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 are wet you could probably use some new waders or at the very least, a patch kit from MCNETT. Winter is no time for leaky waders! We’ve had a few anglers in the shop this week headed for the warmer climes of Argentina, Chile, and Tierra del Fuego where the only snow around this time of year is on the mountains. Thanks to Mick for the photo and the pithy stream report.
Theaux,
Got 1 today. Downstream from Bluemount. Note the fly! Released healthy.
Mick
And thanks to Joe for another succinct stream report:
Theaux,
Good catching up - slow fishing below the Dam this morning and plenty of ice on the guides, but could have been much….much worse, I could have not been fishing.
Cheers,
Joe
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. A quick dip of the thermometer revealed 44 degree water temps, which confirmed that even the small freestones in the region would be more affected by warm air temps, versus the large volume of cold water in the Gunpowder.
The pockets and pools were tiny, but most held one to two brook trout, which would dart out from the cover of rock ledges to inspect the fly. The fish were aggressive, but would only take one look at the fly, forcing me to move frequently. Spotting fish and crawling into position was the typical scenario, and I was surprised to see some decent brookies from 7-9 inches, and a few browns a bit bigger than that in such a tiny stream. The great thing about small streams in Winter is they keep you moving (warm) and staying out of the water keeps the toes from freezing. After covering 20 pools/pockets I counted over 15 trout. I managed to spook half of those fish and miss most of the other strikes, but I brought two to hand; a french fry brookie and one small brown. The spot-and-stalk component, extremely skittish fish and tight casting on small water was a great change of pace from fishing the larger rivers in the region.
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 I’ve caught a brownie so it made my day. I spent the last 10 years in Texas fishing the Guadalupe, which TU stocks with Bows only. Guadalupe Bass, and Smallies are a much more typical catch throughout most of that river. It felt wonderful to fish for cold water species in their natural setting. You guys are truly blessed with a beautiful fishery. I will frequent your website, and have already become a huge fan of your writing and videography. I feel excited to be back home in Maryland, Texas stocked trout cannot compare to matching wits with a wild specimen. I hope to learn much about the area in the future and plan to fish the river as much as possible between now and May, when I will head to Alaska for my summer job. You guys run a great shop and I look forward to stopping in again soon. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction, it was by far the most informative first trip to a fly shop Ive ever had.
Sincerely,
Daniel J.Pacl
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 on the cover. What a treat! He also brought in his time machine for my inspection. It is a 6 1/2 ft 3wt Leonard with red wraps that he picked up used in the mid-80’s for around $200 bucks. Once it warmed up in the shop, we put it together and I have to tell you, all of a sudden, except for the absence of green bodied caddis, it felt like spring. He also had a Hardy Featherweight and a yellowed receipt that showed that the English made reel cost him about $65.00, (new) back then. If you have the gear and are getting a little stir-crazy around the house, large streamers, small Copper Johns #18-20 and Prince nymphs #14-16 are worth a shot. Because we still have a good bit of spillover, the lower river is still warmer than the upper so try any access downstream of York Rd. The fishing can be tough this time of year but you’ll likely remember a day afield better than anything on TV. How many Snuggie or Bumpit commercials can your mind take? The secret to fishing comfortably during the winter is to limit one’s wading, stay hydrated and catch a few fish-they always have a decided warming effect that is not quantifiable.
For those still on the fence about trying your luck on the river, we still have room in tomorrow’s Stonefly Lifecycle Class. Give us a call at 410-357-9557 if you’d like us to reserve a spot for you around the tying table. Who knows, it might be warm enough to wet a line after class lets out at noon.
