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In Time for Halloween

Micahdammeyer Big Gunpowder Falls, Fall, fishing, Fly Tying, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sometimes you hit the river expecting to see certain conditions and arrive to a completely different game. Monday’s outing was exactly that. I left the house expecting sparse clouds and hatches but arrived to sunshine and only a brief appearance of tricos in the AM and a dry windy afternoon.

I was joined by Trent Jones, fishing manager at the Bethesda, MD Orvis store, and we had a great time watching the trico’s blow off into the woods when we arrived. The Gunpowder was still running high from recent storms but was clear and fishable. The insect showing was a mixed bag of tricos, caddis, and “rusty” mayflies. We had a great time exploring the higher flows and still shifting riverbed after the larger storms we’d seen in recent weeks.

After parting ways with Jones, I spent some time hunting bugs in the river and snapping a few photos. The afternoon’s fading light made taking pictures a challenge but I found enough caddis and a few stoneflies to keep me entertained for some time. After what I found taking samples, I’d put my money on caddis pupe all winter long in green and light tan. Despite receiving a thorough scouring the riverbed still holds enough detritus to hide a lot of large stoneflies and I nabbed a beautiful shot of a nice big golden stone.

 
 
 
 
 
 After arriving home I was greeted by not one but two praying mantis on back porch. Since I’d spent the afternoon taking photos of insects I was ready for the situation at hand. Sometimes it’s all about being in the right place at the right time.
 
 
 
 

With flows still above 150cfs there’s lots of water to spread the fish around. If you’re headed out this weekend be sure and look before you leap; often fish will be holding in areas where there was previously very little water. The weather looks perfect for some fishing and family time outdoors. Be sure and bring some tricos for the AM and some tan caddis for the afternoon.  See you on the water!

Orvis Days, Care For Kids and a big Thank You!

Micahdammeyer Big Gunpowder Falls, fishing, Fly Tying, Mayflies, Spring, Trout, Uncategorized, Winter , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Comment

On October 8th, I was lucky enough to be invited to speak at the Orvis Store in Bethesda, MD during their “Orvis Days” event. I was flattered to have a great crowd of folks turn out to hear me talk about the Big Gunpowder Falls and show off some of my photography with a presentation following the seasons on the river.

Also presenting during the event was Trent Jones, who schooled us on fishing in DC on the Tidal Potomac River, all while we were entertained for most of the day by jazz guitarist Bart Stringham. Joe from the shop brouth in Sandwiches from PotBelly and other snacks and refreshments. Except for being on the water, what else could a fly-fisher want?

I couldn’t have asked for a better reception and I’m grateful for all the kind feedback I’ve received. Thank you to everyone who turned out and to Orvis for having me at the shop!

If you missed you missed the Orvis Days promotions last weekend there’s a chance to save at the store coming up the week of October 21st through Oct. 30th with a Care For Kids Card from the folks at the Children’s National Medical Center. The cards are $50 and get you 20% discounts on regularly priced merchandise. It’s perfect if you’ve had your eye on new boots and waders or a new rod for under the tree not to mention the long list of first class merchants who’re participating! I’ll even be working at the store Sunday the 23rd if you want to come and say hello.

Cooler Air and Warmer Water

Micahdammeyer Big Gunpowder Falls, fishing, Fly Tying, Trout, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , 0 Comment

With the water dropping all over the East Coast the fishing is heating up. A few trips in the last week have been a great chance to check out Mother Nature’s handy work. Seeing the piles of trees 10 feet high are a reminder of just how powerful water is. There’s lots of new structure in streams like the Gunpowder and the river bottom has new contours to explore. I found a few gravel bars in the last few days that were still settling and shifting. Nothing keeps you on your toes like quicksand!

 The fishing has been great and trout are hungry and aggressive with warm water temps getting them feeding. Big streamers are the ticket to lots of strikes. Fishing with 4x tippet makes casting heavy flies a breeze and the high, off-color, water helps hide the thicker line.

I shrunk a few photos down and put them in a slideshow below. 

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Nothing says fall like getting out those waders that you’ve been going without all summer. Give us a call today and talk about scheduling an outing for fall!

 

Beating The Heat

Micahdammeyer Uncategorized 0 Comment

  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

Micahdammeyer Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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

Micahdammeyer Uncategorized 0 Comment
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.

In The News…and my 2 cents

Micahdammeyer fishing, News, Trout, Uncategorized , , , , , 0 Comment

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

Micahdammeyer Uncategorized 0 Comment

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.