We met on the banks of the Gunpowder River at Masemore parking lot at 7 am for the 8th annual “One Fly” contest. Same rules as always, designate a fly, lose it and you’re done, whoever catches the most inches of trout on his or her fly in the time allotted, which was 7 am to 12 pm this year, would win bragging rights for the entire next year.
This year’s contestants and their chosen fly were; Ken Bowyer #18 Trico Cluster, Carl Smolka #16 Pink Lady, Jacob Cloyd #14 beetle, Lou Reichel #22 Midge Emerger, Art Friedlander #16 Prince Nymph, Will Amland # 14 Wooly Bugger, Dave Simms #16 Prince Nymph, Bob O’Donnell #16 Mike’s Honey Rat, & myself #14 Beetle. As you can see we had a very good turnout.
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It was a beautiful day, overcast, cool, foliage slightly yellowing with just a touch of autumn. I think it might have been Art who said the Gunpowder is a gem, and she was really sparkling on Saturday. Fall is a great time to just be out, and Jake and I watched squirrels reverently working the hickory trees. Those trees close to the bank dropped cut nuts right into good water we were trying to fish, while I wondered if the fish normalize to all that blooshing as they hit the water.
At 30cfs The Gunpowder is low, which makes for walking up river easy, and even with those low flows there was still lots good pocket water, with plenty of riffles in between. Throughout the morning I saw a few flies, the same ones the others reported seeing I think. Some kind of brownish mayfly in #16-#14, some light tan caddis in about#16, and maybe some micro BWO’s, but what I didn’t see were any Tricos. The fishing was slow, Jake and I never saw a rise all morning, nor did we raise any fish to our beetles. Others reported pretty much the same.
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The only notable reports were Art hooked a couple on his Prince Nymph but didn’t get them to hand. And, the only fish landed on the designated fly were the two Lou Reichel got on his #22 Midge Emerger for a total of 17 inches. Atta Boy Lou!!
So let it be known to all fly fishers near and far, that Lou Reichel has won the undisputed right to brag about his fishing for the entire coming year!
Dennis Covert
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