This week the brutal cold spell finally lifted in Northern Baltimore County, and air temps hit the mid 40s toward the end of the week through the weekend. The water temps are still really cold, (37-39 degrees) with the majority of air temp influenced flow spilling over Prettyboy dam. We have been fielding a lot of calls and questions in the shop about where the water is warmest, and here is what I found. At Noon on Friday water temps on the Gunpowder at Falls Road measured 37.8 degrees, 38.3 degrees at Bluemount Road, and Little Falls was 38.1 degrees. On Saturday, on a guide trip the water spiked from 38.6 to 40.6 degrees midday at York Road, when air temps climbed to 46 degrees. The fishing has been challenging, but a few hours on the water usually equals a few fish on the line. Tandem nymph rigs or flashy streamers are working the best for the customers passing through the shop. On Friday, after checking temps I decided to fish an area I haven’t tried since the Summer. While nymphing a deep hole I lost a hard fighting fish on a nymph rig, shaking me loose before I had a chance to see the fish. A short distance upriver I came tight again to a good sized trout, but got this one into the net. The brown above measured 15 inches and was caught outside the catch and release section of the Gunpowder. I filmed some other fish and the first stonefly of the year in the first video post of 2010.
Aside from fishing and a little video work, I was breaking in a new pair of the Simms Vibram soled Headwaters boots, as shown in the pic above. This is the lightest, bare-bones, Simms boot and they work great on muddy banks, rock slabs, ice and snow. The clean gravel in the photo above and lack of Didymo is a welcome relief for anglers fishing the Gunpowder, since the past two Winters the algae thrived in the low flows. The high water through the Fall of 09 and the continuous precipitation and spillover this Winter has helped thwart this nuisance from taking hold again. At least for now anyway. Unfortunately, as some may already know, it was announced a month ago that Didymo was discovered in the Savage River in Western Maryland. There is a wealth of information available on how to contain and kill these invasives, but not much on the effects they will have on our fisheries in the years to come.
The Gunpowder is flowing at 106 Cfs is clear, and is dangerously close to 38 F at Falls Rd. Slightly warmer water can be found a little further downstream as we still have a lot of spillover that’s keeping the upper sections cool. Large streamers dead drifted under indicators and stonefly nymphs fished through the shallow gravel are good bets. If conditions stay this warm, stoneflies should be buzzing soon. Black flies are also on the way and can be imitated with a number of midge patterns that have just arrived-just be sure to use plenty of 7x. We’ve had more than a few people falling in the water this week-5 at last count, so be sure to take your time out there and pack a full change of clothes just in case. The river, and the fish are waiting.
Thanks to Bryan for the stream report:
Guys,
I just returned from fishing the Gunpowder at the put in on Bunker Hill Road. The fishing wasn’t bad, if a little cold… I didn’t get on the water until 4:00 pm, but caught a couple of browns almost right away. I missed a couple as well, including one long distance release after a hook-up. All of the bites and fish were on an articulated leech of about 2″ in length with a barbell head. I had the same luck yesterday, catching two and missing several. All 4 fish were caught above the unfinished bridge. 3 of the 4 struck hard on the fly, while one, a little 6″, sort of inhaled it and kept swimming.
It was FREEZING, but the Patagonia gloves performed excellently.
Bryan
Winter temperatures, high flows and ice on the guides hasn’t kept many anglers from wetting a line this past week on the Gunpowder. My last day of fishing in 2009 was on Monday of last week, with a few friends willing to fish in the dropping 400 CFs flow. Each of us landed a few fish in as many hours nymphing the soft edges of riffles and bends. Big streamers produced a few strikes, but the browns were not really aggressive in the colder water temps. My last brown trout of 2009 was hard fighting and took me around some trees requiring an assist on the net by Matt, who snapped the pic above. Alex McCrickard stopped by the shop Tuesday afternoon to report a nice brown caught on a stonefly dry on the Gunpowder. Alex and Max (BWA shop interns) should be experiencing some good dry fly fishing this week, as they explore some rivers in Chile. Good luck guys!
For the rest of us fishing locally this January, high flows on the Gunpowder dropped midweek and leveled out today in the 200 CFs range. Angler’s reports relay fairly tough fishing, but the majority of anglers are catching fish by getting flies down on the bottom. Water temps will fluctuate with the volume of spillover and dropping night time air temps, so midday is a prime time for warmer water temps. While the next few months are usually the coldest of the year, many anglers enjoy bundling up and having miles of river to themselves. A thermos of coffee, good pair of gloves, and frequently moving from spot to spot, can help locate some fish and fend off the cold. Be sure to stop in the shop for fly pattern and access recommendations.
