Casselman River

MarlinBoy · Jul 1, 2008

Hey guys, a buddy and me are heading up to the casselman tommorow to do some fishing. I personally have never fished there...has anyone been there lately that has any information on hatches, what flies are inciting strikes, water levels etc...we were also told by another friend to try fishing near a restaurant called the something "alps." I know where it is but have no idea what the stream looks like there. Any information at all would be much appreciated.

MarlinBoy · Jul 3, 2008

I guess ill update incase anyone was thinking about fishing the Casselman anytime soon. The water level is a little low but still very fishable. We got one nice brown early in the morning and throughout the day ended up with two(and losing 7 others but thats the way it goes). Even had one grab my fly when it was a foot off the bank sitting there while i was lighting a smoke...ended up snapping my line aroung a rock...there went 4 bucks...one brownie was caught on a #14 Quill Gordon and the other on a #16 yellow Sulfer Fly Dun. We had a few strikes on small stonefly nymphs(yellow and black) and one on a #16 black Elk Hair Caddis. Quite a variety. Trout were rising constantly all day. One thing for sure is there are ALOT of trout in there. The runs and riffles are the key places to fish it seems and the water depth made no difference in the amount of fish. Even the shallow riffles only 4-6 inches deep were teeming with trout. We started fishing at 6AM(left the house at 3:30AM...long haul) and fished until mid-afternoon. We parked at the Penn Alps restaurant right along side the river which was pretty cool because theres a nice little village there with gift shops and stuff to mosey around in after fishing. Overall it was a pretty good day and as every day fly fishing is, alot of fun. Anywhos if anyone is going there soon, hope this helps in some way.

hiddencreek · Jul 6, 2008

If you make it to the Casselman in western maryland you ought to go a little farther west and a little south and fish the Savage River and the North Branch of the Potomac River. They are alot better fisheries then the Casselman. Don't get me wrong I like to fish the Casselman in early spring but after that the water gets very low and it is to poplar of a location.
Tight lines

MarlinBoy · Jul 7, 2008

I have not made it out to those yet but im in the process of planning a trip to both of them. Have you heard anything about the guide services for the north branch of the Potomac?

troutslayer · Jul 7, 2008

I also fish the Casselman but yes, the water levels fluctuate but right now it is generall very low. The Savage River below the dam is great fishing. They have naturally reproducing brooks and browns and they can be tough fighters, even the small ones. The river is very slippery so be very careful when wading. You can check out the website of Savage RIver OUtfitters, an Orvis fly shop situated along the river. The website will tell you what the flow is and what is working. They can even tell you about guide services. The North Branch is great too. It's more open water than the Savage but great fishing. Generall, caddis, bwo's, sulphurs are working. I've caught a couple of nice browns on Pheasand Tail nymph (beadhead) on size 14. The website is savageriveroutfitters.com. Hope this helps.

hiddencreek · Jul 8, 2008

Don't go with any guides! Some are great some are not the best. For a year I guided with a local lodge and became familair with a few other guides. The Savage is right off Savage River Road and scouting the river is very easy. The North Branch near Barnum is a little harder to get to but still pretty simply to fish. Let me know and I will gladly show anyone around.
Just Fish...and have fun.

troutslayer · Jul 8, 2008

Good point about the guides. Barnum (North Branch) is easy to get to and find spots to fish. The Savage like Hidden Creek said has easy access to some of the best flyfishing around. It has parking areas, usually enough for one vehicle, along the road so you just park and walk 10-20 yards and you're in the river! Let me know and I'll let you know some of the 'honey' spots as well. Good fishing!

