Gunpowder junkies..... (Fishing Report)

[eurovw89]

Been up to the Gunpowder a few times in the past month....done really well in the evening hours just about an hour before dark. Caught em on Caddis, ants and sulphurs. All were caught in a part of the stream about 100yards or less, and near the most south end of the 7miles catch-n-release (which all I hear is go north young man lol)

I hear that nymphing and using wets are a good way to come up with the biggins.......so Im trying to get into different tactics so does anyone have any suggestions or pointers.













Probably heading out tonight as well

---------- Post added at 02:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:03 PM ----------

Also....went to Falls Rd (3rd times and sunked) probably walked about a mile up stream to this beautiful site (the same day as the above pictures):



within 3mins after taking this picture the heavens unleashed on me for about 20-25mins. Fished for about an hour and nothing....then headed to my money hole on the southern end of the C&R

 

[bigjim5589]

Great report & pictures! :thumbsup: I haven't been up there in years. About time I start getting back into it. My oldest son & family just moved into their "new (to them)" house in Monkton. He's only about a mile from the river & has expressed some interest in trying some fly fishing!

Even though I haven't been there in awhile, I have fished the Gunpowder many times. I wouldn't overlook streamers or leeches, small crayfish patterns, or terrestrials this time of year.

 

[eurovw89]

Hey Jim thanks for your response......Im just a little jealous of you son right, I love that area.

Went upstream of the Falls Rd Bridge yesterday saw plenty of fish....threw brassie, hairs ears, emergers, drys...and lost one and missed one......I left my streamers, and crayfish patterns in the truck. Saw one other guy fishing and thats its.

I have never had any luck up....but heard nothing but good things....guess im just not used to the fast water. Like I said before I have much more success downstream a ways, as you can see from the pictures.

If you ever want a fishing buddy let me know. Keep in touch

 

[bigjim5589]

Sounds good to me! I would enjoy getting together with you sometime & seeing what we can find. I'll be a bit rusty I'm sure, as I haven't done any trout fishing in many years either. I always liked the fly only area just below Prettyboy dam. When I was a kid, I would go up & fish the Gunpowder for Smallmouths, Laregmouths or whatever I could catch. I used to fish the area near Rt 40, Rt 7 & Rt 1 a lot. There were some trout too, but mostly the bass & panfishes. Back then, there was places to park along the roads & access was much easier. Now, I guess that's not allowed.

That was before the river was the famous trout stream it is now.

My wife & I was up to my son's house last Saturday. The river looked a bit muddied from all the rain at Monkton Rd & there was a lot of folks with float tubes.

Float tubes hatches are not something I ever enjoyed fishing! :lol2:

 

[only adipose]

Keep doing what your doing looks like you are doing fine. You should be able to catch fish doing any of the mentioned methods but if you getting fish on drys, keep it going. You can always nymph, streamer fish, or even swing wets- enjoy the dry fly fishing! All of the catch and release is great! If the tubers get to be to much then fish above falls, but if not I wouldn't even bother. Above falls probably gets the most pressure and the rest of that river is just as good. Don't be afraid to fish even further down river than the catch are release. The 2-a-day section has plenty of wild browns too! Looks like you are catching some typical gunpowder fish, there are some big ones but they are few and far between, But keep at it and you will get one!

 

[dhaynes]

My wife & I was up to my son's house last Saturday. The river looked a bit muddied from all the rain at Monkton Rd & there was a lot of folks with float tubes.

Float tubes hatches are not something I ever enjoyed fishing! :lol2:

During these hot summer days, Saturday and Sunday are tough fishing...Tubers, kayakers, canoeists, hikers, dog-swimmers, and families playing in the water turn the GP into a real zoo, particularly below Masemore Road... We've shifted our fishing until evening on weekdays when the pressure is much, much less... Rainy, overcast days keep a lot of the fair-weather water users off too... The water at Monkton often runs a lot more turbid as it gets all the water from Little Falls entering at Blue Mount Road... Its not rare for the water in the park to be gin clear and the water at Monkton to be very murky....

If your son wants to learn (and you don't want to be the instructor), Phil Gay, who lives right on the river in Monkton, is a guide and an excellent instructor. The folks at Backwater Anglers in Hereford and Great Feathers just down the road in Sparks are good folks too....

 

[eurovw89]

Yea I have fished the weekend once a few years back and it was a Sunday......never again. I fish the weekday evenings...which is very few tubers if any. I have yet csught a bow on the fly yet and was hoping falls rd would would produce. I think on every 3rd trip ill head to falls road.

Whats is the differences between swinging wets and nymphing? I think it more exciting catching fish on the dry.

 

[only adipose]

nymphing- larval/nymph stage of insect usually at a dead drift. swinging wets- usually adult/emerger underwater using the current to move it thru the water column. Very basic explanation but you get the jist im sure...

 

[jgros001]

Great photos. Being new to the sport, I have trouble up closer to the dam near to the Falls Rd parking area - I haven't figured out fast water yet. My best success has been the Glencoe Road area (I have found that there aren't that many kayakers and tubes that low).

