Lower Portion -- Upper Reach North Fork Moormans

Matt and James with the Stocked section of NFM in the background

No exploration of VA blue line trout streams is complete without a thorough examination of the North Fork Moormans (NFM) River.  I'd fished NFM twice before, the first time with Fritz years ago and again last Spring when I was washed-out after a few brookies after a long day scouting blue lines.

Moormans has four fishable sections; the first is stocked trophy-trout water managed by the Thomas Jefferson Chapter of TU located just below the Charlottesville Reservoir at the end of RR 614, this section can be accessed with a 45.00 annual pass anglers can pick up at Albemarle Angler. As we jeeped toward the resevoir we pulled off to survey one of the TU named pools and 'Flat Pool' was alive with stocked trout cruising just below the tannin-stained water.   It was all I could do not to throw a fly and pay my pass fee later! The second is the South Fork of Moormans which descends into Charlottesville Reservoir from the West, its a small stream without enough drainage area to support much flow or many trout.  The third section is the lowest section of the NFM and is located immediately above the reservoir, this section is stocked and has pools and rocks as popular with the UVA coed crowd as they are with anglers.   Upstream of where Black Rock Gap Road crosses NFM for the third time begins the native-brookie fishing and our  target for the day.

This is gorgeous water draining an isolated and remote valet which runs North-South paralleling Skyline just to the West.  The length of this watershed allows NFM to aggregate smaller blue lines (Pond Ridge Branch, Big Branch, Shop Run, and Little Branch Run to name a few) along its course and hold viable water year round.  Black Rock Gap Road continues to parallel NFM so just keep walking to get to less and less travelled water.

We began fishing about 10 minutes upstream from Sketch pool at 38.151759, -78.749555 and ended our day at 38.165445, -78.744546 where Big Branch spills into NFM.

The view from NFM as Big Branch's 4 waterfalls spill in 

In my anxiousness to fish I frequently beat the sun's warming rays on winter mornings and such was the case today.   We'd hiked in and were ready to fish at 0930, but the sun hadn't yet joined us in this narrow valley and though we found some perfect water the fish were slow to activate in the 48 degree water.  By 1030 the sun was warming the water and the fish became more active.    Here's James (below) questioning the upper reaches of Long Pool. 

Rivers captivate me as do the colors of these brookies.

The warmer it got the more it seemed the trout were in there normal holding spots and we approached each pool slowly after several clumsy approaches scattered trout at our feet...don't step in a pool you want to fish if you can avoid it. 

This superfine fellow fell for a grey-bodied parachute adams -- he stopped splashing for a moment to pose for the photo

We removed our droppers and team fished dries, leap-frogging pools.   With a good sized coyote critiquing our casting from a streamside finger we settled into lunch atop a sun-bathed rock and counted our blessings.  1500 found us tired and at Big Branch.    I didn't think we would make it this far but we must have moved a bit more quickly than I thought.  James explored up NFM for another 50 m while I was determined to add another stream to by blue lines ledger and was really happy to catch this colorful character (see below) in the plunge pool of the second falls.  Next trip I'll walk up to Big Branch (50-min direct walk from parking) and fish up from there.

Typical NFM Brookie

At the uppermost falls of Big Branch

Lower Rapidan Wild Section

James and I decided to get a head start to the weekend and when we learned that Henry couldn't make the Gunpowder we decided on the lower portion of the upper Rapidan.    The lower portion, in my reckoning, is the first section above the stalked section where there's cold enough water year round to harbor naturally reproducing brookies.   My sense is that this begins where the Staunton River enters the Rapidan from the SouthWest (or left) a 12 minute walk up from the end of road cul-de-sac at the End of Graves Mill Road.

Here's where the Staunton comes in from the left we started fishing this pool immediately to the right, James with a 3-wt and I was armed with a heavier TFO 8'  2-wt up-gunned with  new 3-wt line, and yes it cast like a dream. The sky was blue and the air temp would creep up from 48 when we started through 68 when we finished, the water flowed true at 48 all day. We fluttered our normal selection of dries and droppers and picked up a few, but the strike rate was low initially with the exception of little river shiners that inhabit these lower pools.    The river, inhabiting a wider valley to start, was less channelized and generally shallower with less tree cover.   It was drop dead gorgeous and we named new pools along the way...Long pool, Big Rock Pool, Hidden Pool,

Note: Shallow terrain (and river)

James works a cast up long pool

Standing just upstream of James' position in the Photo above was this large brookie finning in the cobble

See brookie dead center facing 1100

The fishing rate picked up as the sun rose in the sky prompting a small size 26 hatch of flies, as the elevation increased and pools deepened and when we decided to float elk hair caddis w/o droppers, this combinatyion of factors made the last 2 hours of fishing worth every advil.    My goal for today was to  make it to the Ford 13 minutes below junction pool and as we approached.    Now for some brook-char.

sneaking up the top of long pool

Taken underwater and below a brookie meets his shadow

James humored me as I wanted to catch a fish on my last cast and here she is a 9.5" beauty w/in site of the ford.

