0 for 17 Hole on the Rapidan

Father Time has a way of creeping up on us sometimes when we don't even realize it.  The Rapidan today showed that Father Time is knocking on the door. 
I had the opportunity to fish with my friend Paul today. For some time we talked about getting together and finally our schedules aligned and the Rapidan was our mutual first choice as neither of us had been there since last spring.





The weather was fine, the water cool and a bit low but certainly fishable water.  Paul and I both started with our go-to flies --- a hand tied beetle for Paul and a dry-dropper combo of a Purple Parachute and Hare's Ear nymph for me.  On Paul's second cast he hooked a Rapidan beauty, and for a moment we thought this might be one of those lights out days...... but the brookies had other plans.

We had steady hits on our flies all morning, but the hooksets proved more challenging than either of had had encountered previously.  Which brings us to the 0-17 Hole!  Midway up the section of stream we were working, we found a nice looking run that provided just enough room for the both of us to alternate casts into the gin clear water.  The action went something like this.... "damn, missed him.... hmmm missed that one.... no way...... not again..... you've got to be kidding me" and so on until we had a combined 17 strikes,,, and not one fish to show for it! 
Two former college athletes (with what once was ,but clearly is not now) quick reflexes and yet these wily trout were too fast, too quick, and dare I say too smart for us today.  That said, we had a blast.  Though the fish landed were 10-15 apiece, the action and interest was steady.  Paul's beetle proved to be the top fly today. I took more subsurface on Hare's Ears and Princes with the Purple Parachute yielding only a few to fish to hand.
If you ever get a chance, hit the Rapidan River -- what a scenic beautiful little mountain stream.