Author: Micahdammeyer

Cool Fog On The Gunpowder

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July Fog On The Gunpowder

With better flows in the last few days I headed up to the Gunpowder Falls after teaching a fun “Fly Fishing 101” class at the Bethesda Orvis store. The drive was HOT but it was great to soak my feet in that icy cold water. My thermometer read 52 and the flow was around 75cfs. There wasn’t a ton of activity but hoppers and caddis proved to be the ticket. I swung emergers through the riffles that were dry a few days ago and had dozen strikes with 6 fish getting off the hook. Frustrating but when you’re letting them go anyway it’s OK knowing you fooled them. After working through a run I’d cast back up into it with a dry caddis or hopper and was rewarded with a few splashy strikes. 

July Evening Trout at 75cfs

I didn’t fish long but was glad I made the drive despite all the tubers floating down the river. I hadn’t fished the weekend in a while and have gotten spoiled on the weekdays. If you’re headed out avoid the weekends if you can. Early and late will help you beat the crowds. Be sure and check USGS.gov and check the flows before leaving the house. It’s worth the time with all the thunderstorms we’ve had recently.

Beating The Heat

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  July’s flows on the Big Gunpowder Falls are starting out low
but as I write this have spiked from 40 cfs to around 100cfs and leveled off
around 70 cfs for the time being.

While the low, ultra-clear flows, can be make stalking fish
a challenge the Gunpowder’s brown trout aren’t shy about getting to a caddis
dry or emerger pattern before another trout can. Similarly, increased flows
from summer storms allow the fish to spread out and find a feeding lane of their
own with less competition.

First Flyrod Trout

Last week I had the pleasure of fishing with a Ken and
Jonathan, a father & son team who were taking advantage of summer by filing
their time with lots of adventure. It was a treat to share the pastime of fly
fishing and some of my favorite water with them. I got to see Ken catch his
first trout on a fly rod and seeing the way a young guy like Jonathan takes in
nature was refreshing enough to inspire me to look around more myself.

Keep your box filled with caddis patterns of all types.
Those sulphurs are still popping off here and there and can be a fun wild-card
if you’ve got any left after the spring hatches. La Fontane style caddis along
with Elk Hair Caddis will keep you covered for most situations but “worm” style
patterns with and without bead-heads can’t be overlooked.

Get out there and get your feet wet – the water’s nice and
cold!

Welcome To Knee Deep Fly Fishing

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Sharing the joy of fly fishing and the region’s streams with others is a passion of Knee Deep guides. Whether you’re an expert angler or a first-time fisherman, the Knee Deep experience is tailored to your specific interests and experience.  Our offerings range from in-home casting and fly tying instruction to multi-day on-water escapes.  And, of course, we can design custom packages for corporate events and special occasions, including bachelor outings, anniversaries, and girls day out.

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Flat Tires and Trout

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Thursday was a day unlike any other day. As I drink coffee this morning getting ready to go teach “fly fishing 101” over at the orvis shop, I’m I’m remembering how every day on the water is a new chance to learn and the conditions are never the same. Even after all these years on the water and lot of time on the same water, no two days are alike. Each time on the water is another chance to fish different conditions. While the flows had dropped to a more reasonable level over on the Gunpowder, the temps were dropping too.
After a quick trip to the local gas station to get a quick tire-plug to replace the drywall screw that was in my tire, a few cups of coffee to help me recover from the “there’s someone in the house” at 3:30am,  I was on my way to the river. I got to take out a great guy who also happened to be a great fisherman. It seems we missed out on the “free flies” giveaway at Masemore Road but after only a short while we were into fish. It was a great start to the day but around 4:00pm the water temps had really started to drop and the bugs were becoming thin. After a good lunch break we hit the stream again expecting some hotter “late day” action that never quite got hot but there were a few fish. The water had gone from 60 deg to close to 58 and felt even colder. If there was a chance the sulphurs would have come back to the stream that went out the window when the wind started blowing. We sure had a great time and it felt good to see someone dust off their fly-rods and stretch their line a bit. I’m always reminded that fly fishing for trout is really an exercise in relaxing and having fun. Thanks for all the laughs Bill!

