What better way to spend the first day of Spring 2010 than to be guiding some first-time aspiring fly fishers at the Rose River Farm? Great weather, great company, a great venue and great fishing! If you’ve never fished the Rose, you should give it a try in the near future. The farm books well in advance, so if you have a date in mind, give us a call and we’ll check the availability. There are only 4 rods allowed on the water per day, so you are assured to have your privacy.
Updated pics from today’s excursion with Brian Reed…
Brian on the Moormans
Ivan Rainboesky
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!
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.
The skies are dark, wind is howling, rain and fog so thick you could stir it. Its been raining since last night and you are sure the streams are swollen out of their banks, after all, it has been the wettest winter in decades and the snow melt (typically a Western U.S. term) combined with the inches of rain coming down every hour are sure to make things unfishable in short order. But, you are an intelligent trout bum, so you check the USGS Waterdata flows only to see the entire state covered in blue and black dots…high water and it can only be getting higher.
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.
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!
General Conditions
Spring is on its way! Finally warmer temps have arrived and with it lots of bug activity. We are getting great reports from many rivers including the brook trout streams in the Blue Ridge. I’ve had many people asking if water levels are too high: they are NOT. The snowpack melted slowly which was a blessing. Rivers are full but not overly so. See my specific reports below.
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.
Let’s start by saying that I typically review only rods that really impress me and this review is no exception: the new TFO Clouser rod is phenomenal especially when you consider the $250 price tag and typical TFO lifetime warranty. When i first took the rod out of the case I noticed that while we had the typical blue blank, it was a color of blue I hadn’t seen before which i like. It also includes the “fly” graphic above the grip. In addition, the burled cork rings on the grip are a nice touch. The rods all come in a 4 piece configuration.
I consider TFO rods as a whole to be the best value in fly rods today. Mind you, they’re not the best rods out there but for the money they are tough to beat. This rod is no exception and is by far my favorite saltwater caster. I had despised the old TICR-x—it’s a broomstick fit for a witch. The Axiom is a great rod and I was happy to see it come along a couple of years ago but the Clouser sets a new standard in castability: I feel it comes in head and shoulders over the Axiom. While the Clouser doesn’t feel as light as a very high end rod such as the Orvis Helios or Sage Xi3, it has a great balance and substantial feel without being heavy. What really sets this rod apart from others is its castability: it is effortless to cast. You can feel the tip load easily, loop is easy to control and it has plenty of reserve power. With minimal effort you can cast 80ft and it will chuck the whole fly line with power to spare. Sure there are other rods which have this power but they seem to me a bit more difficult to control. The Clouser is pinpoint accurate and positive. The rod was actually designed to throw weighted flies and sinking lines and this it will accomplish well but that doesn’t mean its not a terrific tool for your standard floating line. The only rod in this price range that comes close to this is the Grey’s Platinum XD saltwater (which is a close second). Finally, the only odd thing about this rod is its limited configuration: it only comes in one length. 8 feet 9 inches but it covers line weights 5-10. It’s a home run from TFO and Bob Clouser at a price that you can afford. As Bob Clouser says about this rod, “Light in the hand and super sensitive…..I like to say, “I can feel them breathing on the fly as they inhale it”.
Reminder about this months meeting, this Thursday Feb 25 at 6:30 pm at the UVA Astronomy Bldg. We will talk about the upcoming Spring Fly Fling, and the Va Trout Stream Sensitivity project where TU members will collect water samples from 386 of the states over 500 streams. We need volunteers for both projects, let us know if you can help.
This Friday, February 26th, we will be holding our weekly FREE fly tying roundtable. Come and hang out, swill free coffee and chew the fat as we tie flies (since we don’t want to be outside freezing trying to catch fish). If you are new to tying or an accomplished hand, all are welcome. I will be helping out beginners or anyone who has questions about tying or equipment. John Edelen will be on hand too. I’ll be tying some PT nymphs, Zebra Midges, and my “Moorman’s Miracle Midge”. Make sure to bring your equipment and materials although we have a couple of extra vises if you need one. We’ll start fly tying at 2pm and go utill we feel like quitting. As usuall, we’ll have coffee, fun, and friends. After this week we will not be sending out emails to remind people of this event. Please watch here for updates every week.
We recently made the trek over to Beaver Creek in Ottobine and got in on some good trout action including one fish that went to 20″. The snow was deep, the water cold, but there is great fishing right now if you can get to your favorite stream.
As many of you know, the fly fishing industry is moving quickly toward all rubber soles on most of the new wading boots to combat the spread of invasive species. The newest entry into the market from Orvis is the Riverguard series of boots. We highly recommend studs on all Vibram wading boots but the good news is that the Riverguard boots by Orvis come with studs. Our testiing has seemed to bear out the fact that rubber is more durable and offers better traction when studs are used than felt alone. This video explains more about the boot.
. 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!
