Hello to everyone, this is Sam Galt,

I’m the head Guide at TCO in State College. I recently had the opportunity to travel to the Heavy Water Angler’s lodge in Maryland. This western-style lodge is located on the banks of the Savage River tail water. Myself and TCO’s State College store manager, George Costa, spent two days on the river.

The lodge was a beautiful two-hour drive from State College along the ridges of the Appalachian Mountains. We arrived and were greeted by the owner and operator of Heavy Water Angler’s, Tom Martin, as well as his cousin and fellow guide Dylan. We got a quick tour of the lodge. It was stylish and comfortable with an amazing kitchen space and dining area.

After the tour, George and myself were eager to fish. The lodge has about 1,000 feet of private streamside property that goes directly into public access upstream. The water at the lodge has numerous pools and riffles, so we started at the bottom end of the property.

The Savage is a high-gradient river as well as a tail water. Plenty of aquatic life and the cool water make this a great fishery even through the summer months. It’s not a large river, averaging 30 to 40 feet wide. However, it is loaded with large, rounded boulders that make for challenging wading. Wading staffs are definitely recommended.

It was a beautiful day for early spring with temperatures around 60 and overcast skies. The fast pocket water was ideal for European-style nymphing, so that was our approach. Almost immediately, George landed a beautiful 16” Brown Trout. Shortly thereafter, I was into my first Savage River Brown. It was similar in size and extremely colorful. Over the next few hours, we consistently picked up trout 14” to 17” with a couple smaller ones in the mix.

We started seeing some Blue-winged Olives and Quill Gordons in the air, but nothing was rising in the cold, fast water, so we stuck to nymphs. We worked upstream to the public water, consistently catching trout. I was amazed by how colorful and healthy these brown trout were.

We walked back to the lodge and were welcomed by a warm fire and a couple beers from Tom and Dylan. We ate dinner and told some stories. The next day, Tom and Dylan had to do a couple float trips, so we got some sleep and prepared for the morning fish.

We woke up and were greeted by 28-degree temperatures, snow squalls, and heavy winds. However, we were there to fish, so after some coffee and breakfast, we hit the public water upstream. The snow passed and the bright sun came out. The wind remained heavy all day. We hooked a few fish despite the challenging conditions. We even had a few fish rising to olives around noon, so we took some shots with dry flies. The public water had numerous access points and some beautiful trails. We wrapped up late afternoon and headed home.

I definitely recommend a stay at the Heavy Water Angler’s Lodge! Whether you’re looking to fish the Savage or do a float with Tom or Dylan on nearby rivers, check out the lodge at heavywateranglers.com. Keep an eye out for upcoming Euro Nymphing Clinics at the lodge as well!

Cheers!

Sam Galt Head Guide TCO State College

Imagery by George Costa of TCO State College