Beaver Creek (Washington County)

Beaver Creek, southwest of Hagerstown in Washington County, is Maryland's largest limestone spring creek: it rises cold from underground caverns below South Mountain and holds a naturally reproducing population of brown trout. DNR calls it a unique and challenging fishery. The fly-fishing-only, catch-and-release water runs from Black Rock Creek down to the Route 40 bridge, and all brown trout must be released from the state hatchery down to Antietam Creek. Below Route 40 the creek turns into more of a freestone stream stocked with rainbows.

When to fish

• All year: spring-fed water stays cool, so the wild browns can be fished in any season.
• Summer and fall: terrestrial season; the Fish & Hunt Maryland guide quotes the old rule "ants and rainbows, beetles and browns."

Where to fish

• Below the Albert Powell hatchery and I-70 down to Route 40: the wild brown trout water.
• Below Route 40: freestone water with stocked rainbow trout, where browns must still be released down to Antietam Creek.

How to fish it

Beaver Creek rewards a careful approach. The trail guide recommends a 4 or 5 weight rod with long leaders, 5X or finer tippet and small flies. Scuds and cress bugs work much of the time, along with tiny midge-cluster dries, small parachute Adams, blue-winged olives and caddis. In summer and fall, fish ants and beetles on the surface, or strip small streamers and woolly buggers below it. Wading gives the best fishing, though there are spots to fish from the bank.

Getting there

From I-70, take Route 66 (Mapleville Road) south and turn onto Beaver Creek Road. Park along Country Store Lane and Black Rock Road, or at the small DNR lot on Beaver Creek Church Road. In the special area you may use only flies and fly tackle with barbless hooks, and you can't keep trout. You need a Maryland nontidal fishing license and a trout stamp.