Maryland Fly Fishing

Maryland has been the home of many great fly fishermen – Joe Brooks was born in Baltimore and Lefty Kreh wrote for The Frederick News-Post. Maryland anglers experience great saltwater fishing on the Chesapeake Bay and chase large trout in the rivers of its western corner, while Washington DC urban anglers ply the waters of the Potomac River for huge largemouth.

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The Gunpowder River

Located in Baltimore County, Gunpowder Falls is a premier trout fishery. With controlled releases from the Prettyboy Reservoir, the Gunpowder maintains an excellent year-round flow. The Gunpowder is among the few true trout rivers in the DC-MD-VA area offering a variety of water conditions from still water to riffles and rapids. Chest waders are strongly recommended. Below is a hatch chart list of recommended flies.

  • January: Woolly Buggers (8-10), Streamers (8-10), Midges (18-26)
  • February: Woolly Buggers (8-10), Streamers (8-10), Little Black Stoneflies (14-18), Midges (20-26)
  • March: Little Black Stoneflies (14-18), Wooly Buggers (8-10), Midges (20-26)
  • April: Hendrickson (12-14), Red Quill (12-14), Caddis (14-20), March Brown (12-14), Blue Quill (14-16)
  • May: Hendrickson (12-14), Red Quill (12-14), March Brown (12-14), Sulphur (16-20), Blue Winged Olive (14-18), Light Cahill (14-16)
  • June: Sulphur (18-20), Light Cahill (12-16), Blue Winged Olive (20-22), Caddis (14-20), Ants/Beetles (10-14)
  • July: Sulphur (20-22), Caddis (14-20), Ants/Beetles (10-12), Blue Winged Olive (20-22)
  • August: Caddis (16-20), Ants/Beetles (12-16), Hoppers (10-14), Blue Winged Olive (20-22)
  • September: Caddis (16-20), Nymphs (14-18), Ants/Beetles (12-14), Hoppers (8-12), Woolly Buggers (8-10), Blue Winged Olive (20-22)
  • October: Caddis (16-20), Woolly Buggers (8-10), Streamers (8-10), Ants/Beetles (8-12)
  • November-December: Blue Winged Olive (20-22), Woolly Buggers (8-10), Streamers (8-10)

Big Hunting Creek:

Located in the Catoctin Mountain State Park, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources maintains the stream as a Catch-and-Release fly-fishing only area. Easy road side access and 16-20 inch trout make this stream extremely popular. This is a small stream ranging from 15-30 feet across and not more than a foot or two in depth in most places, and hip waders are recommended. Below is a hatch chart list for Big Hunting Creek.

  • December-January: Woolly Buggers (6-10), Sculpins (6-10), Nymphs (14-18)
  • February:Woolly Buggers (8-10), Sculpins (8-10), Nymphs (14-18), Stoneflies (16-18)
  • March:Woolly Buggers (8-10), Stoneflies (16-18), Quill Gordons (14-16), Nymphs (14-16)
  • April:Woolly Buggers (6-12), Blue Quill (16-18), Hendrickson (12-14), March Brown (12-14), Nymphs (14-16)
  • May:Green Drake (12-14), Blue Quill (16-18), Light Cahill (16-18), Nymphs (14-18)
  • June:Sulphur (16-18), Light Cahill (16-18), Trico (20-24), Caddis (14-20)
  • July:Caddis (16-18), Nymphs (14-18), Ants/Beetles (12-16), Hoppers (10-12)
  • August:Caddis (16-20), Nymphs (14-18), Ants/Beetles (12-14), Hoppers (10-12)
  • September:Caddis (16-20), Nymphs (14-18), Ants/Beetles (12-14), Hoppers (10-12), Woolly Buggers (8-10)
  • October:Caddis (16-20), Nymphs (16-18), Woolly Buggers (8-10), Streamers (8-10)
  • November-December: Nymphs (16-18), Stoneflies (18-20), Woolly Buggers (8-10), Streamers (8-10), Sculpins (6-10)

Savage River:

Located in Garrett County, the Savage River maintains a constant year round flow with controlled releases from the Savage River Reservoir. The Savage River is the premier trout fishery in Western Maryland and offers all the characteristics of a large river. Due to occasional large releases for recreational kayakers, fly-fishermen should acquaint themselves with any scheduled large volume releases (information is available on the USGS website). See hatch chart list for Savage River below for suggested flies.

