Invasive Rainbows on the Radar

This morning I visited the Odyssey School in Stevenson, where I checked in on the fast growing Kamloops strain rainbows, showed the class lots of insects and a sample of Didymo, and generally talked about water quality and what Brookies, Rainbows and Browns need in order to live. On the way back to the shop I caught the last hour of the Diane Reihm show. Anders Halverson, Journalist and author of the book “An Entirely Synthetic Fish: How Rainbow Trout Beguiled America and Overran the World” was being interviewed along with guests, Curtis Milliron, a Senior Biologist and Specialist with the California Dept. of Fish …

Read more

Caddisfly Bandages on the Way

Thanks to Meredith for the quick note and link! Theaux, Greetings! I hope that you are well. My father forwarded this article to me and asked me to send it to you. It’s about some researchers who recently made a very cool discovery about caddis fly larvae. Meredith Winks Some compelling words from the article from laboratoryequipment.com titled; Fly Glue Creates Bioadhesive: Like silkworm moths, butterflies and spiders, caddisfly larvae spin silk, but they do so underwater instead on dry land. Now, University of Utah researchers have discovered why the fly’s silk is sticky when wet and how that may make it valuable as an …

Read more

Sweetgrass Bamboo Fly Rods In Stock

We recently received four Sweetgrass Bamboo fly rods in the shop with two rods in two different series. The Sweetgrass Series 7’3” Pent, 2 piece 4/5 weight rod above features two tips, agate stripping guide, sterling silver hook keeper, nickel silver ferrules, and polished nickel silver reel seat hardware. The rod is priced at $2000.00, and without the 15 month waiting period, it is no surprise one of these rods already sold quickly. Rod #1287 is available, although with quality craftsmanship and unique components, like the banded agate stripping guide pictured below, it may go fast. The two Mantra Series bamboo rods in the shop …

Read more

Fly Fishing Maryland In Nearly Four Feet of Snow

On Monday of this week it was time to put down the snow shovel and pick up a rod and head to the Gunpowder River. While the roads were clear, many accesses to the river were either not plowed, or plowed in with huge piles of snow. Masemore, Monkton and York roads had a few spaces cleared at each lot, and I saw a number of other anglers suiting up. Falls, Bunker Hill, Big Falls, and Blue Mount Roads had no parking, and much of Falls Rd was one lane. I parked at York and waded through the thigh deep snow to the river and …

Read more

Shop Closed on Mardi Gras Day

Happy Mardi Gras! The shop will be closed on Mardi Gras Day, that’s Fat Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 as our Backwater Angler guides get recertified in first aid and CPR-a handy thing to have on a day when beads and doubloons are being used as projectiles. The shop will reopen on Wednesday at 10:00 AM, by then the lots might look more like pavement less like snow, until then enjoy the Mardi Gras Art from Robert Seago featured in a rollicking poetic take on Mardi Gras, the Big Easy and all of it’s denizens titled Carnival in New Orleans, a Fantasy by Maurice Le Gardeur. …

Read more

President’s Day Sale at Backwater Angler

The shop will be open President’s day from 10 till 4PM. Been waiting for an excuse to book a guide trip for the spring? Celebrate Washington’s birthday by calling us today and save 20% on a prepaid half or full day guide trip to be scheduled for spring, summer or fall of 2010. Give us a call at 410-357-9557 or shop online and we’ll issue a gift certificate for a half day or full day guide trip that you may redeem when the weather breaks. Sulphurs are just a few months away!