Howard Stinefelt, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 20901 Fish Hatchery Road, Hagerstown, MD 21740

A high quality, self-sustaining brown trout fishery was developed in a 17-mile tailwater section of Gunpowder Falls below Prettyboy Reservoir, Baltimore County, Maryland. Improved instream flows (minimum flow 11.5 cfs), introduction of quality stocks of brown trout, cessation of stocking hatchery trout on wild trout populations, and implementation of catch and return regulations in the upper 7.2 miles resulted in extremely rapid increases in standing crops of wild trout. Ten years of trout population studies (1987-1996) conducted at 5 electrofishing stations within the catch and return area, showed the standing crop of all trout species yearling and older, increased from 5 to 100 pounds per acre. Brown trout make up 93% of the population with the remainder comprised of mostly rainbow and some brook trout. Downstream of the catch and return area where adult trout continue to be stocked for put-and-take fishing (5 trout per day, bait permitted), wild trout populations at two stations have increased from 4 to 23 pounds per acre.

As a result of our efforts, Gunpowder Falls is now the premier trout stream in Maryland and is listed by Trout Unlimited as among America's best 100 trout streams.