  • December-January: Woolly Buggers (8-10), Sculpins (6-10), Nymphs (14-18)
  • February: Woolly Buggers (8-10), Nymphs (14-18), Midges (20-26)
  • March: Stoneflies (16-18), Midges (20-26), Nymphs (12-16)
  • April: Blue Dun (12-14), Midges (20-26), Quill Gordon (12-14), Caddis (14-18), Nymphs (14-18)
  • May: Blue Dun (12-14), Midges (20-26), March Brown (12-14), Nymphs (14-18)
  • June: Green Drake (10-12), March Brown (12-14), Light Cahill (12-16), Blue Winged Olive (16-18), Caddis (12-16)
  • July: Sulphur (14-18), Caddis (14-16), Nymphs (14-18), Midges (20-24)
  • August: Caddis (14-16), Nymphs (14-18), Ants/Beetles (12-16), Midges (20-24)
  • September: Caddis (16-20), Nymphs (14-18), Ants/Beetles (12-14), Hoppers (8-12), Midges (20-24)
  • October: Caddis (16-20), Nymphs (16-18), Woolly Buggers (6-10), Midges (20-24)
  • November-December: Nymphs (16-18), Woolly Buggers (8-10), Sculpins (4-10), Midges (20-24)

Western Maryland

This area is home to the Casselman River, Youghiogheny River (the Yock), Savage River, and the North Branch of the Potomac River. These are all excellent trout streams. Some of these rivers include beautiful wild trout and trophy sections. <>/p

Maryland Fly Fishing Articles
A river in recovery
Ken Pavol and his colleagues believed the polluted North Branch of the Potomac River could be saved. So they found ways to do just that.
www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-to.potomac17oct17,0,1773015.story?coll=bal-local-columnists
Big Fish and Young Fish
Chesapeake Outdoors
http://bayweekly.com/old-site/year99/issue7_20/chesout7_20.html
Bonus Largemouths of Upper Chesapeake Bay
The North East and Elk river systems provide the ideal habitat for brackish water largemouth fishing in Maryland.
www.midatlanticgameandfish.com/at_aa030604a
Chesapeake Bay Fly Fishing
woodsandwatersmagazine.com/archives/0701_bayflyfish.htm
Cooler Weather Brings Back the Bite
Chesapeake Outdoors (1999)
www.bayweekly.com/year99/issue7_28/chesout7_28.html
Fishin Maryland
www.angelfire.com/md2/fishingmd
Fishing on the North Branch
Self-Guided Opportunities
www.dnr.state.md.us/outdooradventures/fishpotomac.html
Fishing the Potomac River in springtime: A Slumbering Giant Awakens
by Martin L. Gary Courtesy of The Maryland Natural Resource
www.hudsontrail.com/articles.php?articleid=19
Fishing The Susquehanna Flats
by John Budish
www.stripersonline.com/Pages/warrior/ww_3.shtml
Fly fishing access in Garrett county
jimsherbs.com/things_2do.htm#13
Fly Fishing the Potomac
www.hudsontrail.com/articles/index.php?articleid=19
Garrett County fly fishing
www.deepcreekinfo.com/activities_recreationactivities.asp?tab=4
Gunpowder Falls State Park
www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/central/gunpowder.html
Hot Striper Action on Chesapeake Bay
From Ocean City to the Susquehanna Flats, there’s a lot of great rockfish angling taking place right now in the Free State.
www.midatlanticgameandfish.com/at_aa060504a
Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin
ICPRB works as a regional organization to coordinate efforts across the watershed and across political bounds.
www.potomacriver.org
Is Loch Raven Maryland’s Best Bass Lake?
www.midatlanticgameandfish.com/at_aa040604a
Land-Locked Striper Facts
from Fishin Maryland
www.angelfire.com/md2/fishingmd/articles/LLstriper.html
Local Fly Patterns
from www.hudsontrail.com
www.hudsontrail.com/brochure.php?brochureid=35
Maryland Anglers Network
www.mdangler.net/
Maryland trout stocking map
www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/stocking/regionalmaps/regionalmap.html
Marylands Gunpowder River
from Trout Unlimited
www.tutv.org/1999_shows/maryland.html
North Branch of the Potomac
Success story on Maryland’s North Branch of the Potomac
www.outdoors.net/site/features/feature.aspx+Forum+FlyFishing+Article
Code+1058+V+N+SearchTerm+
North Branch of the Potomac River
Until recently, the North Branch of the Potomac was considered to be so degraded by acid mine drainage that it would never support fish populations of any kind.
www.springcreekoutfitter.com/Northbranch.htm
North Branch, a Forgotten Stretch of River
The North Branch of the Potomac River emerges from the ground as a small spring…
www.wamonline.com/summer2001/northbranch.htm
Potamac River Ecosystem
greennature.com/article1315.html
Recovery of the North Branch
PDF document details North Branchs recovery
www.wvu.edu/~agexten/landrec/PMills1.PDF
Riffle and Rise
an online flyfishing journal with info on Maryland and Northern Virginia fishing
www.riffleandrise.com/homewaters.htm
Rifflwe and Rise
an online flyfishing journal with info on Maryland and Northern Virgina fly fishing
www.riffleandrise.com/homewaters.htm
Savage River
The Savage River may be better known as the site of World Whitewater Championships and Olympic Whitewater Trials than as one of the finest trout streams in the East.
www.springcreekoutfitter.com/savage.htm
Savage River State Forest
www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/savageriver.html
Seasons of the Chesapeake
America’s largest estuary offers year-round light-tackle angling.
www.shallowwaterangler.com/features/Chesapeake_Bay_Estuary
Secrets Of The Chesapeake Bay Revealed
This is one of the most complete and comprehensive articles ever published on the strategies necessary to catch more and bigger bass on the Upper Chesapeake Bay rivers.
www.fishin.com/articles/SandKguideservice/Chesapeake%20Bay%20Bass%20
Fishing.htm
Special Trout Management Areas
www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/troutareas.html
Susquehanna River Smallmouth Bass
The Susquehanna River is one of the best smallmouth bass fisheries east of the Mississippi
flyfisherman.com/northeast/ejsusquehanna
The Secrets of Liberty Reservoirs’s Giant Stripers
from Fishin Maryland (1998)
www.angelfire.com/md2/fishingmd/liberty.html
The Upper Potomac River
Those of us who live in the Mid-Atlantic region are blessed with many great smallmouth fisheries that begin as small streams in the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains – by Barbara Fricke
www.riversmallies.com/articles_bf1.html
Top Area Striper Waters
woodsandwatersmagazine.com/articles/topstriperwaters_1004.htm
Trout Stocking Information
www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/springtroutstock.shtml
Woods and Waters Magazine
Virginia Fishing Virginia Hunting Maryland Fishing Maryland Hunting Reports
woodsandwatersmagazine.com

