Published by Jason du Pont June 29th, 2008
in fishing report and news.
Throughout the spring and summer many trout anglers travel to fly fish the Gunpowder. Few take advantage of the reservoirs, above and below the river, which provide great warmwater fishing with a flyrod. Both large and smallmouth bass, other panfish, pickerel, and carp can all be caught on the fly. Many bluegills are in the shallows to spawn and large bass and pickerel are cruising shorelines in search of food. Big bass on streamers and palm-size bluegills on poppers is a great way to spend a few hours before an afternoon of trout fishing. Large carp pushing ten pounds swim in pods in shallows where surface wakes and clouds of mud are easy to see. Lots of Pickerel and largemouths can be caught in Loch Raven, while Prettyboy supports good numbers of smallmouth bass and red eyed rockbass. Mornings and evenings the fish are more aggressive, although sight fishing along shorelines can be easy with the bright sun at midday.
Published by Jason du Pont June 23rd, 2008
in fishing report and video.
While I was fishing to a good Hendrickson emergence a few months ago, an angler passing me on the trail told me he saw spawning fish in some shallow riffles. I continued fishing a snow shoe emerger with success until I thought I’d take a look at the area he mentioned. Suckers, some nearly twenty inches long, had gathered in a section of riffle water to spawn. Prior to this I spotted groups of smaller suckers spawning in Little Falls, as well as in the Lower Gunpowder. The clear, shallow water of the upper river at that time made for some prime viewing and videotaping.
These fish had either migrated or congregated in riffles above Falls Rd, which means the sucker fry should now, months later, be providing the brown trout with a bit larger meal than normal. We also have a run of
Gizzard Shad on the Gunpowder, which swim up from Loch Raven Reservoir. These bluish-gray 10-16 inch shad with a distinct forked tail and dark spot behind the gills can be found in areas of the upper river. The past two years I have seen more and more of these fish spawning during late May into June. The migration has ended for them as hundreds of shad are schooled up in the Plunge Pool below Prettyboy Dam.
Published by Jason du Pont May 31st, 2008
in gear and reviews.
I was able to test a pair out for a few weeks in the Fall on different rivers in the region. These shoes excel at climbing up and down slabs, or inclined rocks, which are common along many Maryland rivers. The shoe is lighter in weight than a shoe with a felt sole when hitting the trail for long hikes. Under the water’s surface the soft rubber grips the rocks, and without the studs, allow a totally quiet approach to the “fishy” spots.
I also tested the Cloudveil 8x Stealth Boot on the Salmon River in New York while steelhead fishing. The shoe worked great in the slimy bottomed river, and along slushy, snowy trails. The Cloudveil lacing system secures the achilles heel and ankle area better than any wading shoe I’ve tried. The synthetic fabric is lighter than leather and the toe of the boot features a large rubber toe bumper. I already owned a pair of Patagonia Sticky Rubber Riverwalkers, but the Cloudveils are the newest addition to my wading arsenal. The soles on both shoes are essentially the same concept, soft rubber with surface designs to aide in gripping rocks. The Cloudveil lacing system is a little different than Patagonia and provided a really snug fit. I plan to use one rubber soled pair exclusively on the Gunpowder river, along with an old set of waders, to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasives. Stop by the shop and try on a pair of these lightweight shoes.
Related Posts: Testing out the New Cloudveil 8x Stealth Wading Shoe
Published by Jason du Pont May 9th, 2008
in fishing report, news and video.
Didymo, an invasive algae, has been confirmed in the Gunpowder river.
This video short describes distribution of Didymo, a description of the algae, and some gear treatment and containment methods for anglers.
The increased time fishing and guiding on the Gunpowder River the past month only solidified my suspicions that something wasn’t right. Nymphing and swinging streamers still produced fish, but the increased frequency of cleaning “slime” off the hook was not normal. Many anglers and guides noted similar masses of slime on the hook and also the river bottom, throughout much of the catch and release areas. Fearing the worst I contacted MD Fisheries and boxed up samples of this strange algae. Days later MD DNR Fisheries Biologists contacted Backwater Angler, placed signs along Gunpowder River accesses, assessed the spread and posted a warning on the DNR freshwater fishing report.
Published by Jason du Pont April 14th, 2008
in news.
Shad can be great quarry for fly rod anglers. Although due to the limited time they occupy Maryland rivers and streams many people miss out on these great fish. The phone at Backwater Angler routinely rings each March as questions about the shad’s whereabouts, gear and locations pour in. Generally we see the shad in good numbers by the second week in April.
Shad, especially Hickory Shad can be caught on three to six weight rods. Lighter rods may limit the ability to present flies to fish in deeper water, as a three can’t handle a short sinking leader like a five weight rod. The larger American Shad, can be found in the Potomac and anglers use rods up to seven weights for these larger shad. Shad can run hard and jump so a good reel will aid in landing these impressive fighters. Sinking leaders, although not necessary will help get the fly down in higher flows, or deeper water. A long leader tapered to 4X-5X with a lightly weighted fly is a standard rig in most streams like Deer Creek.
