trout fishing

I Cant Quit You, Fishing

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

All you have to do is say you’re “taking it easy this summer” and the next thing you know, you’ll be fishing like crazy. I’ve been lucky to spend the last few weekends on the Big Gunpowder Falls and down at the beach near Rehoboth. I’ve had a great time fishing with clients and even with my father and brother. It’s a great time to hit the river.

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With fall here, I’ll be posting a bit more on kneedeepff.com. I have been working to make some short videos showing the how-to on some of my favorite flies.

I made this one to share with the crew from Delaware-surf-fishing.com showing off Ken’s Crazy Ant. It’s a killer pattern by someone I consider a good friend (I can call him at 7:00am and he’ll actually answer), Ken Walrath of Ken’s Custom Flies. Don’t be fooled – Ken was working this fly years before anyone else! I showed him my video and he wasn’t offended by it so I’ll take that as a “job well done.”

Keep checking back this fall – it’s caddis and “tiny stuff” time. I’ll post more updates as the days get shorter. Watch our pals over at Delaware Surf Fishing for some more stuff as well. Oh yeah, and the fishing is getting good. Let’s get out there.

Keep your tip on the water!

Micah

Endless Summer

Micahdammeyer Big Gunpowder Falls, Uncategorized , , , , , , ,

So, it’s been a wild summer. While doing this “fishing” thing I have the pleasure of sharing people’s weekends-off and being a part of their family time and time away from jobs/chores/routines. It’s when I start cashing in checks with my family for guiding days as we near the end of the season that I stop and reflect on some of the great people and stories I’ve been a part of as the seasons have passed.

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While it seems like yesterday, back in the spring, I got to fish with a really cool couple who are documenting their fishing travels as they check-off the top 100 trout rivers in the US. I’ll note that Theaux from Backwater Angler set me up with these characters (and I mean that in the most affectionate manner possible) and I was honored to guide for him/his shop in what was one of our trickier spring seasons with crazy flows and air/water temps. I feel like we were wearing wool caps till June! Their web site is www.riverramble.com. Click over and check them out. While they’ve fished in a lot of beautiful places I enjoyed sharing the “back yard” of so many Baltimore/DC residents with them. It’s in sharing the resource that I’m reminded about how special it is to have a tailwater nearby. Check out their travels over on their website.

We’ll see you on the river!

The Knee Deep Crew

PS, did you know that Backwater Angler has moved? Check out the link above and stop in to say Hello!

Hot Wet and Late in the Summer

Micahdammeyer Fall, fishing, fishing report, Trout, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Shorter days and cooler temps are starting to make it feel like summer may be coming to an end. You won’t hear many anglers complaining about an end to the heat. Warm weather and waders are anything but a match made in heaven.

Just this week The Big Gunpowder saw a bump up in flows and the fishing is changing too. This is the time of year when the big bugs like the fall caddis and hoppers are in play and a great way to catch fish that’ve been eating small snacks all summer. If you’re still into those long, slow, pools we can find you a fish or two that are keyed in on midges!

There’s no better way to spend a fall day than on the river. With October right around the corner we’ve got a few openings set aside. Give us a call or email and we’ll get you on the water while the weather is great!

Tight lines,

Micah

 

 

April is here…no fooling!

Micahdammeyer Big Gunpowder Falls, fishing, Spring , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s been a long winter. You’ve hidden in the basement or your den tying flies for months and, after a few tastes of warm weather (and that time the weather-man said it would be 85 but it was only 58) you woke up this morning to get cracking on your taxes! When will the fishing begin?

A favorite spring day making memories on the stream.
A favorite spring day making memories on the stream.

It starts right after you get an e-mail off to Knee Deep Fly Fishing and book your next weekend! We know you spent the winter chasing down deals on gear that Santa didn’t deliver and you’re itching to get those new rubber soled wading boots wet. We want to help make the most of your time on the water but we also know the value of taking a deep breath and there’s nothing better than a “full day” outing complete with a real streamside lunch (no soggy sandwiches here).

What’s new for the 2015 season? We’re going to get you out there with no haggling. You have a pal who wants to tag along but he doesn’t have gear? We’ll get him kitted out for the day at no extra charge. As we’ve always done, there’s no bill at the end of the day for flies and leaders; we just want you to worry about fishing. Check out our Booking and Rates page.

April is filling up fast but we’ve got a couple weekend days left in the second half of the month so shoot us a line fast and get on the calender. Need flies to kit yourself out? Send us an email and we can get cranking at the vise and to the UPS store.

We hope to see you on the water!

Micah and The Knee Deep Crew.

Micahdammeyer Fly Tying , , , , , , , , , ,
Lets talk streamers this year!
Lets talk streamers this year!

The International Fly Tying Symposium is this coming weekend and you need to get yourself there. If you’ve never tied a fly but want to learn, this is the place to see the world’s best tiers and talk to them about technique as well as pick up a few flies for your box along the way. If you’ve already got the bug and have been thinking about making the trip to ‘Jersey for the show, you owe it to yourself. There’s no better place to pick up hard to find materials and spend some time talking to the people who raise the birds and dye the fur.

I’ll be there, sharing a table with my good pal Ken Walrath. Stop by and say “Hi”.  If you don’t already follow Knee Deep on Facebook and Twitter, this is a good time to connect. We’ll let you know what isle we’re in and post some pics for the folks who can’t attend.

See you at the show!

Micah

 

What I Did Last Summer

Micahdammeyer Big Gunpowder Falls, Fall, fishing report, Summer, Trout, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Check out all that cold water!
Check out all that cold water!