Thanks for looking

Shenandoah Overnight

The adventure begins on the Upper Conway

Bathed in the moonlight of a supermoon and cocooned in our hammocked sleeping bags, Henry and I fell asleep to the gurgling sounds of the Upper Rapidan on an overnight trip into the Shenandoah Mtns last week.    Planning for the trip began on the Gunpowder earlier this fall when we sketched out the basics of an overnight in Va trout country.  We began in the upper Conway, set up camp and walked down the overgrown portion of Rt 667 towards Devils Ditch.   The flow was very low on the on the Conway and almost non-existent through Devil's Ditch.   We decided to head down stream another 10-min and fish back up the main-stem of the Conway.   Both air and water was 52.  The Conway below Devils Ditch is fabulously beautiful, deep pools and runs reminiscent of the lower Rapidan up to Junction Pool.   We were rewarded with a fish on my third cast as Henry put my cast on a likely target at the top of an amazing pool.   The surface strike jolted us and the 9.75” brookie was a beauty.    

Long and lean this brook-char was 9.75"

After that brookie Hen moved into casting position and had a similar dry fly strike at the top of the pool.   Alas, after a great start, this would be the highlight of our day as the strike rate was REALLY slow throughout our time on the Conway.  I did catch this nice little Mtn-born brown before we gave up on the Conway and headed to the Upper Rapidan looking to change our fortunes.

Looks a bot like a brookie but this is a Conway-brown

The Upper Rapidan is one of my favorite places and we jeeped up the rutted road above the other mountaineers who were getting an early start to their Veterans Day weekend.   We made camp about 150 m below the forest service gate and caught a few brookies in the waning hours of the day.

After filling our bellies with a Pam’s spaghetti hybrid we enjoyed a beer as the supermoon rose from valley below.  Lullabied by the Rapidan and the wind whistling through the trees we woke and started day two off with strong coffee and bacon sandwiches and hit the stream just after day break.

Breaking camp and making Coffee

Anxious to be ahead of the other campers in the Marine camps a few hundred meters below.  Fishing was slow but  slowly picked up as I introduced Hen to the lovely pools and runs on the upper Rap.  

Hen works the top edge of a great Upper-Rap Pool (note more water in the Rap than the Conway)

Where rays of sunlight penetrated the deeply cut streambed we could make out a sparse, but noticeable hatch of black flies.    The sunlight and warmed the waters and towards 1100 the brookies were hitting at reasonable rates as we approached the Hoover Camp.   

a small fella but brilliant colors

With enough trout brought to hand to make the day a success we toured the presidential camp and then made our way back to the jeep.

Hen navigates the glide-slide

Thanks for looking

Friday Fly Fishing Club

Cast of characters

I hadn't travelled far from Salmon River when I began planning my next time on the water, the planning and anticipation all add to the fun.  I cast the net and Henry, Bryan and James, trout-bums all, were eager to join.  We needed enough water to spread out and Henry needed to be back in Philly Friday night so we chose a bottom up approach to Jeremy's Run.  Jeremy's Run is one of my very favorite streams and I was excited to introduce Bryan and Henry to its secrets.

X-Files Iron deposits in the rocks

Henry fished Gunpowder Falls on Thursday and stayed in Front Royal on so we met up for coffee and caravaned to our jumping off point off RR 611 Friday Morning.   It was cool, grey and drizzly and promised to get wetter as we geared up with light rods and stepped off up the trail for our 25 min walk-in.   The run was gurgling at low-pool and looked fishy.

Boulders pools 25-min in

Henry Fish-on

Henry employs the oft maligned sit and dangle technique

We decided to fish in pairs with one JR vet with each pairing and meet at the first falls at 1430.   Henry and I dropped off the well trod path and out of the fishing fire team and entered slid into the river just as we descended to the boulder pools about 25-min into our walk.  We'd fish up the waterfall, James and Bryan would start at the waterfall.

Fall splendor

Great color on a stream standard sized brookie

We had a great day and all (less Bryan) re-learned lessons about transitioning from 8wts to 2 & 3wt rods; drift, drag, line maintenance, hair width tippet, etc.  When all is right, all is forgotten and what remains is anticipation and the river.  All was right this morning as flecks of color rose from cobble beds to nail dry and dropper.  The simplicity of brook trout adding clarity and simplicity, helping us understand answers to questions we're often too busy to ask. We each caught our share and it seemed when we met at 1430 that the biggest trout were the furthest up the run even though the water begins to get skinnier. 

The colors of fall