Catoctin and Middle Creek, Frederick County, MD, 03/02/2019

[3wt7X]

Time fished: 0900 am- 0330 pm

Weather: Mostly cloudy day. It cleared a bit in the early afternoon with some periods of sunshine. Temperatures in the upper 30s rising to the mid 40s.

Water: Strong flow and good clarity. Very cold due to the run off from the mountains.

Hatches: Some midges in the afternoon. I saw one riser all day. It came up in the slack water on Catoctin Creek in the afternoon.

Results: I have not fished the put and take and delayed harvest stretches of these streams in a number of years. My good friend from Quantico came up with some other guys from college. With all the high water and variable weather conditions in western MD. We kept it close and explored Frederick County a bit. We mostly fished tandem nymph rigs with steady results all day on relatively fresh stocked fish and maybe a hold over or two. Best flies were san juan worms, Frenchie nymphs with pink and orange collars and rubber leg stones. We had some success on buggers as well, but the water was a bit too cold, so there were more follows than takes on the streamers. Highlight of the day was a 20 inch rainbow taken on a Frenchie. Very fat fish with great color. Great late winter day with some new and old friends!!!

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Very nice.

 

[Dave_W]

Some very nice fish!

 

[DaveKile]

Very nice and thanks for sharing.

 

[sarce]

Do my eyes deceive me or is that second rainbow a wild fish??? Nicely done either way.

I tried upper part of Middle Creek in the summer a few years ago. Steep gorge section. Despite some great looking water, I didn't catch any trout. There are rumored to be a few wild browns in there somewhere.

 

[3wt7X]

I doubt it on the wild rainbow question. That fish came from Catoctin Creek, down by the nature center. I would imagine that is pretty far from a sustainable wild trout area. They stocked a good number in both streams in the prior weeks. They did a great job rearing those fish as well. Very healthy looking, strong fighters. Not the typical mush trout that usual come out of stocking trucks. Could likely be a high holdover rate from the fall with all the water we had.

 

[redietz]

3wt7X wrote:
I doubt it on the wild rainbow question. That fish came from Catoctin Creek, down by the nature center. I would imagine that is pretty far from a sustainable wild trout area.

Good smallmouth water, though.

They stocked a good number in both streams in the prior weeks. They did a great job rearing those fish as well. Very healthy looking, strong fighters. Not the typical mush trout that usual come out of stocking trucks.

I don't know what's changed, but the 'bows Maryland has stocked the last couple of years seem to be much healthier fish than in the past. I've noticed it in Morgan Run.

 

[sarce]

Thanks for the reply. That's about the best looking stocked rainbow I've seen.