Friends of Big Hunting Creek

09/21/2014

STREAM UPDATE (9/21/14);

Big Hunting Creek is still extremely low and clear this week. Although fishing pressure is still way off, it's starting to increase with the arrival of cooler weather as Fall approaches. Surface temperatures today were in the mid 60s.

In spite of the low, clear water I could see fish rising in the Joe Brooks pool as I was changing boot stations today. From the location of the rises and the lack of insect activity, I'd say they were probably feeding on ants. Other terrestrials should work now, too. There were reports from this weekend of anglers having success on Elk Hair Caddis, also. The upper stretches produced mostly stocked Rainbows, and wild Browns made up most of the reported catches in the lower stretches of the stream.

The culvert wing that sheared off and dropped into the Pipe Hole last year, below Catoctin Hollow Road, was slated to be addressed in August, and appears to have been removed. Nothing has been done with replacing the wing wall at this point, accept stabilizing the bank with stone. There were fish rising in that pool as well today.

07/28/2014

Just back from 2 weeks hiking in New Mexico. There will be a new update by mid week.

07/11/2014

STREAM REPORT (07/11/14);

Sporadic showers this week did nothing to help the water flow on Big Hunting Creek. The stream is still running low and clear. Air temperatures were in the mid 70's today, and the water temperature was surprisingly in the mid 60's. Water conditions have made fishing more difficult, but everyone giving us feedback on their trip to the creek has reported catching at least a couple of trout. The fish are in a common Summer pattern. I saw fish holding in the shallow riffles below the pools. This water is cooler and more well oxygenated. Fish lying here are less spooky, too, I believe because the surface of the water is broken up giving them a feeling of being hidden. They're also holding in feeding stations at the tail outs of the pools. I saw a number of fish rising, with no visible hatches in progress. I would presume they were feeding on terrestrials; ants probably from the locations of their rises. Anglers reporting success on the stream were using a variety of terrestrials, Elk Hair Caddis, and Wooly Bu**ers.

06/27/2014

STREAM UPDATE (06/27/14);

Big Hunting Creek is in great shape right now. There is a good flow of water and it has just a touch of tanic stain to the color. The air temperature Thursday afternoon was in the low 80s and water temps were in the upper 60s. There doesn't appear to have been much pressure on the stream in recent weeks and fishing reports are few and far between. Joe G. has been fishing the stream 2 to 3 times a week and while he hasn't had to hide behind the trees while changing flies to keep the fish off, he has reported decent fishing in the middle stretches of stream. The lower portion of the creek seems to have gotten the most pressure lately. High water a few weeks ago allowed a few fish from the lake to escape over the spillway, so bluegills are showing up in the few catch reports we've gotten.

Thursday's trip to BHC was a little disheartening, as there was a dead brown trout reported in one of our journals. This combined with the artificial spinners I found might indicate that someone has been poaching the stream again. If you see suspicious activity you can call either Park to report it. If you're into technology more than I am, John Mullican from Maryland Fisheries told me at an earlier meeting that they have an app for your smart phone that you can use to report a violation directly to DNR Police. I guess as disturbing as anything was finding someones spent leaders tucked behind our boot wash station for us to clean up rather than take them out themselves. Guess they were just too heavy! I expected better from a fly fisherman.

On the positive side, the log jam upstream of the Camp Peniel Bridge has been cleared. The stream can flow naturally through that area again, and the risk of further complications has been removed.

06/12/2014

STREAM UPDATE (06/12/14);

It was a humid, damp, drizzly day on the stream today, and that kept fishing pressure way down. The one angler I did talk to, fishing just below the Camp Peniel Bridge, said they had caught a few small fish but it had been a little slow. Frequent rain over the last week has kept Big Hunting Creek running flush. Water temperatures today were in the mid 60s. Fishing has been hot and heavy (between rains) according to reports left for us in the streamside journals. Lots of wild Browns reported in the lower stretches of stream and plenty of stocked 'Bows with some wild Browns mixed in, in the upper portions. Even with the creek running full it was fishable today. Just the kind of water I like to fish streamers in. Wooly Bu**ers are popular all over the area, and I like to fish small Clouser Minnows. On heavily pressured streams like BHC I find it helps to fish a fly no one else uses, so don't be afraid to experiment with different patterns. Most anglers reporting in caught their fish on Elk Hair Caddis or small to mid-sized nymphs or a combination of the two fished on a dropper system.

