Savage River

Tucker733

Tucker733

Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2013
Messages
132
Location
Western Maryland
I have a question for any that knows something about Savage river.

First some information, I talked to man at the Orvis shop about a large rainbow (20+)I caught towards the dam earlier in spring and he told me that a lot of people have been having luck catching big rainbows up there. I found out the rainbow I caught was full of eggs after I picked it up.
Does anyone think rainbows are running up into the Savage to breed and are they successful if they are? Thanks
 
Tucker,
I am no expert on the Savage, but I fish it a lot. The number of reported rainbows catches in the Savage did increase a good bit last year, and there have been a lot of nice fish caught. I took a 21 incher in January. With regards to reproduction, I think it is likely happening, but I have yet to catch or see any young of the year rainbows caught. I will note that the number of Wild Rainbows in the North Branch has dramatically increased in the past three years, and those fish certainly seek refuge, and run into the Savage from time to time, which may be why the catch rate has increased recently. Personally, I hope the Bows don't take hold in the Savage as a wild fishery, as I like the 80% Brown 20% Brookie dynamic that I have been used to. Nothing against the rainbows, but I fear it will be the brook trout that will suffer if the bows move in.
 
Thanks for the input. I enjoy the brookies and browns and don't mind the occasional 20+ inch rainbow but I don't think they are good for what the Savage is meant to be.
 
There have been a lot more rainbows in the savage since the lake has been drained. MDR stocks the lake and upper Savage heavily every year. They have always been present, their just more populated their now.
 
I fish the savage a lot, and the rainbows have been way more present this year than in years past. Like 3wt7x said, it used to be mainly an 80/20 brown/brook trout fishery with the occasional rainbow on the lower end that swam up from the NB, or on the upper end near the dam that likely came down from the lake. I might have caught one while fishing all day. However last year I caught way more. I think they're definitely swimming up from the branch.

Personally, I wish the rainbows weren't in there, I liked it better when it was mainly browns and brookies. The savage is, well used to be, a tough stream, lots of picky browns, it really tested your nymphing skills. I enjoyed the challenge, and when you got a strike I liked knowing that it was most likely a beautiful piece of savage river butter.
 
fish that size are likely either running up the river to spawn or they are chasing bait like smelt that spawn in the river.

based on my experience in NH, these big bows all back out by late spring to the deep water of the lakes - they are primarily meat eaters and there isn't enough forage or cover in the rivers.

in the case of the merrymeeting, winnepesauke and newfound rivers at least, these tourists haven't pushed out the local brookie and LL pops hardly at all - if anything the average size of the specs and salmon are bigger, i suspect due to the springtime thinning of the herd by the visiting big bows.

so i'd just enjoy them and not worry too much.
 
Interesting situation if they are moving out of the Potomac and spawning.
 
I am not familiar with this fishery, but it sounds very reasonable that the rainbows could be running up and spawning. This happens on many more waterways than what is publicized.

Several waters in my local area have similar situations, although many don't believe it happens or don't take advantage of it.

Sounds like a neat situation on the Savage, other than of course if it wreaks havoc with the populations currently established.

 
Here is an ethical spinoff question to this topic. Lets assume that the theory that the rainbows that are populating the Savage are primarily fish running in from the North Branch to spawn. The North Branch is a large success story in the fact that it was a dead river not too many years ago due to acid mine drainage, and now you can catch multiple 12-18 inch wild rainbows a day on a float or walk and wade trip, along with the holdovers and fresh stockies. What is everyone's thoughts with regards to keeping the rainbows caught in the Savage in the name of protecting the brooks and browns from the competition for food and habitate displacement. I believe that you can keep five rainbows in all sections of the Savage irregardless of size, as opposed to the trophy trout regulations on the brooks and browns.

Personally speaking, I would not be killing bows just in the name of killing them, but I would not mind cooking a few over a campfire while camping in the cheap tent sites on the Savage.

I do acknowlege that some rainbows come from the reservoir, but since the dam repair, I believe that number is very limited. My only supporting evidence to this, is the fact that the cutthroats were only stocked in the North Branch in 2011 as fingerlings. The last survey performed by Maryland of the Savage showed that some portion of the cutthroat population had made there way into the Savage, as they found cutties at all the testing areas, top to bottom. I know cutties are very closely related to rainbows, so I would infer that their spawning migrations would be similar.
 
I can fish for cutthroats in MD?
 
Brookiechaser,
Yes you can!!! They started the program a while back in the N. Branch, and it had stopped for several years until 2011. They only stock fingerlings in the 5-7 inch range, but I took a couple last year in the 8-10 inch range. They are pretty fish, and a nice surprise on the east coast. The ones they stock are of the fine spotted variety. I posted a report with some pictures of them in 2012, just having a hard time finding it.
 
Thanks for info 3wt7x. That is now on my to-do list.
 
Here is the report link for the cutties

http://www.paflyfish.com/forums/stream-reports/stream-reports/savage-river--garrett-co---md--09%2F03%2F2012/8,26904.html
 
3wt7x, I couldn't get the link to work. It just brought me back to the home page. I'll try a search.

Edit: I found the thread you mentioned. Nice fish!
 
it is the last report on page 15 of the stream report history...Sorry, I do not know what happenned with the link.
 
Here is the link. It won't let you simply copy and paste a link from this site.....you have to use the link feature in the reply.

I've done a tad bit of research in the past on cutties in the N Branch but couldn't really find much info. Not even on the MD DNR site. Are they stocking them every year or did they just stock them in 2011? Cool being able to catch them in the east. I've gotten a bunch in CO two summers ago and they're definitely pretty fish, and easy to catch. Just like brookies out here!
 
Streamerguy,

The MD DNR has been tight lipped about any recent stocking of the cutties in the North Branch. I caught my first N. Branch cuttie in 2011 and I did an Angler's Log post on the DNR website with the attached picture. I had heard sparing reports of angler's catching decent sized cutties on rare occasion from the old stocking program, and the wild rainbow fishery was just taking hold. That is when I caught this little guy, and I spoke to several close angler friends and shop owners, and I was about 90 percent certain that it was a wild cutbow. The DNR responded by saying that it was a fingerling from the 2011 program. There was nothing that I could find released prior to, or after regarding the recent stockings of cutties. I am not saying it isn't out there, but I could not find it.
 

Attachments

  • CUT1.jpg
    CUT1.jpg
    60.5 KB · Views: 3
That stream gives you the chance to get the 4 species slam.....brook, brown, bow and cut. I fished there once and shifted. Couldn't catch a brook. I've wanted to get back down but never did. It's a pretty neat river.
 
Krayfish,

Don't forget about the wild tiger trout that they shock about every other year out of there and most importantly the ever elusive lightning trout, which join the bows on their migration. I think the state needs to stock lakers to make it a 7 trout fishery!
 
It has lightning trout? I will be back. I'll have to tie up some Zeke's corn bait flies. :p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Harman's North Fork Cottages


Real Time Data From
the USGS Site

Share this page

Back
Top