Wet or dry…

Micahdammeyer Big Gunpowder Falls, Fly Tying, Mayflies, Spring, Trout, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment
Wet or Dry?
Wet or dry...have it your way

Nothing is new about fishing wet flies but I thought I’d share my go-to wet/dry sulphur pattern. Fishing the Gunpowder Falls anglers are treated to some great hatches of sulphurs and caddis. I think there are more caddis in the river but feel free to debate it with me. In any case, I fish this fly both dry and wet. I even fish a combo of it with just the wings dried off by a powdered fly drying agent. There’s nothing fancy about it except maybe the snowshoe-hares foot wing. The more fish you catch the worse it looks and the better it seems to work. I don’t leave the house without a full compartment of this fly if I’m taking other people along. As the season goes by I tie it smaller and smaller and even with a dun colored wing. I credit an old friend for turning me onto the snowshoe hare years ago and I put it in everything.

Wet flies are one of those things you just can’t get in your local fly shop (unless you have a great local shop…if so get in there and buy some flies and other stuff from them and keep them open) and when I hear people say “It’s not worth tying my own flies” I think of this one. They’re  becoming a lost art. There are dozens of patterns that you just can’t pick up everywhere. Many tiers are picky about little details and swear by minor adjustments of old patterns. I’m definitely one of those folks; for me it’s the little tweaks that give flies the “life” that some store bought flies are lacking. Spending a few hours at the vise refining and learning can pay off on the stream. There’s nothing more rewarding than learning to tie your own flies and hitting the water and CATHCHING FISH with something you made!

Get out there while it’s still spring! And get on some of those sulphurs. Maybe call your favorite local fishing guide (hint, hint!) and ask about some fly tying lessons. It’s a sure-fire cure for cabin feaver when winter comes around again.

More Fracking in the News

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The Roanoake Times reports on some proposed changes to regulations related to fracking in the GW and Jefferson National Forests. It sounds like there may be some holes in there that open up some prime logging country but it sounds like it’s not broad. The plan apparently allows for vertical drilling but not hydrolic fracturing. This would help protect some valuable groud-water and trout streams.

I spent a few years living in near the Jefferson forest and It’s a GREAT place. While you can see the scars of some past logging, there are stands of very old trees and a lot of history. I chased brook trout in the forest a few days a week for a long time and hope the people in power keep their eye on what matters. For me it was a wonderful escape from the “every-day” and there are still places where you can get lost following small streams and run into bears and porcupines and old mountain foks hunting Ginseng…

It’s a story to keep an eye on. The article listed above lists some folks you can send a quick e-mail to and give them your thoughts. I think it’s worth a few minutes.

In The News…and my 2 cents

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After Maryland’s big push to get anglers to buy new boots and ditch their felt soles (link here!)  in the name of preventing the spread of “Rock Snot” It seems they’ve not done their homework when it comes to their fish suppliers. From the Maryland DNR’s own site, they report on the issue briefly and discuss plans to expand their own hatchery operations. Article here.

All of this brings up the idea that they could save a few headaches and money, something all government agencies are worried about lately, by creating more catch and release water in the state. As a teenager in NJ I got to see, first hand, as a large section of a local stream was converted to catch and release. Attention from caring anglers and other wildlife lovers increased and efforts to sure-up streambanks and trash clean-ups were instituted. The river today still has it’s problems but less trash and more fish still has me dreaming of the town I left almost 10 years ago. Simply, it was a beautiful stream filled with wild fish!

