Matt & I hit the stream about 9 a.m.. Air temp was 34 degrees and windy. No other fishermen were on the river. We didn't have a thermometer to check water temp, but I'm guessing low 40s -- it was cold. The water level and flow were excellent -- a really good sign of things to come for the season. This was my first chance to try out my new Orvis 761-4 Superfine fly rod. It did not disappoint. It cast accurately; it presented dries gently on the water, and it made even a 6 in. brook trout feel like a good fish on the end of the line. Matt and I both had hookups in the first 5 minutes of fishing -- another good sign. We proceeded to catch a fair number of brookies throughout the day.
Most of the trout were small... really small in the 2-3 inch range. But we both also landed several in the 5-7 inch class. Most fish were caught on #16 & #18 BH Pheasant Tail Nymph, the next best fly was a #18 orange parachute dry. Other flies that produced 1-2 trout were Adams Parachute, Caddis Pupa, BWO Emerger, BH Hare's Ear Nymph and Elk Hair Caddis.
The sun came out and the air temp really warmed up -- probably the warmest day on 2013 so far -- high 50s. A hatch of some really tiny off-white midges started around noon. Though the flies were stirring above the stream, there was no observable surface feeding. Several casts with a #22 Midge drew no takes. We finished up at Camp Hoover ending with our traditional "fish caught on the last cast" signalling time to go home. Fish count for the day was Scott 25 and Matt 12. Not a lights out kind of day like we had last year, but a good start for 2013 fly fishing for Brook Trout in the national park.
If you get the chance to head up to the Shenandoah National Park this spring -- we hope to see you there! Tight lines!
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