Backwater Angler

Backwater Angler is a fly shop on York Road in Monkton, Maryland, minutes from the Gunpowder, and the river is the reason it exists. The shop describes the Gunpowder as a Baltimore County tailwater fed by cold water drawn through Prettyboy Dam, carrying a stream bred population of wild brown trout across roughly eighteen miles below the dam. Guided days are wade trips on the Gunpowder and come in two lengths: a four hour half day at 300 dollars for one angler or 350 dollars for two, and a six hour full day at 350 dollars for one or 400 dollars for two. Instruction carries real weight in how the service is described, with newcomers started in a meadow overlooking the river before they fish it. Gift certificates for guided days are sold through the shop, which also posts frequent Gunpowder stream reports giving flow readings and current conditions.