Morgan Run Outing

[J. Rentch]

Several members of the Free State Fly Fishers Club met at Morgan Run Boulders parking lot (near Eldersburg, MD.) yesterday for an instructional day of trout fishing. A short presentation by club member Duber Winters on the different techniques for fly fishing for trout was given.
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After the demonstration, the group split-some walking upstream, some downstream. Here is club member Frank Browne working an area near the parking lot.
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After a failed attempt at the upstream area, I tried the downstream area with better results. Throwing a Mop Fly on my 4wt, I landed my first Rainbow Trout.
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Had a great time, but need to select my fishing areas better- not young enough for all the rock climbing and steep paths anymore-give me the flat easy walking areas.

Thanks Duber for this first time experience!

[DanMarino]

Nice! That flow is on my list of fishing destinations that I might hit this year.

[J. Rentch]

Downstream is an easier path, unless you are a mountain goat!

[Mark]

Good for you John.

Trying to catch those stocked trout has always been a challenge for me. I'm the epitome of lousy when it comes to trout fishing. Plus, as you pointed out, getting to them is not easy. If all trout anglers were like me, the state could raise and release far fewer of them!

You did well.

[bignose]

Morgan Run was my favorite Trout stream, back in my fly fishing, trout obsessed, days.

I guess that I qualify as a mountain goat, (we're talking about 30+ years ago, these days I'm more of an "Old Goat"), but I delighted in the hike upstream. I managed to get all the way up to the Jim Bowers area a couple of miles upstream, many times. There is a significant terrain change towards that area. I fished there all the way from Route 97 down to where it hits Liberty Reservoir. Back then, I could spend 8+ hours along a stream..........

I once spent an hour trying to get a very large, finicky rainbow, that was in a difficult lie up in the boulder area, right where the stream makes a sharp bend, to finally it hit a size 20 black ant, after a bunch of false rises and misses. It involved an awkward wade and several fly changes, before I got lucky.
I don't have that sort of concentration anymore.

And I had one of my epic early season, "fell in the stream" moments there.
I was down stream about 1/4 mile below the Klee Mill bridge. I was a poor teacher, and was wearing el cheapo K-mart rubber soled hip boots.

While standing on a wet rock concentrating on my casting, the local DNR Officer, approached me from the high bank behind me. He called: "Hey, you."
I turned, and slipped, ending up waist deep in 38 degree water!

As I got out, he was very apologetic, but trying hard not to laugh!
I shouted over my shoulder that if he wanted to see my license he would have to follow me back to my car. .

I quickly made my way back upstream to my car, as fast as I could go with boots full of ice water, where I stripped down bare assed naked, fortunately having a change of clothes in the car.

[Mark]

That's funny Stu.

I think you've convinced me to stay seated in my kayak as I fly fish.

I certainly could not get the heavy tippets I use for pickerel through the eye of the hook of that size 20 ant. In fact, I may not be able to see the ant!

[bignose]

3 feet of 7 x tippet, about 2.5 pound test, and .004", knotted to a 9 foot tapered leader.
There was a tiny black stone fly hatch and the ant was the closest thing I had that sorta matched the hatch.

The kind of leaders we routinely use in tidal water feels like a hawser rope by comparison.

Hard to believe that I could actually tie something that small, let alone attach it to a leader

These days I get eyestrain tying and assembling my spinner jigs that use a size #1 hook.

[J. Rentch]

Stu,
Funny story, BTY- the water temp had to be 35-40, it was cold. As for your tippet and hook tying, I might have to hire someone with better eyes than mine to deal with them.

[bignose]

Tying a 7 x tippet?
That's the difference between being 29 and 69!

Still easier than trying to replace a customer's leader on the charter boat in 3 foot waves!

[Mark]

Ha ha...I use industrial strength fly leaders in my kayak. Forget the X. Butt sections are 50 to 40 to 30 lb. test mono with tippets of 10 or 20 lb. mono. Like you said, a hawser rope. But they turn big flies over and the fish we chase in a kayak are not leader shy in the slightest.