Gunpowder River

[1manwolfpack]

I've been on warm water action for the last month, but I've got the trout itch. I'm planning on taking a trip down to the Gunpowder in Md. I've never fished there before and was currious if anyone could share some advice/sections to fish. I was planning on stopping by Backwater fly shop, but wanted to reach out here as well. Thanks.

 

[Fishidiot]

In the event you're not already aware of this, the Gunpowder has didymo and you should therefore clean and dry your gear meticulously before putting that gear in contact with other waterways.
Felt soles are illegal statewide in MD.

 

[1manwolfpack]

Thanks, I definitely will

 

[geebee]

most of the parking lots have disinfecting troughs, but i still put my boots n waders through the washing machine n dryer after i get home.

 

[redietz]

You might also want to stop in Great Feathers (a couple of mile down York Road from Backwater Angler). Both shops will offer excellent advice on what's happening at the moment, but the advice may be different (between them they cover more of the river.)

Are you planning on going on a weekend or a weekday? Parts of the river get really crowded with float tubers on the weekend.

Any advice given today will probably be useless, because conditions vary considerably according to the how much water is being released from Pretty Boy reservoir.

Don't let the prospect of didymo scare you off. Many PA streams have it, too (in fact maybe all of them), it just blooms more in tailwaters. (The Yough has it, both branches of the Delaware have it, and Pine Creek has it.) You may never see it. (Cleaning your boots is always a good idea, though, after fishing anywhere.)

The GP was fishing pretty well yesterday in spite of the flooding everywhere else.

There should still be sulfurs for another week or two.

 

[1manwolfpack]

Thank you gentleman for the cleaning tips. As a biologist I realize the imporatance of keeping didymo from spreading, thanks for making sure I knew it was there. Any fishing tips?

 

[redietz]

Any fishing tips?

There are still sulfurs on the water, but you're more likely to connect with emergers or soft hackles than duns. The spinner fall has been very late in the evening.

Where to fish depends a lot on the flow, which can vary considerably. Some sections (like the flats above the campground) fish very well if the flow is in the 150-200 cfs range, but have only about 6 inches of water at 30 cfs and only very tiny (even for the GP) trout. OTOH, at 200 cfs, the river below Bluemount might be inaccessable. The biggest trick to the Gunpowder is that if you're not catching fish in one stretch, try another.

If you're planning on going mid-July or later, terrestrials will be your main option, especially if the water is low. The tricos started late last year, and given that the water is still in the 40's, maybe late again this year. I wouldn't depend on them being there until August.

Flow gauge here: Gunpowder Flow Gauge at the dam.

Good luck. Drop me a PM when you know you'll going, and I can give you specifics.