Gunpowder Stream Report and Great Feathers Fly Shop Blog

Fishing has been really productive this week. The fish are active, the weather is prime, and the parking lots have been empty! Nymphing midge pupae has been the ticket underneath lead flies such as pheasant tails, caddis, and hare's ears, while rises have been consistent on Griffiths Gnats and small midge patterns. The flows haven't budged except during rain, but on the bright side, a lot of the leaves being snagged on drifts the last few weeks are far downstream and getting fewer. This is the time of year that slips by so quick, the next thing you know you are shoveling snow and dreaming of soft surface takes. So Carpe diem!

No flows? No problem! The fish are still there and you should be too. The Parkton guage is reading 35 CFS and Glencoe is at 76 CFS so get out the 12 ft leaders, flip focals, and 7x tippet. Midges are coming off all day with small caddis hatching intermittently as well. You will find most fish rising through the afternoon to these small and emerging bugs. We have been receiving good reports on griffith’s gnats, renegades, small soft hackles and CDC caddis.
Don’t have the time or dexterity to mess with miniscule flies? Give the lower river a try. Although the hatches are sparse, the fish are less pressured and more inclined to take a bigger or flashier fly. Don’t be deterred from fishing in the rain either. Even a little bump in the flows will improve the fishing dramatically.
While fishing please keep in mind this is the time of year our beloved Gunpowder browns are pairing up, clearing gravel and beginning to spawn. Keep an extra eye out while wading for spawning redds and let the fish do their business. You could be smothering a trophy brown before it leaves the egg!