We are getting sporadic reports that brookie fishing is picking up in the park especially in the rivers like the Rapidan with better water levels. Cooler days will be the best fishing. I would try any terrestrail patterns especially small foam ants. Size will most likely trump pattern selection or color.

We’ve also been getting good reports of lots of fish on the Jackson Tailwater on small mayflies, especially soft hackles fished on the swing.  Mossy Creek has also been producing good numbers of fish on hoppers and small PT’s.

Early last week, Gordon and I were in Bristol, Tennessee for the Orvis Dealer retreat and were blessed to be able to fish a private stretch of the Holston River tailwater.  This river is known for its huge brown trout that are caught in the fall as well as the incredible numbers of fish per mile.  However, perhaps its most famous for being very technical with an abundant population of wild browns and rainbows that turn up their noses at most flies that do not fit in the #18-22 range.  Can you say, San Juan River?  Nonetheless, we fished Tuesday together and easily caught 100-150 fish between the two of us with a couple of browns and rainbows measuring in the 16″ range.  We both hooked bigger fish that held deep on the bottom and snapped our measly 6x tippet in no time.  We were taking fish on soft hackles, BH nymps and streamers.  If you’ve ever been wanting to fish this river, come see us and we’ll give you the scoop!

Nathan | Guide @ The Albemarle Angler

watch Alan catch his rainbow

oink oink!

]]> http://albemarleangler.com/2010/03/rose-river-farm-rarely-disappoints/feed/ 0 http://albemarleangler.com/2010/03/moormans-update/ http://albemarleangler.com/2010/03/moormans-update/#comments Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:10:49 +0000 nbrown http://albemarleangler.com/?p=798 Updated pics from today’s excursion with Brian Reed…

What a porker!

I fished the Moormans TU section today and all that can be said is “Thank You” to our local TU chapter!  Thank you for the recent stocking!  Thank you for stocking quality fish!  Then, lest we forget to give the good Lord His credit, thank You for such a nice day to fish and the ability to do so!

“Was the fishing good?” you may ask.  In short, yes.  But what serious angler likes the short answer?  How about 20+ fish in under 2 hours!  How about hooking 3 that took my 3wt into its backing!  How about 16-20″ fish going airborne and fighting like a wild rainbow on the Jackson tailwater!  How about catching them on everything from streamers to nymphs!  I mean, sure, the conditions were perfect - the water levels were up a bit and off-color, and, yes, I do believe the sun was shining with the temps in the mid 60s with a slight breeze.

So, the bottom line is that the Moormans TU section is in prime condition…now its up to us to keep it that way!!! I also had to do some policing today as a car load of cinco amigos was having a blast in the big hole in front of the caretaker’s house.  By the time I walked up there from the kiosk they had already downed a 6-pack of Corona and were all casting in with their homemade “tackle” consisting of what looked like 20# backing wrapped around a Mt. Dew bottle.  I asked (in Spanish) if anyone spoke English and one did, so I calmly explained to them they were fishing illegally (w/o a fly rod and probably without a license) and asked them to leave.  I took a picture of their car with my phone (and let them see me do it) and made a phone call .  This discouraged them and they drove away before I could get back in the water.  Nonetheless, the picture of their vehicle is below.  If you see them there again, they have already been warned!

Happy fishing!!!

Nathan – Guide at The Albemarle Angler

I apologize for our last post about the Moorman’s being stocked. We had second hand info that it had been stocked Friday. This was incorrect.
However, it will be stocked Tuesday, March 16 at 10am. Fishing should really pick up in this section after the stocking. There have been numerous reports of poaching. This is noting more than simple theft. I would suggest that all of us who fish and pay for this water simply point out to poachers the bright yellow signs and kindly ask them to fish elsewhere or suggest that they might want to pick up a permit. Enforcement is at an all time low and if we want to protect this water then we will need to take some type of action. Simple, but kind, confrontation sometimes goes a long way.

So, what do you do?  You have a military friend who is available to fish probably his last day in Virginia for a very long time.  Your work schedule is cleared, enough anyway,  and you haven’t spent a quality day on any sort of quality water in longer than you care to remember.  It seems as if the weather has spoiled another good opportunity to sling some line – or has it?  Where could one possibly find fishable trout water on a day like this?

Thank the good Lord you live in Virginia and if you are lucky enough to be within a couple hours drive of streams like Mossy Creek and Beaver Creek, you my friend are very blessed.  ”Why these streams” you may ask.  The answer is two words, words that are synonymous with streams in Pennsylvania, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile and England. Say it with me, “spring creek.”  And no, its not the golf course community at Zion Crossroads!

Spring creeks, emanating from limestone fissures at the surface (here in the east anyway), come complete with their moss-covered sediment beds, steady water temperatures year-round and, arguably best of all, the stubbornness of their water levels to succumb to inches of rainfall and snowmelt.  On second thought, maybe their best attribute is the fact they can support trout – browns, ‘bows, brookies, etc – and do so with a menu that would make you think these fish could be linked to Barry Bonds.  But, with such a full-course menu available for these fish, they tend to become very eccentric food critics.  Nonetheless, grab your gear (including a rain jacket – if you don’t have one, come to the shop before you go and get one) and get to a spring creek near you ASAP!  The rain doesn’t have to wash you out of a perfectly good day fishing.

I met Evan at the parking area below the Mossy Creek Presbyterian Church at noon and found him inadvertently hoisting a fingerling brown out of a back eddie on his first cast (his words, not mine).  The rain is a fine mist now and I could really use my Costas, which are conveniently sitting on a table, nice and dry at home.  I finish the ritual of “gearing up” and tie on some 4x tippet, as the water is off color, but not chocolate milk yet.