MarlinBoy · Jul 8, 2008

Well it looks like im heading up that way sunday to do some fishing...not quite sure yet where im going to try out.

hiddencreek · Jul 9, 2008

If you go to the North Branch of the Potomac...do one on two things. Drive as far down stream as possible and take a little walk down stream past the 'blue hole' and keep on going (it is an old railroad bed...easy walking). Walk as far as you want and start fishing. Or park at the first place you come to the river and walk upstream 10 minutes or so. Both places have some great fish. I will try and post a few pictures of a 22 brown I caught a few weeks ago...on a last cast!! Oh yeah you have a chance at the Maryland Grand Slam...brooke, brown, rainbow, and cutthroat...have fun!
Just Fish

troutslayer · Jul 9, 2008

If you go the the Savage, there probably isn't a bad place to stop and fish. When you come to the first steel bridge, there is a nice hole up the river to your left. You have to walk about 50 yds or so and you'll see it. There are a lot of nice places. Just find a parking spot and follow the trail to the river. If you go far enough you will go by the primitive camping area and then come to a cement bridge. There is a nice hole there but we call it the PhD hole because the fish will give you a good education there. It's fished hard so they are pretty smart. You can also go upstream and a lot of nice runs up there. Be careful and hope you catch the big one!

hiddencreek · Jul 9, 2008

On the Savage cast to the pockets...all of them even if they look to small to hold a fish and keep on moving. You will cover alot of water and hopefully catch alot of fish.
I will be on the Savage all weekend. I live about 20 minutes from the Savage and my friends from 'down state' rented a cabin at the savage river outfitters place. We may fish one evening on the north branch as well.
I drive a subaru...look for me!
I am always looking for some fishing buddies as mine all live down state!!

troutslayer · Jul 10, 2008

Very true! Even the little 'smooth' runs that are only ablut 3 ft long and maybe a foot across that lays right next to fast water will hold a fish! The tricky part is getting a fly over there and lay for a second. The fish know they only have a second to decide so they stike fast so you have to be ready!And besides, all you're going to have on a good cast is about 2 seconds before the fly gets ripped out into the curent. Challenging fishing but fun! I may be down there and if I do, I'll look for you! Went to the doctor today on a knee problem and he told me to stay away from steps, hills and places that have uneven surfaces. Does that mean the bottom of Savage River? Probably!

hiddencreek · Feb 26, 2009

Casselman is fishing great...Streamers and wooly buggers are doing great. The other day I must have been following somebody who was losing alot of black buggers...I found 2 of the same patterns.

fisherguy · May 8, 2009

The Cassleman is a great river to catch lots of fish.....Pretty area with amish farmlands near by....Your favorite flies with proper presentation will do just fine!! Barnum on the other hand is well worth the drive down in...There are some pigs in this section....I love parking at the bottom and going up stream you will see a cable crossing the river that starts the special regs section. Fish up stream until it ends at the big hole. can be snakey so be carefull....The savage is a great tailwater for sure....the brookies are a thing of beauty in this stream...I fish the riffles down deep when im hunting big fish...can be a difficult stream to fish on some days...Good luck to ya!!

Gordon

2flyrdrive · May 16, 2009

I agree all of the above posts.
The Casselman River is one of the top 4 or 5 destinations in Western MD.
I also try to fish The Savage River, The North Branch of The Potomac(both places), The Yough and Town Creek(not too well known).:icon_wink

Tracker12 · May 24, 2009

Trying to plan a trip up to this area for a 2 1/2 day trip. Will most like come up by myself on my first trip to the area. Where would be a good place to camp so that I can get around to the different streams.

2flyrdrive · May 25, 2009

I'd say Rocky Gap in Cumberland or Swallow Falls and Deep Creek State Park in Garrett County to start with. Rocky Gap is a little bit further away from the streams but it is still a great place to camp.

hiddencreek · May 25, 2009

A few closer places to camp would be New Germany State Park/Big Run State Park or in the Savage River State Forest (SRSF). About ten campsite in the SRSF are literally a roll cast from the river!! New Germany is probably the best centrally located place to camp...close to the the Casselmand river in one direction and the other streams in another direction.

ab4usa · May 26, 2009

I fished this last Friday. It took me a while to find a pocket of fish but when I did it was a VERY target rich enviornment. My biggest rainbow was 17" and was not the largest in the pool. Caught a couple of 15"-16" Browns and a 2.5lb small mouth!

Be warned that if the water warms up much more the fish are really going to start to suffer. Also the delayed harvest expires on 6/15.

RyanSheehan · May 28, 2009

I was there too, and man was it low and its been getting lower. If they don't get some rain soon those fish are cooked, literally! Good fishing though but they are getting smarter, I had a few rejections.

Casselman River

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