Washington County, Maryland,
March 13, 2009
The weather was overcast with a
possibility of rain in the afternoon so I decided to
try my luck at Beaver Creek. I got there early and had
the place to myself.
I began by tying on a streamer and on my second cast to a
pocket just off the main flow I got a strike. The fish
rolled on the surface and I saw it was a decent brown
trout. The fish and I pulled back and forth for awhile but
he managed to throw the hook by running at me, creating
more slack in the line than I was able to strip in to keep
tight. I sucked.
I continued to work upstream and back downstream but the
action was slow. About two hours went by before I noticed
some fish rising. I put on a size 16 CDC Pale Morning Dun
got another strike, this time a rainbow. This fish was full
of fight and he zipped up and down the stream before
breaking me off on a sunken branch. Frustration.
That turned out to be the extent of the action for the day.
In the afternoon the clouds rolled in and the fishing
turned off. One of the more remarkable things I saw today
was a huge cloud of crows, raising a racket and flying from
tree to tree. They also dropped down to the creek to drink
and it was quite a sight to see hundreds of birds hopping
about on the bank and in the shallows.
EQUIPMENT:
I used 9' 6-weight rod and an
assortment of nymphs and streamers.
DIRECTIONS:
From I-70 heading towards
Hagerstown, take Exit 66 (Boonsboro) and turn left at
bottom of ramp onto Mapleville Road (66). Continue down 66
and turn right onto Beaver Creek Road. About 100 yards past
Beaver Creek Church Road on your right is the fly fishing
parking lot. Follow the signs and instructions.