As 2021 kicks off, it seems like we’ve gotten into a pattern of crisp winter weather.  Water flow on the Gunpowder is good, around 65 cfs.  However, the water is on the colder side, peaking at around 42-43 degrees on most days.  Due to the chilly temps rising fish are difficult to find, but these conditions provide a great opportunity to practice your tightline nymphing skills. We’ve also had a number of anglers in the shop reporting good results from streamer fishing.  Personally, I’ve enjoyed dead drifting small streamers close to the bottom this winter.  Sometimes giving your fly an occasional jigging motion while it …

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  The Gunpowder River is flowing at 131 CFS and dropping while reaching temperatures around 45 degrees during the afternoon. With the water levels up, using tungsten nymphs will be very helpful in getting your flies down towards the bottom. We just received a bunch of tungsten Euro-Nymphs and Jigs. Fishing current seams and wooded structure will be most effective throughout the day so don’t just target the deeper pools Thanks to Hudson, a new employee at Backwater Angler for the following stream report. I was out fishing yesterday above Big Falls road. The fishing was decent and the river looks great. The water has started …

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After a long period of low water, Friday nights (12/4) rain increased the flow on the Gunpowder to ~100cfs.  The higher water levels have temporarily put down most of the rising fish in the river, but streamer fishing and nymphing have increased in effectiveness. When streamer fishing we recommend using small streamers in darker colors such as black and olive.  In slower runs and deep pools a short strip of ~6inches can be effective, while dead drifting a streamer on a tight line tends to be more effective in riffles and fast cuts. Nymphing with small zebra midges, caddis pupae, and pheasant tails has been …

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