Little Stoney Creek

Little Stoney Creek Brookie

Life rarely moves in a straight line and so it was with me Tuesday.   At 0830 I found myself filled with gusto gearing up at the parking-lot-pool of Black Run in the sticks of Rawley Springs, VA a mile from where we've slayed-em on Dry River previously. Trout were rising in the flat pool to a morning caddis hatch and I hid behind a boulder to tie on.  A lonely, hollow feeling spread through my chest as I realized that my dry flies were safely back in the garage. The same awful feeling when I burn a rib-eye or overcook spaghetti. Awful.  I hadn't switched out the shad flies in my vest!  AHrrrrrr!  Mad at myself.    I checked the trees and shrubs for donations to no avail.   With my enthusiasm crushed I de-geared and resolved to drive 40-miles back to Murrays Fly Shop, buy some flies and start over.  With fresh Mr. Rapidans and Adams in my pocket and armed with some local advice I decided to try my luck at Little Stoney Creek.    Little Stoney drains a remote hollow which runs just on the Va side of the VA-WV border and can be accessed from the bottom via RR 675 and 749 and higher up the mountain via 675, 608 (which turns into Forest Service Road 92).   With water running low the recommendation was to park at the bottom and hike up.  After jeeping around several dead ends I found the end of the road marked by a forest service gate, parked, rigged and started fishing immediately. It had been too long.

I was fishing the small tail-water below the Woodstock Reservoir and picked up tiny trout in the 200m of stream before coming on the reservoir dam.  The reservoir is an impoundment of Little Stoney as it pinches between two mountain walls and is quite small, maybe 200m long and 50 m wide.   I found a path up the left side of the dam and then a service road paralleling the north-western side of the reservoir. 

Pool upon entering LS Creek from Parking Lot

Tiny trout below the dam

As the reservoir ended on my right I followed a fisherman's trail into the woods heading for the upper end of the reservoir and found a super-rustic log cabin right pout of the Revenant.   There was tarp in the interior to keep the rain off an occupant and what looked to be something body-length wrapped up in another piece of tarp.  Not wanting my fishing to get interrupted again and being slightly creeped-out I pushed on w/o further examination.

spooky cabin

Here's the view from the Cabin looking up in to the stream that feeds the reservoir

Upstream toward the feeder

another 50m up (Upper) Little Stoney looking back toward the cabin

Cabin is just to the right of that pine tree on the far right point before the water opens up

Little Stoney above the reservoir is far more fishable than below. It's of moderate gradient and flow and reminiscent of the middle of Jeremy's Run or the Piney. The water doesn't feel rushed falling down the mountain, it takes its time at a more gentlemenly pace.  In the half mile I fished above the reservoir there were a few Pet Cemetery-dicey downfalls which were a challenge to climb but predominantly it was a, relatively flat, narrow tunnel with more room than you'd expect for a backcast.

I worked slowly reminding myself that my front cast is only as good as my back and enjoying the full load and smooth slow action of the Superfine. I changed flies for fun but never lost one to the forest.   This stream comfortably fished solo or while guiding.  Two determined anglers would really have to leap-frog to keep from being on top of each other.  

Fatty

The action was steady and primarily on the surface.  Murray said that there was a heavy caddis hatch but I observed swarms of little black flies, both stoneflies and gnats.   They weren't annoying but they were thick enough to settle on my sweaty skin and be brushed off.  I clipped off my dropper after a few tangles as not worth the effort.   I fished a size 16 parachute adams and a Mr. Rapidan and both brought strike after strike in the 54 degree water.  The majority of the Brookies were 4-6 inchers but two 8 inchers flexed my 2wt and the second, taken in the head of a long pool, got put on the reel and SHzzz'ed out some line from my tiny BBS Reel.  

I'm still loving my under water camera

When I hopped off the river the walk back to the upper portion of the reservoir was 11 minutes. Next time I'll walk to that point and keep fishing up as I explore this little blue gem. 

Mr. Rapidan in the jaw

Nice brookie taken from this log guarded pool

Come back soon!

Last Shad of the Year

Looking Upstream at the island pool, note fisherman in the pool

With a doctors appointment at 1300 I grabbed opportunity and a 6wt, one more chance to play with hickory shad before the run eases.   The weather was beautiful, sometimes it can be too sunny for good fishing and true to form the shad were deeper and less aggressive as the water was clear and bathed in sun as it dropped over the fall line in Fredericksburg.  Last outing, fishing from the bottom of the island, I noticed that with the lowish water another pool and run was accessible downstream toward the bridge.   I waded easily across a secondary run and found a great casting position.  With a cast cross-stream toward Falmouth I was able to swing streamers across the main channel and then settle them on the deep shoulder of the main flow on the Fredericksburg side. I used 5wt switch line and was well into the red running line when the shad hit at the end of the swing.   As Fritz said the other day, "This doesn't stink".

