Gunpowder Falls Fishing: Maryland's Wild Trout Tailwater

Gunpowder Falls, in Baltimore County, is the Maryland trout stream most anglers have heard of, and it is regulated in sections that change what you can do from one stretch to the next. This guide explains those sections using the 2026 Maryland Guide to Fishing and Crabbing, what gear is allowed, what you need to be licensed and how to fish a stream that is stocked in some places and kept catch-and-return in others. The rules snapshot above lists each rule with the date we checked it.

Three kinds of water on one river

The guide treats the river in sections, and you should know which one you are standing in before you fish.

Catch-and-return water. The mainstem from Prettyboy Reservoir Dam downstream to Bluemount Road is a catch-and-return trout fishing area limited to artificial lures, including artificial flies. In it you may not possess trout, every trout must be released immediately, you may not fish with a barbed hook, and you may not possess or use natural bait, live bait or any scent-enhanced device. If you carry a cooler on this stretch, leave the bait in it at home.

Standard water. The guide lists no special area on the reach between Bluemount Road and the put-and-take stretch, so we read it as falling under Maryland’s standard trout rules: two trout a day and four in possession. Brown and brook trout cannot be used as bait anywhere in Maryland. If you plan to keep fish here, confirm the reach and the rule with Maryland DNR first, because we could not read DNR’s Gunpowder page.

Put-and-take water. Downstream, the guide lists Gunpowder Falls reaches as put-and-take areas: from a red post 1.6 miles downstream of Corbett Road to the hiker/biker bridge about a mile downstream of Phoenix Road, and from Cromwell Bridge to the Interstate 95 bridge. DNR stocks trout in these reaches. Brook trout must be released, and anglers may keep five other trout a day with ten in possession and no minimum size. The guide also lists Little Gunpowder Falls from Jericho Road upstream to Route 165 as put-and-take water.

Stocking closures

Put-and-take areas close to all fishing for a period around stocking. In the 2026 guide, each closure ran from 10 p.m. on the first date to 6:30 a.m. on the second, and the first 2026 closure ran from March 8 to March 28. We are not publishing 2027 dates because DNR has not posted them where we could read them. Watch DNR’s trout stocking page and its recorded hotline, 800-688-3467, for updates during the stocking season.

What you need

A Maryland non-tidal fishing license, and a trout stamp if you are 16 or older. Fees are in the rules snapshot. Felt-soled waders and wading shoes are banned in Maryland, according to DNR, which matters if you wade this river.

Tackle that suits the river

The catch-and-return stretch allows both fly and lure fishing, so the gear question is about the fish and the water rather than the law. A light fly rod around 9 feet in a 3 to 5 weight suits nymphs, streamers and dry flies on a river that varies from riffles to slow runs. A light spinning rod around 6 to 7 feet with 4 pound line suits small spinners, jerkbaits and other artificial lures, as long as the hook is barbless. These are typical choices, not requirements.

If you fish the put-and-take reaches downstream, you are free to use more traditional approaches, but brown and brook trout cannot be used as bait. A single-hook, barbless setup is a sensible habit on any trout stream where you plan to release fish.

Handling and conservation

Wet your hands before touching a trout, keep the fish in the water as much as possible, and revive it before release. In the catch-and-return water, every fish goes back, so a barbless hook and a quick release matter most.

What we could not confirm

The DNR page that describes the Gunpowder’s wild trout, its section lengths, the trails along the river and its history was not available to us when we checked, so this guide does not describe them. We did not read flow data, access points or parking, and we are not describing access. When we can confirm them, they will be added.

For other Maryland trout waters, see the Maryland trout fishing guide. Delaware anglers can compare with the Delaware trout guide.