06/05/2014

DEBRIS LEFT BEHIND FROM THE HIGH WATER SEVERAL WEEKS AGO. UPSTREAM OF THE CAMP PENIEL BRIDGE.

06/05/2014

STREAM REPORT (06/05/14);

At mid-week the stream was running full due to recent rains, but fishing has remained strong. Air temperatures Thursday morning were in the mid to low 60s. Surface temperature of the water was in the upper 50s to low 60s. Reports indicate plenty of fish, both stocked and wild, being caught throughout the creek. One angler fishing the lower section reported tremendous numbers of wild Brown Trout. Another fisherman in the upper stretches claimed a mixed catch of plenty of stocked Rainbows and a large number of wild Browns. Dave Myers and Bruce Shepherd, a couple of our support banquet crew from Virginia, had a good day this week fishing in the Camp Peniel area. They had a mixed bag of wild Browns and a few stocked Rainbows thrown in. One of our BHC regulars who signs the journals as Joe G. reported lots of nice sized Rainbows in the upper runs. Elk Hair Caddis was the most frequently reported fly of choice. Beetles, Parachute Adams, and Pheasant Tail nymphs also produced fish this week. The weather was drizzly on Thursday morning so there was no sign of hatch activity.

05/26/2014

STREAM UPDATE (5/26/14):

Memorial Day weekend was busy on Big Hunting Creek. There is still plenty of water in the stream, and plenty of fish to go along with it. The high water left some damage behind. There is a massive log jam now on the upstream side of the Camp Peniel Bridge. We lost one boot wash station completely (I found remnants of it a half mile down stream from where it was positioned) and another needs a bucket replacement. The fish are doing well, though. Plenty of fish are being reported on a variety of flies. People are still catching fish on small nymphs, and a host of dry flies at this time. In the next several weeks we should see some small yellow Stoneflies emerging. We're getting close to terrestrial season as well. For the next couple of months you should be able to take fish on Beetles and Ants, as well as a variety of general imitator dry flies like the Adams. I also like Light Cahills and Elk Hair Caddis this time of year. Streamers like the Wooly Bu**er, and small Clouser Minnows will work, also. When the weather gets too hot, I like to fish subsurface with streamers and nymphs. The trout seem to opt for minimal movement to take something drifting nearby vs. rising to the surface for a meal. The last stocking contained some nice size Rainbows, and there has been no shortage of Brown Trout appearing as well.

05/17/2014

THE BRIGHT SIDE OF HIGH WATER THIS WEEKEND!;

There is a silver lining to this weekends flood conditions on Big Hunting Creek. This kind of "scouring" water flow will dislodge and wash out any Didymo in the stream. Since this is the end of the potential bloom season for Didymo, it's less likely to take hold in Big Hunting Creek again this year. It's still possible to infect the stream throughout the year, but this was a boost to our efforts to protect the stream. Stay vigilant and continue to clean your equipment before and after every trip.

05/16/2014

This is Big Hunting Creek on 5/16/14 in the Canyon area ...... I think!

Big hunting creek

05/16/2014

Big Hunting Creek at the Falls

05/16/2014

STREAM ALERT!!!!

On Friday morning (5/16/14) Big Hunting Creek was out of it's banks. Frank Bentz pond had spilled out onto Route 77 closing off the road. Catoctin Mountain Park personnel told me they've never seen the stream this high. There should be pictures posted on their page. This weekend might not be a good time to fish BHC.