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