Stoneflies In March On The Gunpowder River, MD

 The factors for a good stonefly hatch usually include consecutive, sunny days with air temps above 45 degrees. Prior to the recent snow storm, stoneflies began hatching in small numbers on the warmer days. Now the temps have risen again to optimal conditions and midges, blackflies, and stoneflies are hatching. On the 6th I spotted numerous flying stonefly adults, found four crawling on my waders, and a few dozen more after searching around some logjams. I saw a dozen splashy rises over an hour, when the occasional lumbering stonefly landed on the water. The fish were definitely more active under the surface than in recent …

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Fly Fishing Film: Glimpses of the Gunpowder

Glimpses of the Gunpowder is a fly fishing movie by Jason du Pont that spans a year of fly fishing along the Gunpowder river. It is an “up close” narrative describing hatches, the river and its wild fish framed with original music by Cantrip, a well-versed quartet of Scottish musicians playing “high energy,” traditional music. The DVD also features a film short focusing on Didymo in the Gunpowder River. I not only wanted to record all of the things that were unique to this river but also capture moments that seem to dissolve so quickly. Jason du Pont It’s here folks at $21.95 and there …

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Steelheading on the Salmon River, NY

 The recent cold spell we got in Baltimore County in mid November had me digging out the Winter layers; hat, gloves and baclava. The fishing has been great on the Gunpowder, and as always many calls and shop visitors are curious whether the fishing is worth braving the cold through Winter? If temps in the mid thirties and a light snowfall doesn’t seem too inviting, consider this video post from the Salmon River, NY shot in late February 08. My friend Matt and I fished for a week in temps ranging from the high teens to the mid twenties at the daily high, which was …

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Savage River October Fishing Report and Testing Cloudveil’s 8X Vibram Grippy Boot

I recently made the drive to the Savage and North Branch of the Potomac for a week of fishing. The North Branch is known for giving up big browns this month, and that coupled with recent stockings brought out more pressure than I have seen all summer. After catching three rainbows in the 17-18 inch range on the North Branch on a crowded weekday, I decided to focus on the Savage for the remainder of the week. I was rewarded with good fishing, saw few anglers and caught some of my nicest Savage River browns of the year. Attractor dries produced smaller browns and brooks, …

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Clouds Of Tricos On The Gunpowder River, Maryland

The Trico Mayflies are still hatching in big numbers on the Gunpowder despite making their first appearance over a month ago. Recent reports from anglers and guides mention pods of steadily, rising trout during mid morning hours throughout numerous stretches of river. While many recent guide trips have resulted in steady action and great days on the water, the fishing is far from easy. Commonly known as the Angler’s Curse, tricos are not a favorite hatch amongst all anglers, due the tiny size and big numbers of the adults. Few anglers can deny how eager the trout are to rise to these bugs once they …

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Fishing Multiple Rivers and Dealing With Invasives

On Western Maryland excursions I spend mornings fishing the North Branch in my Patagonia Watermasters and Sticky River Walkers, and use my extra Cloudveil waders and 8X Stealth Boots on the Savage for the evening hatch. It is too easy to shrug off concerns about invasives and wade from one fishery to another in a 24 to 48 hour period without treating, or changing into new gear. The issue isn’t being the first to contaminate another fishery, or whether others are disregarding protocol, but the problem becomes the increased frequency of spore loading, especially when leaving the North Branch or Gunpowder to fish other rivers. …

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