Gunpowder Falls Fishing Map & Spots (MD)

Hatch outlook

White mayfly (Ephoron)Active window

Typical here: Jul 10 – Sep 10 · the famous late-summer smallmouth surface event — dusk to dark, ~7:30–9:30pm; starts on the lower Susquehanna below Wrightsville and spreads upriver; fish gorge so hard early that they can be stuffed before the hatch ends

dundusk — the whole life cycle plays out in one evening — females mate, fly miles upstream and fall spent within a couple of hours; when the blizzard is too thick, your fly disappears in the crowd — fish the edges of the swarm
spinnerfull dark, same night

Smallmouth set up in feeding lanes like trout and will not move far — accuracy beats distance.

The best conventional surface window of late summer on smallmouth rivers: small white or bone surface plugs and propbaits in the last hour of light, white inline spinners run upstream through the feeding lanes, or a bubble with a White Wulff.

The event happens over sand- and silt-bottom runs with moderate current, feeding lanes below riffles

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Gunpowder Falls

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Gunpowder Falls on the board.

Fishing Gunpowder Falls: what the data says

Prettyboy Dam to Loch Raven. Maryland's blue-ribbon wild brown tailwater. The river tops out around 4 ft. This chart interpolates between a real shoreline and a known maximum depth. It will point you at likely water, but it is not a navigation product. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.

The outline encloses 327 acres, worked by 40.8 miles of shoreline. With a shoreline index of 16.1, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. All of it is shallow-zone water — under ~15 ft across the entire basin, so the food chain has the run of the place. The basin spans about 11.2 mi end to end and 4.4 mi across at its widest. Baltimore County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Prettyboy Reservoir, is 8 mi to the northwest.

Brown Trout fishing at Gunpowder Falls

The spring pattern is a shallow one: brown trout in 1 to 4 ft. The depth story barely changes: 1 to 4 ft through summer, 1 to 4 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: Prettyboy Dam tailrace, a dam tailrace in the 3 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for after dark and early morning. Summer baits: a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 4 ft	dawn & dusk	Prettyboy Dam tailrace (3 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	1 to 4 ft	night & dawn	Prettyboy Dam tailrace (3 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	1 to 4 ft	dusk & dawn	Prettyboy Dam tailrace (3 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	1 to 4 ft	dawn	Prettyboy Dam tailrace (3 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Rainbow Trout fishing at Gunpowder Falls

When the water first warms, rainbow trout slide up into 1 to 4 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 1 to 4 ft, winter 1 to 4 ft. Start at Prettyboy Dam tailrace. It's a dam tailrace holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 4 ft	dawn & dusk	Prettyboy Dam tailrace (3 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	1 to 4 ft	dawn & dusk	Prettyboy Dam tailrace (3 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	1 to 4 ft	dawn & dusk	Prettyboy Dam tailrace (3 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	1 to 4 ft	dawn	Prettyboy Dam tailrace (3 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Brook Trout fishing at Gunpowder Falls

Come spring, look for brook trout tight to the bank in 1 to 4 ft. Through summer count on 1 to 4 ft; the winter hold is 1 to 4 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Tailout eddy (mile 1.2): an eddy pocket around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 4 ft	dawn & dusk	Tailout eddy (mile 1.2) (2 ft)	Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon
Summer	1 to 4 ft	dawn & dusk	Tailout eddy (mile 1.2) (2 ft)	Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm
Fall	1 to 4 ft	midday & dawn	Tailout eddy (mile 1.2) (2 ft)	Small spoon (orange), Spinner
Winter	1 to 4 ft	dawn	Tailout eddy (mile 1.2) (2 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 9 features, led in depth by Prettyboy Dam tailrace at roughly 3 ft.

Prettyboy Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 3 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3): creek channel, around 3 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 6.8): creek channel, around 3 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 9.3): creek channel, around 3 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 13.0): creek channel, around 3 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 15.5): creek channel, around 3 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 17.3): creek channel, around 3 ft
Riffle & run (mile 19.2): rock pile, around 3 ft
Tailout eddy (mile 1.2): eddy pocket, around 2 ft

Gunpowder Falls fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Maryland waters are set by the Maryland DNR — and special regulations can apply to Gunpowder Falls specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Maryland fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Gunpowder Falls?

Gunpowder Falls is about 4 ft (1 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.

What fish are in Gunpowder Falls?

Anglers target brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout on Gunpowder Falls.

Where is the best fishing spot on Gunpowder Falls?

Prettyboy Dam tailrace is the top-rated area: a dam tailrace in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish Gunpowder Falls?

For brown trout, the summer bite is best in after dark and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

What are the fishing regulations for Gunpowder Falls?

Fishing on Gunpowder Falls is regulated by the Maryland DNR. Check the official Maryland regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Prettyboy Reservoir 8 mi · Loch Raven Reservoir 8 mi · Liberty Reservoir 15 mi · Piney Run Lake 20 mi · Lake Marburg 21 mi, PA · Patapsco River 27 mi · T. Howard Duckett Reservoir 32 mi · Monocacy River 36 mi · Bohemia River 40 mi, DE · Little Seneca Lake 42 mi · Clopper Lake 42 mi · Lums Pond 50 mi, DE

See how Gunpowder Falls stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Maryland

Browse all Maryland fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.