What better way to start the new year than waking up at 5:30 New Year's Day and loading up the truck for a early morning fishing trip in the Shenandoahs. Destination was Passage Creek near Front Royal. Air temps started in the 20s and never got much higher than mid-30s..... it was cold! I met Dave McKissick there. Dave is a regular Orvis fly fishing customer and he's fished Passage Creek with some success in the past. We met at the Fish Cultural Station at sunrise, and after rigging up my Orvis
TLS Power Matrix 4-wt headed downstream to fish that section first. We threw woolly buggers and an assortment of nymphs with no success. After taking a short break to warm up in the truck, we headed upstream and fished a really nice looking hole up by the dam. After changing up flies again and again, I finally felt that welcome bend of the rod tip as a pretty rainbow sipped a red #20
Copper John nymph.
Alas, that was the only fish of the day. After snapping a quick pic, I gently released it back to its hole. As the feeling in my toes was nowhere to be found due to the icy water temps, it was time to pack it in the for morning and head on home.
Passage Creek Delayed Harvest Section is definitely worth another visit this spring when the water temps warm a bit.
Welcome 2013. spl
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