 

Remember those school days writing essays about all the places your parents trucked you to as a child. I sure do. It was like a reminder that you didn’t kick back and enjoy summer enough and now you were going to be strapped to a desk until it came around again. Thankfully we’re almost grown up and don’t have to sit in the back of the family wagon anymore.

I’m happy to report that, while we’ve had great summer fishing on The Big Gunpowder Falls, there’s plenty of summer left! We’ve had lots of cold water all season with higher than normal flows coming from Prettyboy Reservoir. This means there have been some cold days on the river and a few where the trout have been tight lipped.  Midge fishing has saved the day more than a handful of times this year. Even in the coldest temps, they find a way to stay active. Of course, while we haven’t had tons of updates on the kneedeepff.com, you’ve been following us on Facebook and Twitter, so you know we’ve been lucky enough to travel a bit this summer….right?

Looking ahead, we’ve still got a few openings, so think about catching that cold you’ve been fighting. There’s plenty of terrestrial fishing to be had and the Tricos have started emerging. There’s even some fall caddis action to be had as we get into October. Give us a call and get a date on the books before summer passes you by. (202) 681-8765 or email us at info@kneedeepff.com

Special thanks to everyone who’s helped keep Knee Deep busy this season.

Tight lines,

Micah

News You Can Take Fishing

Micahdammeyer fishing, News , , , , , ,

The Maryland DNR is working on a new interactive fishing page. They say it’s still evolving but I think it’s a winner already. I was lucky enough to hear about it from the team creating it at a recent MD SFAC meeting in Annapolis.

The map is clickable and you can select different options to sort what show up on your screen. I think it’ll be great for trout fishermen and even those who are in search of a charter boat. Give it a try HERE 

Or cut and paste the full address:

http://gisapps.dnr.state.md.us/PublicFishingAccess/index.html

Lets go fishing!

Micah

Micahdammeyer Big Gunpowder Falls, fishing report, Summer , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

As we dig into July it’s got me thinking how hot it’s been all June. While there was a lot of sweat I was fortunate enough to see a lot of fish go into the net (and back in the water). With temps in the mid 90’s I joked today that “it’s been hotter!” Maybe we’re all just adjusting but it could be the 50 to 52 degree water.

In any case, there are lots of happy fish in that cold, oxygen rich, water. I spent one afternoon with two great anglers from our pals at Backwater angler. One of them landed this beautiful rainbow. I’m not going to lie, I haven’t hooked a rainbow all summer so I was excited but a little jealous.

A nice healthy wild rainbow
A nice healthy wild rainbow

If you’re headed out, don’t forget those midges and the fluorocarbon tippet. If you need a little more help, don’t hesitate to shoot us an e-mail. We’re happy to help and we’d love to take you and your fishing partners out on the water for the day. It’s the perfect time of year for some fishing and a streamside lunch to help you forget about that long winter we had.

Keep your tip on the water,

Micah and the Knee Deep Fly Fishing Team

Why Wets?

Micahdammeyer Big Gunpowder Falls , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
A refill for my box and enough to get me through a few days of guiding.
A refill for my box and enough to get me through a few days of guiding.

Fly selection is a funny thing. I love to share tips and swap flies in the parking lot with my pals. Sometimes, it’s the most basic flies that catch fish. I can remember fishing the Claremont Stretch with my friend John when I was a teenager and him insisting that wet flies were the ticket. Now as I spend my time on the Gunpowder, I find myself swinging wet flies more and more.

Part of why I chose wets is past performance and the other is faith in a particular pattern or two. When a method produces fish, anglers are a hard lot to change. If it worked last time in these conditions, why not this time. I often find myself starting the day with a dry-dropper combo but later swinging wets. If it keeps working, I’ll never change!

My faith in a few simple flies contributes to my style of fishing as well. I tie a few simple soft hackle and caddis patterns that I believe in. My “Fast Caddis” is a winner when swung in tandem and the simple orange or yellow bodied fly with a light colored hackle is a go-to for the sulfur hatch. I believe that having faith in the fly on the end of your line enables you to catch more fish. If you believe in that fly, you’ll work harder to present it to the fish, making sure it drifts or swings perfectly though the strike zone, and taking your time while wading and not getting distracted by “walking” during the swing or by a good cigar that’s threatening to shorten your mustache. If you think the fly will catch fish, and you give it an earnest attempt, you’ll hook up more.

Assembling a box full of tried-and-true flies that you believe in can ensure that you catch fish. Spending the day with a guide who knows the water is a great way to see what secrets are in his box. I bet you’ll be surprised at what you find in there!

Tight lines,

Micah

PS

The fishing is hot!

 

Gunpowder Falls Fishing Report

Micahdammeyer Big Gunpowder Falls, Mayflies, Spring, Trout , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Training Knee Deep Fly Fishing’s newest employee, Luke, has taken us away from posting in the last couple weeks. Who would have guessed it! We’re putting in lots of time on the water though and it’s been a great past few weeks. The fishing is finally turning up towards the surface. Caddis have been making their way to the top in waves depending on the conditions. Pack a lunch and plan to fish all day if you’re headed out. There will be lulls in the action but when the switch flips, the bugs hit the surface and the fish begin feeding again.  Last week’s outings saw fish on a mixed bag of surface and sub-surface caddis patterns.   

Adam lands a beautiful brown fishing sub-surface caddis last week. Thanks for fishing with Knee Deep, Adam!

There are still hendricksons emerging as well as a few sulfurs. The sulfur hatch should start to take off a bit more as the days go by. I’m excited about hitting the water this weekend and in the coming week and am hoping to get some late evening time in on those spinner falls. Give Knee Deep a call (202-681-8765) and we’ll help you put the right flies over fish!