Also to avoid the crowds, I've been heading to Little Falls and Bee Tree.

 

[eurovw89]

Great photos. Being new to the sport, I have trouble up closer to the dam near to the Falls Rd parking area - I haven't figured out fast water yet. My best success has been the Glencoe Road area (I have found that there aren't that many kayakers and tubes that low).

Also to avoid the crowds, I've been heading to Little Falls and Bee Tree.

Little Falls and Bee Tree? Never hard of it

 

[dhaynes]

Little Falls and Bee Tree? Never hard of it

Ok... whip out the google map.... two sites for little falls, both near Parkton, MD. One is at Dairy Road just a little north of Parkton. The parking area is right on the North Central Railroad trail... The trail parallels Little Falls and there are many access points. Walk North toward the I-83 bridge and you'll find plenty of fishing spots.. The other is off Weaver Road. Park at the bridge on Weaver and fish downstream or walk a short distance over to the NCR trail and head North for some nice water. You can also fish Little Falls easily at White Hall or downstream where it merges with the Gunpowder off BlueMount Road. You can also fish in downtown (lol) Parkton!

Bee Tree is easily accessed at Bentley Springs (google it). There is a parking area for NCR trail users. BeeTree runs just beside the parking area but it is best, IMHO, to walk down the trail aways to where Little Falls and Bee Tree merge... Be careful around there, however, as there are some landowners who do not appreciate fisherman too awfully much:icon_smil

IN fact, look up the North Central Railroad Trail and view the trail. Much of the trail provides great access from Monkton to Freeland, MD.

 

[only adipose]

Bee tree and Little Falls? no fish there

 

[only adipose]

Are you still fishing it? Its been pretty good.

 

[Ard]

Hey there,

Nice report and beautiful photos, I love seeing those brown trout. The place where you went and got skunked.......... It happens no matter where you are. I have fished places here that without a doubt have trout and plenty of them but for whatever reason I can't get one to budge

Great post!

 

[siege]

Thanks for sharing your day on the water with us. I enjoyed the pictures and the report. Sitting here tonight in my lazy boy, I felt like I was seeing the stream as your camera saw it. Keep 'em coming :bowdown:

 

[noutdoorsmen94]

I just recently moved to MD and have been looking for good waterways. and all iv heard is Gunpowder and Potomac. And as I can see all you guys fish the gunpowder so your probably best to ask. Im used to small mountain streams up in PA where I moved from. Would a 2 wt fish fine here or do I need to go bigger?

 

[dhaynes]

Gunpowder is a nice stream and you can do a 2wt just fine but I suspect you will think about a 4wt before too long.... From Westminster, however, try Morgan's Run not too far from you, Beaver Creek in Hagerstown, Big Hunting Creek and Owens Creek just North of Frederick. All of those are small steams and well suited to your 2wt rod. The Potomac, the part nearest you, is small mouth territory and a big river. I suspect you would want a 5 wt or more there.... but, that's just my humble opinion...

 

[noutdoorsmen94]

thank you. greatly appreciated. I defiantly want to expand my arsenal. im happy with the small streams but everyone wants to go bigger. so I think I might just get a 6 wt. that way I can use it on the Potomac and still go up north to the home turf and try some steelhead fishing as well. from the pictures i saw and the research iv done i thought the 2 wt would be fine but i didn't know if there was any monster fish people just weren't talking about. thanks for your input. im sure ill end up buying a 4 wt at some point. cant ever have to much fishing stuff

 

[eurovw89]

Ok... whip out the google map.... two sites for little falls, both near Parkton, MD. One is at Dairy Road just a little north of Parkton. The parking area is right on the North Central Railroad trail... The trail parallels Little Falls and there are many access points. Walk North toward the I-83 bridge and you'll find plenty of fishing spots.. The other is off Weaver Road. Park at the bridge on Weaver and fish downstream or walk a short distance over to the NCR trail and head North for some nice water. You can also fish Little Falls easily at White Hall or downstream where it merges with the Gunpowder off BlueMount Road. You can also fish in downtown (lol) Parkton!

Bee Tree is easily accessed at Bentley Springs (google it). There is a parking area for NCR trail users. BeeTree runs just beside the parking area but it is best, IMHO, to walk down the trail aways to where Little Falls and Bee Tree merge... Be careful around there, however, as there are some landowners who do not appreciate fisherman too awfully much:icon_smil

IN fact, look up the North Central Railroad Trail and view the trail. Much of the trail provides great access from Monkton to Freeland, MD.

thanks would love to get up there some day.....so is it stocked or the fish go up stream?

---------- Post added at 09:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:18 PM ----------

Are you still fishing it? Its been pretty good.

great fish...where did ya pull it from?

 

[daveinmd]

I hope to be hitting a stretch just south of the dam tomorrow morning. The C/R section. I also hope to scout out some other areas including maybe Parkton. It's about an hour north of me so not too bad. I hate the beltway traffic but if I leave early enough I miss it.

I've had good days on Big Hunting Creek before. Owens Creek I haven't been too impressed with but I only fished it twice I believe. I need to try Little Hunting Creek and Little Gunpowder River.