Semper on the Fly: Rainy Rap

The promise of 60 degree temperatures had me planning to give GunPowder Falls in Md a look this Wednesday but I didn't foresee the increased discharge from Prettyboy Reservoir which made the Gunpowder unfishably high. Lefty Kreh's home waters would have to wait.

Jamie loves mountain climbing

With heavy rain forecast for Wednesday I decided to forgo my recon to the GunPowder and set my sights on my home waters of the Rapidan.

The jump in at the SNP Gate -- cold and rainy

It was 43 and raining when I left the house and still 43 when I got my first glimpse of the muddy and swollen Robinson in Criglersville. I went with the only option and was happy to be in Jamie so I could gain elevation and reduce the flow. As I slid down the rutted road to Junction Pool I knew it would be fishable, but the combination of the snow melt and steady rain had the Rap flowing at high pool.

# 16 bean head pheasant tail was the ticket today

Alone on the mountain I parked at the SNP gate the thermometer stuck at 43. I houdinied into my rain gear in Jamie's back seat as a gust of wind shook down a good sized tree branch just in front of the bumper. Fortunately gear made to keep me warm and dry in 40 degree water did a bang up job against the rain as long as I kept my hood fully up and my head canted down to the river.

first trout caught in the back-eddy to the right of the flow

Any thought I'd had of a winter dry fly hatch disappeared with the large splattering rain drops and I rigged a tandem dropper rig below a strike indicator on my Orvis 2wt. There wasn't ice on the river but the snow crept down to the water making my upstream advance tricky. This might went slowly this being an unforgiving day for a fall.

All my Rap friends know there's ALWAYS a trout along the base of the rock

The colors were all shades of hunting rifle, deep browns of the trees, gray rocks and the steely blue and silver of the icy water. I was questioning my sanity and whether I'd have any luck when a flash of silver rose and swiped my nymph at my feet. I wasn't alone.

I call this kneeling run as its best fished kneeling on the left

I had to end my soggy adventure after a prolonged downpour turned my (yes) gin clear Rapidan murky and brown. I fished for 2.5 hours and bought 8 brookies to hand and truly appreciated each one for their beauty, resilience and tenacity.