Beaver Creek in Washington County, Maryland, was a spring creek that was in serious decline due to farm runoff, bank erosion and general neglect. However through the efforts of individuals and the local Trout Unlimited chapter sections of upper and middle Beaver Creek have been rehabilitated. Stream channel modifications have restored the creek to a more natural configuration while extensive planting of native trees, shrubs and wildflowers have stabilized the stream banks. Most of this work was carried out by the Maryland Department of the Environment, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Mid Atlantic Federation of Fly Fishers and the Antietam Fly Anglers.
EQUIPMENT: Use a 8 to 8'-6" 3 or 4-weight rod with floating line and an assortment of dries and nymphs. Later in the year use ants and beetles or a size 6 or 8 wooly bugger in brown or black.
DIRECTIONS: From I-70 heading towards Hagerstown, take Exit 66 (Boonsboro) and turn left at bottom of ramp. Continue down the road and turn right onto Beaver Creek Road, it's a small street sign as you enter a residential area so slow down and look carefully. Make a right turn at Beaver Creek Church Rd., follow the narrow road that will bear right across a one-lane bridge. Turn left and 100 yards up the road on your right will be the parking lot for the upper section of the creek which is fly fishing only. Gear up, cross the road, unchain the gate to enter and please replace the chain on the gate when you pass through. Respect the private property signs and please don't stomp on any new stream planting.
June 1, 2007
A report from Jin
I went up to fish Beaver Creek with Bert at the catch and release section, the same place where we fished earlier in the year. Bert got a 3-inch trout and that was pretty much it for both of us for the day. We got a ton of hits from small fish but nothing substantial.
I'm starting to think the fish are holding elsewhere on this stream. Flow was very low, half of what it's been from couple years ago. In my opinion, all the stream work has taken a perfectly fine stream and just messed it up.
March 9, 2007
After a week I hoped the water had subsided enough to fish the creek. When I got there the water was still a bit high and discolored. And with the higher temperatures I also had to contend with snow melt which was adding to the water level as the day went on. To make things short, there was no action. I fished nymphs, streamers and even threw some dries when I saw afternoon insect action. No luck.
March 2, 2007
Rained out! Heavy rains in our area caused the streams to overflow throughout the region. I reached the old wooden bridge but could not drive across...it was underwater!
January 27, 2007
The sun was out, the sky was clear and it was warming up fast! I threw my stuff into the car and drove down to Beaver Creek for an afternoon of fishing. But so did a lot of other people.
I followed the trail and passed an old stone structure that had partially collapsed into the stream. Directly in front of the building there was a dam (beavers?) spanning the width of the water. I don't know how long the dam was there but it probably prevents fish from getting further downstream unless they manage to make it through the maze of logs, sticks and stream trash. About 20 yards downstream there are some nice riffles and fast moving water but the stream flattens out again and the flow moves very slow. There were two fisher-folks working the area further downstream so I stopped and started to fish here using nymphs and weight to get down deep in the fast water.
It took me two hours to fish back up to the second bridge near the farm. Along the way I used numerous flies...dries, various nymphs and streamers depending on the water conditions and insect activity in the area I was fishing. I met another angler just past the bridge and he told me he caught three trout but they were very small (about 4 inches). I moved past him and began fishing the second section of fast water.
For the next 45 minutes I fished deep using various sizes of nymphs (#16-#20) and was rewarded with a sight of a trout launching itself out of the water to hit the strike indicator! A few minutes later there were trout jumping at insects hovering over the edges of the fast water so I switched to throwing dries. I had one fish come up fast on the fly but refused at the last second. After a few more casts the action slowed considerably as the sun went down behind the trees. Another angler showed up and told me he had luck using shrimp (scud?) in natural colors and a black epoxy ant.
On my way back to the car I stopped at the first wood bridge and tried for the monster that lives underneath. Nothing. I also worked the riffles and cuts as I made my way upstream using a combination of dries and nymphs and when I finally made it to the parking lot the sun was gone and it was getting cold...time to go home.
November 10, 2006
The weather report said it would be an unusually warm day so I decided to fish Beaver Creek in Washington County, MD, especially after Jin told me 500 trout had escaped the Albert Powell Hatchery nearby.
I started out early (4am) to beat the Beltway rush hour. I arrived at the creek in 45 minutes but it was still too dark to fish so I took a short snooze in the car. By sunrise I was geared up and on the water.
Beaver Creek is a beautiful place to fly fish. Local fly fishermen and conservationists restored 900 feet of this stream by widening and deepening the run as well as stabilize the banks to halt erosion by adding trees, shrubs and aquatic plants. Needless to say, there are also big fish living here.
However as Jin pointed out, there are two sides to Beaver Creek. It can be outstanding fishing, with trout throwing themselves at anything you put on the water. Or it can be frustrating, with fish refusing everything you throw at them. It was the later that confronted me today.
I walked far downstream and fished back up to the car, working the deep seams and cuts in the bank. I could see fish, but nothing would take. My haul for the day was one sucker fish. I spoke to five other fly fishermen on the stream and only one person caught a trout.