Feb. 2020 Club Meeting: Upper Gunpowder Falls Brook Trout

By Larry Forte

The Gunpowder is one of my favorite streams to fish. It’s a beautiful stream and the fishing, while challenging, is a lot of fun. While I have caught only brown trout, I have never caught brook trout in the upper Gunpowder. In fact, I didn’t realize that there were brook trout in the stream.

At our next meeting, on Tuesday, February 11th, we welcome Scott Scarfone. He is with the Upper Gunpowder Falls Brook Trout Partnership and he will talk to us about their efforts to restore brook trout populations in the Gunpowder watershed.

Brook trout are Maryland’s only native freshwater trout species. Also, the Gunpowder basin supports over 25 percent of the states brook trout population. Unfortunately, their numbers and their pristine habitat have been declining for years.

The Upper Gunpowder Falls Brook Trout Partnership is a coalition of volunteers, community organizers, and government agencies. Their mission is to improve water quality and stream habitat and to restore brook trout populations in the Upper Gunpowder Falls watershed. The partnership includes Trout Unlimited, the MD DNR, Baltimore & Carroll Counties and the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture. I am looking forward to Scott’s presentation. Hope that you can join us on the 11th!