Evan has worked up stream ahead of me about 50-yards, so I cast into some swift water that he has already thoroughly covered with his Kreelex.  I allow my fly to sink and drift down into the head of the pool that swirls under the bridge where everyone makes their first cast, mending once to allow the fly to get down and then aggressively twitch the fly back upstream against the current.  On the third repetition of this pattern, I am shocked to feel that familiar “thud” and watch my line tighten while my 5wt Clearwater rod bends nearly to the handle with the weight of the current and of a solid brown trying to figure out how that little “thing” is whipping him.  We video the fight, examine the beauty (and signs of nature) of the fish, snap a couple more pictures and release him unharmed.

Mossy Creek Brown [click to view video]

trout 1 | predator 0

That was the only fish landed today.  A 14″ brown that inhaled a Borski’s Bonefish Slider…yes, thats right, a saltwater fly that enticed a wild, wary spring creek brown trout to eat.  Pretty cool, right?  Looks similar to a sculpin in the water.

We had a number of fish follow, slap and take a second look at our flies today – mostly streamers (sliders, Kreelex, buggers) – but no other fish in the net.  This is the beauty of a spring creek.  Fishable when most streams aren’t; catching fish is harder than most streams will ever be; one beautiful wild brown trout makes 5 hours of fishing in the rain time well spent.

On a side note, I can honestly say I have never had a herd of cattle take interest in the goings-on along the banks of their “watering hole” like we did today.  At times, Evan and I had about 50 yearling steers watching us, following us, mooing at us, and at times, crowding us as we fished.  Odd, but a welcome departure from the monotony of cast – mend – strip, strip, strip – walk – cast…

NATHAN'S ENTOURAGE

EVAN'S ENTOURAGE

Evan, it has been a pleasure getting to know you and we’ll certainly miss fishing with you.  Keep in touch and we’ll keep you in our thoughts and prayers as you serve our country.  Thank you!

-Nathan Brown, Guide at The Albemarle Angler

James River
The James River is out of season until mid to late March or early April. We will be fly fishing for smallmouth bass on the James at that time. We offer full day float trips for smallmouth bass on the James River in season. The James River is know as a top smallmouth bass fishery where large fish are fairly common. The James is a big river with lots of good floats. We like to fish with poppers, clouser minnows, and various crawdad patterns for smallmouth during the warmer months. Most floats on the James River about 6-8 miles with some as short as 3 miles. Nothing beats taking large smallmouth bass on poppers thrown up against the bank. If you’ve been fly fishing for trout but have not tried fly fishing for smallmouth bass, give the James River a try on one of our guided float trips.

Shenandoah River
The Shenandoah River is out of season until mid to late March or early April. We will be fly fishing for smallmouth bass on the Shenandoah at that time. We offer full day float trips for smallmouth bass on the Shenandoah River in season. The Shenandoah River is know as a top smallmouth bass fishery where large numbers of fish are common. Last year we had multiple days with over 150 fish caught. Most floats on the Shenandoah River are about 6-8 miles and some wading opportunities exist. Nothing beats taking large smallmouth bass on poppers thrown up against the bank. If you’ve been fly fishing for trout but have not tried fly fishing for smallmouth bass, give the Shenandoah River a try on one of our guided float trips.

Moorman’s River
Currently, the Moorman’s has very few fish in it. We have been waiting for a couple of weeks for TJTU to stock but no word on that yet. We’ll let you know when it happens. The level is a bit below normal but fish are there and there is usually a great midge hatch in the afternoon. Fishing with Zebra Midge or Black Fly larvae in sizes 18-22 will take fish when they’re rising. Try dead drifting them in the surface film or just below. If that doesn’t work then move them slightly to induce takes.

Blue Ridge Mountain Streams
Levels are great and temps are up. Many reports of fish taking dry’s on the surface. I would fish a 12-14 size attractor pattern like Adams, Royal Wulff or Mr. Rapidan. Anything that’s easy to see. There are little black stoneflies coming off everyday too so a black nymph on the bottom or a Black Caddis imitation would work well. North Fork of the Moorman’s has been producing fish.

Jackson River
Fishing has been good especially on warmer days with good flows in the Hidden Valley section and on the tailwater. If you are fishing the tailwater, you will need to float to access the best fishing. Call for details and directions. Most days now we are getting a mixed bag of browns and wild rainbows. These are beautiful fish in the 13-16″ range that almost always go airborne when hooked.

Rose River Farm
Fantastic, like usual, with 15-20 fish per day. Flows are as good as they get and fish will take a variety of things but I’ve been fishing soft hackle nymphs lateley. My favorite is the March Brown Spider in size 16. Don’t even bother with a larger size. You’ll find a midge hatch coming off in the pm so then i fish a bwo soft hackle, griffith’s gnat, or other midge pattern just under the film in 18-22. Don’t be afraid to fish it on a tight line with a swing. The soft hackle in size 16 will still work then too. Takes are often violent (but fun!) when fishing a SH on the swing but a lot more subtle if fishing a nymph deep. I noticed that April is already booking up so call to book early. Cost is $95 this year.

Shad
We are eagerly anticipating the upcoming spring shad run on the James and Rap. If you need to wade you can fish the Rap but i prefer the James as its closer and has a lot more fishable water. You will need a boat or kayak. We have shad darts by Tommy Mattioli in stock now.
A 6wt setup is perfect for shad. Fish a full sink or sink tip line. Usually 200+ grains to get it down to the fish. I use a short 3ft flat mono leader. Keep checking this report as we’ll let you know as soon as the first shad start to show at the end of March.