Newest Report from Backwater Angler

On opening day for the Orioles, Hendricksons and Olives are the Twins that are creating quite a stir along the Gunpowder River. The Gunpowder River is flowing at a near perfect 94 CFs, is clear and 54 F. Die-hard nymph fisherman are still beyond frustrated with the Didymo that continues to foul their rigs. Long leaders in the 6x to 7x range have been necessary to trick midging fish in the mirror smooth flats between Masemore and Falls Rd. Downstream of the gas line, the lower river was recently stocked with hatchery rainbows and it has been easy enough to fool these bright fish with streamers and heavily weighted nymphs. Thanks to Mike Colegrove for the great shot of Josh Reider’s favorite Scott G2 with a Hendrickson checking out one of Mike Bachkosky’s Catskill Style Red Quill patterns.

Gametime is 3:05 PM and Weekend Hours are:
Friday: 10 till 6 PM
Saturday:10 till 4 PM
Sunday: Closed
Monday:10 till 6 PM

Boom...Morgan

Fishing Report: Waterworks Park is BACK!

Many of you may remember Waterworks Park (the old Annapolis Reservoir) from last Sept-November while the last permits were valid. The City of Annapolis decided to once again open up Waterworks for March-May, perfect for the Spring bass spawn. Zach and I bought our permit in February in anticipation of the opening on March 1st. The City changed the rules a bit this Spring, for the better. They have decided to leave the park open 7a-7p every day rather than the 4p-sunset they had in the Fall. Heres the info from the site:

Waterworks Re-Opens March 1, 2012                                Waterworks Park Brochure

The Annapolis Waterworks Park is a passive recreational facility operated by the Annapolis Recreation and Parks Department. This Park is one of the few open space resources in the area which provides the public with hiking trails, as well as places to picnic and fish. There are miles of nature trails and a picnic pavilion (first-come, first-serve.)

Waterworks Park is located at 260 Defense Highway, about one mile past the Annapolis Mall. There are three fresh water fishing ponds – catch and release fishing only (the fish cannot be taken home.)

Maryland fishing licenses apply and can be purchased at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (Rowe Blvd.) in Annapolis.

PERMIT INFORMATION - entrance to the park is by permit only

The permits sold by ARPD are for access to Waterworks Park only. Due to the Park’s ecological sensitivity and limited parking, all visitors are required to obtain a permit to use the park. Permits are issued to City of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County residents only. Valid identification must be provided prior to the issuance of any permit. A limited number of quarterly and monthly permits are issued beginning the 15th of the month preceding the month the permit is valid. All permits are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Permits are available for purchase from the Annapolis Recreation and Parks Department office located at the "Pip" Moyer Recreation Center at Truxutn Park, 273 Hilltop Lane in Annapolis during building hours.

Spring 2012:  the permits are sold on the 15th of the month prior to the permitted month:
• March permits on sale February 15
• April permits on sale March 15
• May permits on sale April 15

Permit Cost:Monthly (30 allotted) = City of Annapolis Resident $10 / Anne Arundel County Resident $15
Quarterly (50 allotted) = City of Annapolis Resident $30 / Anne Arundel County Resident $45

In order to prove residency, we need a copy of your driver’s license. Please remember to have your "hang tag" visible in your car while parked at the park. We also recommend having your receipt on hand while you're at Waterworks Park too as the receipt has the combination to the lock which allows you to access the park.

HOURS - park re-opens 3/1/12

7 a.m. to dusk, all seven days (Sunday-Saturday)...

A bit long winded, sorry, but you can read the rest on the site.

So far, we've been 4 times and were proud to say we are 4/4. I headed over on the opening day before sunset and had this 1.5 lb Largemouth go beast mode on a popper I picked up at Backwater Angler a few weeks ago, it was awesome.

The next trip I was able to fish with Zach the day before my birthday and pull in another 1.5 pounder on the same exact fly. It simply slayer the bass, enough said.

