The Gunpowder River flow rose from 75 Cfs to over 1,190 Cfs. Water temperatures also moved up sharply from 56 to 66 F. This photo taken last night shows a full Reservoir while the storm approached the area. With relatively no freeboard (or buffer) at Prettyboy Dam, and heavy localized rainfall, spillover and related severe flooding occurred throughout the Hereford Area of Gunpowder State Park impacting the riparian habitat of the Gunpowder River. For weeks the River …

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Jerry Kustich and Sweetgrass Rods at Backwater Angler Saturday, August 24th from 11:00 AM till 2:00 PM

I met Jerry K. in 1997 when I started working at the R. L. Winston Rod Co. as the Eastern Sales Rep. At the time I had a gas card, a small pickup with a topper and a U.S. map with a line roughly drawn down the middle from Minnesota to Louisiana that included all points east from Maine to the Keys. Traveling 28 states back then was always an adventure and the dealers always took great care of me. Visiting with Jerry, Glenn, and Jeff in the old airplane hangar that served as the boo shop was always a treat. One afternoon Jerry invited …

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Tricos, Caddis and Fish Missiles

The Gunpowder River is flowing at 110 Cfs, is 55 degrees and clear. Bwo’s, Tricos and Caddis are all part of the mix now that the water has reached the mid 50’s. As the following report indicates, insect and fish activity is closely linked to water temperature.Thanks to Gary for the stream report from August 10 Theaux, Fished the upper section of the river on Saturday 8/10 and had some ‘maddening’ fun with the tricos. It still amazes me how the fish can see those things but I took a lot of hits and landed quite a few fish using a reverse hackle pattern. At …

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Backwater Angler Trucker Hats

As we were unboxing a box of Backwater Angler hats from Imperial Headwear, Jennie found a drake that was trying to blend in with the fading paint on the porch. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a mayfly this big in Monkton, MD so we’re feeling that this group of hats may be lucky!