  
|
        |
 Last modified by ASA: May 26, 2009. |
| Next Chapter Event: Little Patuxent/Savage Mill stream cleanup Come help us clean up along the Savage Mill section of the Little Patuxent River, a popular trout and smallmouth bass stream in Howard County. In cooperation with the Potomac-Patuxent Chapter and National TU, we will pick up trash along almost a mile of riverbank. Picnic to follow. We will provide trash bags, snacks, food and drinks. Bring gloves and waders, if you have them. Students can obtain SSL credit for this activity. Directions: From I-95, take Rt 32 East, toward Fort Meade. Exit onto Rt. 1, South. Turn right at the first traffic light, onto Howard St. Follow Howard as it bends left and becomes Baltimore Street. Turn right at the end of Baltimore St., and enter Savage Park. Bear left at the split, and park by the tennis courts. Contact Alfredo Suescum for more details. Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 7:15p David Policansky on “Adventures at Bristol Bay.” NOTE:There will be no Chapter meetings over the summer, so please plan to join us at our next meeting on the second Wednesday in October, October 14. Stay tuned to our website for upcoming activities and our slate of speakers for the coming year. Sulphurs on the Gunpowder, May 19, 2009 by Alfredo Suescum On Tuesday, May 19, 2009, Chapter members Louis Gauci, Craig Johnson, Haze McCrary, Charles Kahahawai joined NCC-TU Vice-president Alfredo Suescum on the Gunpowder to fish the evening sulphur hatch. Charles and Alfredo gathered a little intelligence by stopping in at Backwater Angler before arriving at the stream. Theaux Legardeur, Backwater's proprietor, was busy attending a steady stream of anglers, most seemingly with plans to fish that same afternoon. According to Theaux, the sulphurs were still mainly sizes 14 and 16, and came off as early as 3:30 p.m., with spinners showing around 5:00 p.m. Most of the action was in the slower riffles below and off to the sides of current tongues entering a pool. The slower pools obviously showed rises clearly. Small caddis were also making a showing. As it turned out, this information was as good as gold. After meeting at the Masemore parking lot, and sharing information, the we walked downstream to the ledge pools half-way to Bunker Hill, where we spread out, and quickly started to catch fish. The sulphurs were already quite evident, though rises were mainly from smaller, eager fish, the larger browns taking emergers underwater. Still, the small Gunpowder browns can be every bit as selective as their larger kin, and tempting them to a rise is still a challenge. As Theaux predicted, spinners and egg-bearing females become more evident around 5:00 p.m. We hop-scotched gradually upstream through the afternoon, picking up fish at regular intervals. The larger browns finally began to rise in the last half hour of daylight, as the hatch seemed to peak before shutting down suddenly with last light. At that point, the more persistent among us had traveled as far as the power lines above Masemore, and returned in the dark. In all, a successful, friendly, and beautiful day on the stream. The sulphur mayflies currently hatching on the Gunpowder are a cream, slightly orange-tinged hue with light dun wings when hatching. They darken to a rusty color with clear wings before dropping their egg sacs, and falling onto the water. The nymphs and emergers are surprisingly dark for such a light colored bug. The duns and spinners are the main event, but don't get caught without gold-ribbed hare's ears or pheasant tail nymphs. Would you like to see more outings like this? Volunteer to lead one, or other activities to keep our Chapter active. No experience required; training and guidance cheerfully provided. Please email us to sign up! |
 SO ARE OUR REPORTS!
4/1/2009 Shad Report #1 If you wish to receive our email reports on a regular basis, email the chapter with your name and address and the word "shad" in the subject line. FOR THE YEAR 2008-2009. Monitor this link for newly posted outings and other events... May 19, 2009: An Afternoon to Fish the Sulphers on the Gunpowder. Join Chapter Leaders Alfredo Suescum and Tom Mann on the Gunpowder to fish this productive hatch. The number of participants will not be limited; there is plenty of river. This will not be a teaching trip but participants will surely benefit from each other's experience from fishing together. Notify Alfredo if you are interested in going and he will provide further details when the date is determined. Saturday, June 13, 2009: A TU Stream Clean Up; Little Patuxent rIVER. This is good way to become familiar with one of our local trout/smallmouth streams. Stay tuned for stream designation and meeting place details. To volunteer, please contact Alfredo Suescum (SEE OPPOSITE COLUMN TOP FOR DETAILS.) |
 NCC-TU members are active throughout the region in many conservation and education projects. These include habitat conservation and restoration, summer youth conservation camps, integrating fly-fishing and tying into the therapeutic programs of recovering wounded military personnel, and other projects. Your participation and support of conservation and education are welcomed at both the local and national levels. To join us, click here. |
With thanks to Richard Bernabe for various photos throughout the website: © 2009 RichardBernabe.com Privacy Statement |