Maryland Fly Fishing Boat ramps
Boat Access in Maryland
mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/fish/state2.html

Maryland Fly Fishing Clubs
Free State Fly Fishers
www.geocities.com/freestateflyfishers
Patapsco Valley Chapter
webpages.comcast.net/mboenisch/pvtu.html

Maryland Fly Fishing Maps
Delayed Harvest Area Map
North Branch Potomac River Delayed Harvest Area Map
www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/maps/mapnbranch.html
Eastern Bay map
from Fishin Maryland
www.angelfire.com/md2/fishingmd/ebayweb.jpg
Morgans Run map
webpages.comcast.net/mboenisch/morgan.gif
Striper season map
www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/art/striper3.JPG

Maryland Fly Fishing Reports
Big Hunting Creek
easterntrophies.com/locationdp.php?recordID=1001
Casselman
easterntrophies.com/locationdp.php?recordID=1010
Gunpowder
easterntrophies.com/locationdp.php?recordID=1003
Gunpowder reports
from The Backwater Angler
www.backwaterangler.com/modules.php?name=News&file=categories&op=new
index&catid=3
Maryland DNR fishing report
www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fishingreport
Maryland DNR freshwater reports
www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fishingreport/freshwater.html
Maryland Fisheries Service Fishing Report
Fishing Report Overview
www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fishingreport
MD Saltwater Reports
www.beach-net.com/Fishinghome.html
North Branch of the Potomac
easterntrophies.com/locationdp.php?recordID=1005
old Gun Powder Reports
old Gun Powder Reports by local guide
www.onthefly.com
Reports from the DNR
www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fishingreport

Maryland Stream Flows
Savage River Stream Flow
Real-time data for USGS 01597500 SAVAGE RIV BL SAVAGE RIV DAM NEAR BLOOMINGTON, MD
waterdata.usgs.gov/md/nwis/uv/?site_no=01597500
Maryland tide charts
www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/access/tide_finder.html

Maryland Fly Fishing Forums

The Maryland Anglers Network
pub33.bravenet.com/forum/show.php?usernum=2833284587
Chesapeake Bay Fishing – StripersOnline SurfTalk
www.stripersonline.com/ubb547/ultimatebb.php/forum/18.html

Maryland Fly Fishing Shops

Great Feathers
14824 York Road, Sparks, Maryland; 410-472-6799
www.greatfeathers.com/
The Lonely Angler
P.O. Box 3112, Silver Spring, MD, 20918; 781-572-0921
www.lonelyangler.com/index.php
Backwater Angler
538 Monkton Rd. Monkton, Md 21111; 410-329-6821
www.backwaterangler.com
Hunting Creek Outfitters
29 North Market Street, Frederick, Maryland 21701; 301-668-4333
www.huntingcreekoutfitters.com

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