Looking downstream from my perch, my line traces the deep shoulder of the main run (fish deep here)

Fly Fishing is to fishing as ballet is to walking

Snow Squal Shad

Frtiz tied this gig-head hybrid which worked great

With Jenny and Liz headed to UVA to watch Conor play water polo and Emma still soundly asleep I rigged up in my warm garage and headed to the fall line of the Rappahanock in Fredricksberg to get a taste of fish after having been skunked on the Gunpowder yesterday. I was lucky to get one of the four prime spots at the tail of the island so late in the morning.

The lower 40s temp, 25 mph wind and snow squalls kept many of the locals away, thank goodness. I was in the least effective downstream position, I had alot of action but probably caught only 60% of the Shad as they fellow two spots upstream from me.

I had equal success on both a red and silver shad dart and a small weighted golden retriever, each trailing a 6-foot sink tip section which was needed in the fast flow. The formula is easy here, find the shad, present them something small and shiny at the right depth and hold on!   Geez this is fun fishing.

The Osprey and eagles agreed as 16 of them (hard to count) kept us company and provided an exciting aerial show.  Your mind kind of tunes them out as they soar and glide and then when they stop in mid-air and hover for a second your brain reads ' pattern disruption' and you pick them up as they dive 100 feet straight down and slam into the water talons first.  A thrashing of their wings and they beat back into the air with a herring or shad fighting to escape their clutches.   It's awesome.

Thanks for looking

Gunpowder Falls Recon

Hen tries his luck above Falls Road

Heading up I-95 I've always been intrigued by Gunpowder Falls, not only does it have a cool name, but I'd heard that it's a great fishery.   After some trophy-trout research I found that Gunpowder Falls is the homewater of flyfishing's Lefty Kreh (there are no falls, "falls" is another name for river) and spills out of a PrettyBoy Reservoir just south of Pennsylvania and West of I-83.  It's one of the best year-round fisheries on the East Coast.  Ground Zero for fishing the Gunpowder is the small town of Hereford about 30-min north of Baltimore and that's where Henry and I decided to meet in the parking lot of Back Water Angler at 0600.   This recon fishing trip was a point of light as Henry and I came through busy weeks at the office and we were both happy to share an early cup of coffee when we reached Hereford.   Our plan was to fish the upper section (see map below) from Falls Road toward the spillway first so we headed to that section and found the river pumping grey steel. We knew that it was high but now we knew first hand how a 2.49 flow at the 'Falls' gauge looks and feels.  Powerful, constricted and cold. Next time we'll heed good advice and fish this area when its at 1.8 or below.

Note the spike in water we were dealing with

Upper Gunpowder Falls from Fall Road Up

The Upper Gunpowder is a non-stocked special regulations area populated by a self-sustaining population of brown trout with a few rainbows and brookies in the mix, oh but to find them!

This is not a high-gradient mountain stream, but is bolder-strewn and channelized in a small gorge making it rugged and gorgeous. No luck here,  I tried both nymphs under an indicator and streamers.  It was really hard to move in the deep stream so we sipped some coffee and drove to the thoroughly interesting Pretty Boy Reservoir Dam (Damn big) and then headed downstream to the Masemore Bridge access point.  

a wreath of scrub frames Henry on the Upper Gunpowder

The normal bottom release can be seen...all water over the top was unfortunately extra

Lefty Kreh Water trail marker

We plied the waters here again for 90-min and though the wider banks mellowed out the strength of the river it was still roaring through.  A lesson I relearned today was to wear multiple layers on my legs when I'm going to be in deep water...brr it was chilly.  Henry was happy to have found his icebreaker gloves in his Salmon River Kit, all-the-more-so when it started sleet-snowing on us for 20-min.  

The Gunpowder widens as it heads south, hen caught his brown off the bank on the righside

We left Masemore and hopped into the water the Gunpowder again off Falls road just East of I-83.  Again the river had mellowed and widened and Henry Flicking a golden retriever into a bankside back eddy was rewarded with the only trout of the day.  Well done Hen. 

Today's' trophy

 There are trout in here, no doubt, but the river simply had not recovered from the Trauma of the deluge Thursday.   We grabbed Subway for lunch in Hereford and skipped down to the stocked put and take section which is lovely big water,  it looked like prime smallmouth water but alas no more trout.  

Little Falls joins Gunpowder Falls behind Henry to from the left

Hen throws a nice loop at the far bank

As we walked out we crossed Little Falls, a major Trib of the Gunpowder and met Gene who works at BackWater Angler (support your local fly shop) who was very pleasant and gave us some advice for our next trip. 

Shad Picture Story

Fritz prepares at sunrise -- we got prime spots

1st Shad of the day -- Fritz had a bite on 1st Cast

Fish on for me at Sunrise

Small shad darts and golden retrievers were the streamers of the morning

Nice view of our fishing hole, Fritz works the downstream slot

Great Morning -- hit those shad while they are here -- thanks for looking