Fly Fishing Tough but Necessary for Some

The Gunpowder river is flowing at 142 CFs, is gin clear and 38 F. Small #16-18 stonefly nymphs, san juan worms and large wooly buggers and sculpin patterns have been accounting for a few wild fish. Cabin fever is upon us! Fishing conditions are, well, tough out there, especially with headlines looming like, Snow Appetizer to the Main Event, but some lucky folks are at least managing to get their lines wet. As illustrated by the following stream reports, when it comes down to it, fly fishing is necessary and important to some no matter what the weather. However, if your feet, shins or knees …

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Sweetgrass Fly Rods Update

This shot of Glenn Brackett giving drying bamboo the once over was sent to us from Dave at Sweetgrass rods-Thanks Dave! We unpacked a Sweetgrass 8ft 5wt 3pc 2/2 Hex, and a 7′ 3″ 4/5wt 2/2 Pent over the weekend. If you haven’t heard, the “Boo Boys” have a new series, called Mantra as described on the Sweetgrass site: These 1-tip rods represent an unparalleled value in bamboo rods. With the same taper as our regular, Sweetgrass Series, the Mantra rods will delight with the same action you would expect from a Sweetgrass Rod. And at half the price, it’s a bargain in artisanal craftsmanship. …

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Winter Fly Fishing the Frying Pan, Colorado

Thanks to Fred for the great picture from a recent Winter trip to the Frying Pan River in Colorado. This big brown trout was caught while fishing 36 F water in deep depressions along the Flats of the Frying Pan on a 22 F day. The next day, a seemingly unrelated article from The Aspen Times titled; Angling for Solitude, Fryingpan, Roaring Fork Lure Wintertime Fishing Fans appeared. Great timing Fred!

Winter Small Stream Fishing Report

The cold weather is back in Northern Baltimore County, and the recent snow storm dropped close to five inches in Monkton this past weekend. The Gunpowder flows dropped to 137 CFs on Sunday, and water temps are still below 40 degrees. Earlier this week I found some respite from numb toes and tough fishing by playing a hunch and venturing to some smaller water in search of warmer water temps. On a forty plus degree day, I took a ride to a tiny creek armed with only one small fly box, my Scott Fiberglass six foot one weight rod, and a pair of Hunter boots. …

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A Texas Fly Fisherman Leaves the Guadalupe and Returns to Maryland, Coldwater and Wild Fish

Thanks to Daniel for the fishing report and kind words from his trip to the Gunpowder this past Saturday. Hey Theaux, I just wanted to thank you for mapping out some of the local river crossings for me earlier today. I had an awesome time out there! It was my first trip on the Gunpowder and I must say I’m in love already. It was cold and the fishing was tough. I had to dip my tip often because of ice. I managed to fool a small brown into striking a brown bugger below a log jam, just as you suggested. Its been years since …

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More Winter Weather, Leonard Rods and Cornhuskers

The Gunpowder river is flowing at 155 Cfs, is clear and river water temps are still below 40 F. The wind and cold this week has made for challenging fishing. Stoneflies are about but not many fish are willingly to commit to dries. We were paid a visit midweek by a hardy Nebraskan angler from the Cornhusker Fly-Fishers . They have a CCF CARPFEST listed on the site that looks interesting-any takers? Gunpowder regular Carl also stopped in this week with some old paper goods- a 1976 Leonard Spring Catalog and a 1969 issue of TU’s Trout magazine with a dead ringer for Curt Gowdy …

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