 I’m sure I’ll make some enemies by saying that I support conservation efforts that lean towards catch and release streams as our region becomes more heavily populated and pressure on our resources increases.  This isn’t news to people who know me. I spent my weekend at my part-time gig teaching the “Fly Fishing 101” class at my local Orvis store and the idea of “catching fish to eat” inevitably came up. It’s a common thought with anglers new to fly fishing and I find myself defending catch and release regularly. To my excellent student I said “if we all kept them, there wouldn’t be any fish left” and the discussion seemed to end at a pleasant stalemate.I hear a lot of anglers say “I went fishing a few times but I didn’t catch anything…” when asked about their previous experiences. Some of that may have to do with the trout out-smarting the fishermen but I have to think that in some circumstances a healthier population of fish could have helped. With all the streams in the immediate metro area and beyond, I can’t help but imagine rivers where the focus is on total-stream-health and not putting fish on someones plate. I understand that it takes generations to change a population’s mode of thinking but at some point we all need to change. Introducing problems like Dydimo and Whirling Disease happens by many different means. It’s not JUST felt soles of fishermen. As we can see, even the agencies that are supposed to be looking out for us can screw up and transport these sort of aquatic illnesses.

Have you ever eaten one of those Purina fed stocked trout? They taste horrible!

High Water

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I’ve been pretty lucky this spring in that my fishing days have timed well with dropping water.  I’ve managed to avoid being washed out all spring and have even gotten quite a tan on the sunny days. Sure, i’ve fished through some hogher water and wished I had a wading staff a few times but for the most part it’s been a great spring

On Thursday I hit the road for the Gunpowder Falls and was met with higher flows than I’d seen in person all spring. It was a reminder that, even in a tail-water situation, you can’t control the weather. I drove around and snapped a few pics but didn’t bother putting my waders on.

Overflow
High Muddy Water

The water coming over the dam was impressive but the feeder creeks downstream were heartbreakingly muddy. Only a few miles below the dam the river was flowing high and brown. It’ll take a few days for the river to bounce back from this one. Be sure to check the river gauges here before heading out. Over 300 can be some tough wading even for folks who know the river well. If you slip you’re swimming for sure at the current levels. It’s dropping fast but with more rain predicted this afternoon I’ll be watching weather.com for sure.

The Weather’s Here…

Micahdammeyer Big Gunpowder Falls, fishing, Spring, Trout, Uncategorized , , , , , 0 Comment

I didn’t think Spring would ever hit Maryland’s streams. While the great heat-island of DC has been green and flowering for weeks, it seems that the banks of the local streams have been slow to catch on. Last week’s trips to The Big Gunpowder gave me a chance to see the skunk cabbage really filling in and May apples in bloom. 

I got to take out an old friend that I’d met in VA a few years back when I lived down in the mountains there. We used to fish for smallmouths on the New River and chase brookies on tiny creeks in moonshine and ginseng country. We used to get into all sorts of trouble with locals and one particular warden that had it in for us because we used fly rods and had fancy waders. He’d moved to DC and had dug out an old Sage RPL 5wt and has been chomping at the bit. We’d met up after he’d been released from a conference in Baltimore. After getting him into some fresh wading boots he was in the water before I had all of my crap together. 

After a few false casts into the trees he was into fish. It felt pretty great to see someone hook into fish after saying “I don’t know if I remember how to cast!” ten minutes earlier. We caught quite a hatch of sulphurs, hendricksons and then caddis before calling it a night in favor of some greasy grub on the road home.  It was a great day of fishing. 

A Mouthful

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The Big April Mayflies are a meal for the trout on the Big Gunpowder Falls. I was lucky enough to get out last Wednesday when the weather was in the 80’s and the sun was shining; I have no excuse for not posting a report sooner.  

The official report: PERFECT!  

The water temps are jumping up with every rainstorm and the bugs are active. This has the trout feeling pretty bold. While my fish were great in number I didn’t hook into any submarines. They’re still in there however and after running into Theaux from the Backwater Angler up in Monkton, he and his pal had proof on their camera phone at the end of the night and bragging rights. See the short story here. Swing by his shop and pick up a few flies and fresh leaders and keep his lights on if you’re headed up this way. 

 

Monday looks like a repeat of last week’s situation – storms followed by warm weather – and with a little luck the gas prices will stay low.  Here’s a couple pics, below, from my outing. I’m off to hit the bench to crank out a dozen fresh flies.  

I was pretty happy when I saw $4.23 high-test!
Nice Brown
An average fish for the day. I could catch these for days.

 

Jsut look at that bottom!
High but clear.

 

The Bats are out. The warmer weather can't be far behind.
The bats are out. The warmer weather can't be far behind.