Gunpowder Falls (Prettyboy Dam to Loch Raven)

Gunpowder Falls below Prettyboy Reservoir, in northern Baltimore County, is one of the best trout streams in the East and less than an hour from Baltimore. Since 1986, when Trout Unlimited and the state secured year-round cold releases from the bottom of the reservoir, wild brown trout have taken off; DNR calls it a blue-ribbon stream and finds very high numbers of trout, mostly 8 to 9 inches, with some browns of 24 to 30 inches in the deepest pools. About 17 miles of the river between Prettyboy and Loch Raven are public, most of it in Gunpowder Falls State Park.

When to fish

• All year: releases from the depths of Prettyboy usually stay under 55 degrees, so the tailwater fishes in every season. DNR lists it among favored winter fly-fishing spots.
• Early spring: black stoneflies hatch and trout look up for dry flies.
• Spring: caddis and mayfly hatches; the lower put-and-take water is stocked in spring and fall (in dry years DNR may move the stocking when flows are too low).
• Summer: low, clear water and wary browns make for finesse fishing; terrestrials come into play.

Where to fish

• The catch-and-return area, Prettyboy Dam to Bluemount Road: the famous wild-trout water, for artificial lures and flies only. Access from the lots at Falls Road, Masemore Road, Bunker Hill Road, the Hereford Area on York Road and Big Falls Road, then wade up and down.
• The middle wild-trout area: not stocked; a small daily harvest and bait are allowed.
• The lower put-and-take area above Loch Raven: stocked with adult rainbows in spring and fall.
• Riffles and deep pools: feeding trout sit below riffles, and the biggest browns hide in deep pools among the rock outcrops and boulders.

How to fish it

The Fish & Hunt Maryland guide recommends a light 4 or 5 weight rod with long leaders and 4X to 5X tippet. Carry caddis and mayfly dries for spring, midges for any month, and ants, beetles, crickets and inchworms for summer, plus bead-head nymphs, caddis larvae, streamers and woolly buggers. DNR notes the wild browns are always challenging, especially at summer's low flows, so fish fine and approach carefully.

Getting there

From I-83, take the Mount Carmel Road exit for Masemore Road, Bunker Hill Road and York Road, or the Middletown Road exit for Falls Road; each crossing has a dirt or gravel lot. In the catch-and-return area, use artificial lures or flies with barbless hooks and release every trout; brook trout must be released everywhere. You need a Maryland nontidal fishing license and a trout stamp.