First Fishing Adventure of 2011...Gunpowder Falls, MD

So I decided not to waste another weekend of decent weather on sitting around and simply tying flies (along with my "Honey-Do" list) by heading up to a fairly close fly fishing spot up in Northern Maryland, Gunpowder Falls. This spot is notoriously a Blue Ribbon trout stream and has a great stocking program backed by the Maryland State Department of Natural Resources. The trip took about an hour from Annapolis to the fly shop up there in Sparks, MD called Great Feathers. One of the guys in the shop was telling me the fish were there but since the river was so low (odd for this time of year), you needed about a 12 foot leader/tippet and they were hitting San Juan Worms and Green Weenies. Its an awesome little fly shop tucked away on the hilly roads with an amazing selection of just about everything from flies to books to gear. My first stop was where the Gunpowder River meets Bunker Hill Road. I didn't see many fish here but it is an extremely ideal area for them with plenty of holes, man-made dams, and rocks for the fish to sit behind and feed.  Here's some pictures of this stop (click them for a larger view):

After getting over the great feeling of letting the fly hit the water for the first time in 2011 and no luck with fish, I decided to hit up spot number two. SIDE NOTE: All of these spots conveniently have not only parking areas but "Wader Wash" stations that allow you to rid your gear of Didymo.

This next spot was right off of Masemore Rd. and was more beautiful than the last with great holes and runs along with a beautiful landscape.

I saw more fish here but again, no luck after about an hour and a half, so I decided to move on. The next spot, right off of Falls Rd. was, just like the last, prettier than the previous spot, and had more fish. I hooked up on a Brownie on a Brown Wooly Bugger but lost him when he went into a death roll...

Anywho, after watching a few other fish chase my flies with no luck, I decided to move on to my last planned spot, right off of York Rd. and near where I-83 goes over the river as well (which means its a little bit noisier). Didn't see as many fish here but, did finally get one, the fish that made the trip totally worth it! I hooked up on her with a Green Weenie (that I got out of 3 different trees, less area to cast due to low lying trees and bushes) right in a nice run along the bridge. So that's my first fish and first trip of 2011, first of MANY!

Fish Caught

1. Brown Trout ~ 11"

Tight Lines...Morgan