I decided after school the other day to give Waterworks a few casts and I was able to try out some new frog poppers. As soon as one of them hit the water in the back pond, the water started to boil. The only thing was, the fish weren't taking the fly, simply smacking it in the air with their tail... I tried to video tape it after it happened 5 times in a row but of course, they didn't do it again. I tossed on a Clouser Minnow that I had rigged up with a spinner and as soon as I started to strip, boom. There was a green flash, about 5 yards of line taken and next thing you know, I had this beautiful 16-17" Pickerel in my hands.

Zach went over yesterday for a few casts and ended up nailing this 23.5" Pickerel and helped a guy land this bass we estimate to be around 6 lbs.

Needless to say, the pre-spawn has started and the bass, Pickerel, and even Bluegill are going nuts. Keep and eye on our Instagram, Facebook page, and the blog for new reports from Waterworks as we will be fishing it often.

 Boom...Morgan

Birthday Gunpowder Trip

So we hit the Gunpowder yesterday, my birthday. Best trip of the year so far, huge fish (by Maryland standards), and a trout made the day one of the most memorable days of my life. Thanks goes out to Zach for helping me get my fish, Josh over at Backwater Angler for sending us to the right spot, and my wife for letting me fish for 9 hours straight! Heres a preview of the stream report to come!

 Boom...Morgan

Stream Report via BA

So the one weekend we decide to go fish new water this happens...

Via Backwater Angler:

The Gunpowder River is flowing at 153 CFs, is gin clear and is 42 degrees F. This time of year, fishing to the bank with a Prince nymph is an effective way to imitate stoneflies. Before hatching, the nymphs will crawl out of the water in search of woody debris and exposed rocks along the banks. Dries like quill winged and deer hair winged stoneflies are best fished in the fastest and shallowest water one can find. Streamers have been in the mix this week. We’ve seen more fly anglers heading to Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and Belize this week than fly fishing the Gunpowder River. Based on the following stream report and photos February, while typically a challenging month, might be worth further study…

Thanks to Brett for the stream report and photos:

Theaux,
It’s hard to complain about this winter’s weather - although last Saturday was one of the exceptions to this winter’s rule of warm temperatures and sun. Despite the rain and snow we had some great fishing on nymphs and streamers. My home water of steelhead alley is typically frozen this time of year, but with the unseasonably warm winter, the streams have stayed open and the fishing has been very good there as well. Here are some highlights from the past few weeks for your blog.

Best,
Brett

Boom...Morgan

Backwater Angler's "Trout in the Classroom"

Check out this pretty rad thing that the guys at Backwater Angler have taken on through Trout Unlimited's "Trout in the Classroom" project...

Via Backwater Angler:

Last week I delivered eyed Kamloops Strain Rainbow eggs as part of Trout Unlimited’s TIC program to Bel Air High School. About 160 students will be exposed to the TIC program and the students will rear the fry, learn about basic water quality needs and release the fingerlings in the spring in regulated trout waters in the State of Maryland. The wall art adorning the halls was quite inspiring! Once the fertilized eggs hit 54 F, (approximately the same temperature as the receiving waters) they are ready to go into the brooding baskets in the TIC tanks and should hatch out in just a few days.

This project goes hand in hand with a reel we posted a few weeks ago about Trout Unlimited's project...

Trout in the Classroom — Setting Up a Trout Aquarium from Trout Unlimited on Vimeo.

Boom...Morgan

Gun Pow Pow Trip

Not so gnar gnar when it comes to catching fish...since we only had 2 bites all day. But we did have a great time trying and snapped some gnar gnar pictures. We started the day up above Falls Rd in our bread and butter section and after lunch and a quick stop in Backwater Angler, we jumped in above York Rd near the I-83 bridge. We got some dope footage too and I'll try and put it online in the next week after I edit it. Next timeGunpowder, next time. The air temp down at the water level was somewhere around 26 deg F when we first got in with no wind and sun sun sun. The water was flowing at around 250 cfs, not bad. First fish of 2012 has yet to be caught...

Boom...Morgan