The Gunpowder river was clear this morning, 52 F and it was flowing at 94 CFs. Tricos are just getting started each morning at Falls Rd through Bunkerhill access points. Snowshoe caddis in a size #16-18 are also a good bet. Rain is now falling at a rate at 2.56 inches an hour and smoke from The Dismal Swamp Fire is working its way through the Hereford Zone. For those planning on getting out tomorrow we’ve provided a stream reports from Gary and Steve who fished the Gunpowder river as the flows bumped up last Monday.
Hey Theaux,
Haven’t been able to get out much this year but I did get out yesterday, Monday August 9th, for some late afternoon early evening fishing. I was rewarded with an empty river and nearly 100cfs which made for great water and fishing. I fished the lower end of the river from Masemore up from the bridge and all the familiar spots were enhanced by the increased volume. The water was very clear so I put away the nymphs and tied a 16 caddis on. While there were no hatches and nothing hitting the surface the water seemed perfect for skating bugs across the seams and riffles. After a few casts I had several fish break the surface trying to grab the bug…and while I missed the first three I didn’t miss the next four. All were good size browns in the 8-9 inch range and the interesting thing was, they seemed to really attack the caddis as the flies were deep in their mouths. Kind of amazing since there had been nothing attacking the surface. I fished until around 8pm and switched over to a grey ghost which produced several good size fish.-all in all a spectacular day!
Gary
Theaux, Jason and other staff,
After the rain this weekend, I had kept my eye on the gauges hoping the flows would be up a little bit and I could get out chase some wild Gunpowder browns. As I made my way from Bel Air, I stopped at Glencoe Road and it was high and like chocolate milk. My next stop was York Road, and the water was high, and stained, with some visibility. I still consider myself somewhat of a novice, and have always been reluctant to fish during those conditions, but everything I have read pointed to chucking streamers. So I rigged up and headed toward the Hemlock pool. I tied on a zonker and felt (and saw) lots of short strikes. I never had the opportunity to get a hook set. I worked the pool for about 20 minutes and decided to switch to a black bead head flash bugger. Further upstream, I found some perfect water and got into some fish right away. I landed 4 fish, typical Gunpowder browns, from 8 – 10 inches. At one point, I saw a rather large boil right behind the bugger, but I never saw the fish. I was persistent and continued casting and swinging my bugger in the same area, then it happened. WHAM! I knew it was a big fish, but until I saw the first flash near the surface I had no idea. I was on my way to a personal best. The fish immediately headed downstream in the deeper current, then worked its way toward some deadfall. It was tough, but I kept it away. It then made a run toward some submerged branches in some shallower water. I know that if I let that fish get anywhere near debris, I would lose it, and I was determined to land it. I got it into the shallow water, snapped a quick picture, and sent it on its way. Based on the picture, and relative to my rod, my wife and measured and estimated it to be about 17 inches.Steve Gutowski