Hazel River

37 degree air temp doesn't bother trout much but its pretty tough on fisherman.  John Caldwell and I had planned to fish today and alittle cold wasn't going to dissuade us.  We certainly fished and explored the beautiful Hazel River, it was catching that eluded us. The Hazel is obviously named after someone's great aunt and is located about half way between Old Rag Mountain and Sperryville, VA just off Rt 231.

Driving over the Hazel on 231 it doesn't look impressive but looking West, there's enough depth to the hollow to know that there should be some trout up there. We suited up just off the corner of Rt 600 and Horseheads Ln and headed up the hikers easement/driveway to the SNP entrance.   This is beautiful country with small secluded streamside homes reached by wooden bridges over the river.  It was the kinda cold that makes knit tying a challenge and where an exposed hand quickly finds a fold in your shirt to get out of the biting wind.

The pools and runs were beautiful and we decided to walk upstream of Sams Run which follows in from the left before we approached our first hole.   John did a great job as he hadn't flexed a long rod in a long time a managed, cast, drift and line management very well, no easy task in the cold in this tight high gradient river.  Where we started, the Hazel has about as much flow as the upper Rapidan by the cabins with a bit more gradient.

In most situations we fished 'upstrairs' standing in one pool and casting into the one above.  I understand the trout population in the Hazel isn't what it is in the Rapidan but cold streak we're mired in kept them out of sight and inactive for the three hours we explored the river.

I'll come back here, hopefully John can come again, and fish this same section again and make sure I pull a few brookies from this beautiful stream.

Hughes River Run

To lay claim to Brook Trout Water credibility (I’m working on it) in the Old Dominion State you have to have experience on a number of the better fished SNP blue lines.  Though I often find my way back to my comforting home waters of the Rapidan and Rose, I feel the need to explore and catch a brookie on the Hughes, Hazel and Moormans to feel better about myself (at least that's what I've told Jennifer). 

Looking Down the Hughes from the first crossing

With that in mind I was determined to out-hike pressure on the Hughes River and catch a brookie in its upper reaches on Veterans Day.   Other blog-posts and the recommendation from Mark at Orvis Woodbridge  were consistent…pass up the early water and just keep hiking!  James set out with me and we reached the lower parking lot for Old Rag off Rt 600 at 0830.  

We hiked up 65 minutes before starting to fish

 It was Veteran’s day so SNP access was free.  We walked .3 uphill towards the upper (old) lot, until we entered Nicholson Hollow Trail on the right. Entering the trail you’re on private property for .4 miles and quickly rock-hop across Brokenback Run then the Hughes a 100 yds further before entering SNP. Nicholson Hollow Trail then follows the East bank of the Hughes for a long way!   We climbed on the blue-hashed, well-marked and maintained trail for 2 Miles until it was joined by Hannah Run which enters from the right and drains the eastern face of Pinnacle Ridge. 

Suited up and ready to go

Others described Hannah Run as “pathetic”, but it’s dispersed in three branches as it enters the Hughes and I believe upstream, once it gets channelized, it might harbor deep enough pools to hold trout…a subject for a different adventure. We walked .3 miles above Hannah Run to the “No camping” post between the trail and river and made our camp.  The walk to this point had taken us 65 minutes.  

The Hughes here at 1250’ begins to be significantly pinched between competing ridges and is classic high-gradient, tight-quarters, boulder-strewn, run & pool SNP Brookie-habitat.  The wind was light, the weather sunny and 57.  The creek was flowing clear at mid-low pool at 48.  Perfect.  James and I both began fishing with 7’6” 3 wts drifting parachute adams trailed by size #18 bead-head droppers. 

I walked downstream to hit a few pools and promptly lost a fly to a branch snag before my first cast but this was a blessing.  As I re-tied streamside a flickering caught my attention. I looked down and saw a green, white and orange brookie finning on a cobble bed 3 feet to my right … a beautiful reminder to be respectful of the spawning beds in the Fall.  

My first brookie slurped my dropper on my 6^th cast.  James meanwhile had not yet begun fishing as he found a picture perfect pool and wanted to show it to me before he worked through it.  We continued leapfrogging up stream for the next 4 hours.   The fishing was steady but not fast, 80% of the trout brought to hand were caught on dropper-nymphs, very few top-water takes and even those were gently slurped from below rather than attacked from the top.  

Keep-em in the water all you can!

Both prince and hares-ear bead-heads in size 18 produced well.   At 1100 a light hatch of very tiny >24 flies broke out on the surface so I switched to size #18 pink attractor parachute with a #20 green zebra midge and had luck with that too.  At 1200 we reached a lovely pool above a ford where Nicholson Hollow Trail crosses to the West/ Left hand side of the Hughes.  At 1245 we decided to each catch one more fish and begin our walk back to Clifford. 

James at typically gorgeous Hughes River Pool

Deep pools even far up the river -- there's plenty of water up there

This actually worked well as we’d reached the top of (at least this) the channelized section and the river above had less big pools and a more dispersed flow than the section we’d just fished.  Our knees weary, but our spirits high, we walked 13 minutes downstream to our camp, changed over to hiking gear and walked another 50 minutes back to the hardtop. 

Matt at last major pool of the day...caught a nice brookie under log mid-pool left

At the bottom, working the returning Old Rag hikers was ‘Jumping Joe’ a local character-hippie selling hot apple cider and homemade jam so we filled up to end a great day on the river.  Bottomline: Great river if you have the patience to walk up and fish upstream of Hannah Run.   

Doesn't get prettier than this -- so get out and wet a line -- this brookie is waiting for you

Rapidan River: Ford to Junction Pool -- so good

I was reminded this weekend that it's important to smell the roses along the way and today's outing to the Rapidan was one of those days when the roses smelled really good.

Today's starting point the Ford below Junction pool

As chilly, windy and dour as it was yesterday, today the wind was mild the late fall sun warmed your back and the November colors on the river were splendid.  Bryan and I met along 28 and arrived at Junction pool at 0830.   My favortite stream was running low so instead of heading upstream to my normal stomping grounds we parked at Junction pool and headed 13 minutes down the horsetrail to the ford. 

Bryan works one of the beautiful pools

Scott and I had only fished this section once together and I was curious to get back.   The larger pools in this section are worth the walk if you're just looking for beauty...and who isn't looking for beauty coming from
NOVA traffic jams.  We began fishing at 0900, the water was 48 degrees and chilly from the night, but as the sun rose it warmed the top layer and the bite improved. As Bryan and I leapfrog-fished we made some interesting observations.  

Does it get much prettier than this?

The fish were dispersed in the relatively low, cold water instead of stationing themselves in the more oxygenated runs as they do when the water is warmer and consequently holding less oxygen.  The trout, and there were alot of them visible today, rose slowly from the bottom and then slurped the dries at about 45 degree angle to the surface, there were very few aggressive side-strikes. 

Gin clear water let us see many of the trout we caught like this one for Bryan

This made it very hard to hook these brookies as more often than not we'd pull the fly from the trout's mouth rather than relying on the trout's 'turn' to help set the hook in its jaw.  This sort of slurp-take Bryan found reminiscent of PA trout hitting sulphurs...that same sort of very gentle strike.

I began fishing a dry-dropper tandem but after only catching one trout on the dropper I followed Bryan's lead and went with a solo dry.  Grey and purple parachute adams as well as #16 elk hair caddis all produced equally well. The key to catching today was patience and high-sticking to facilitate an unencumbered drift in the deeper still water.  If you could keep your fly dragless -- the brookies, large or small would eventually slurp. In keeping with the best of days I caught my biggest brookie an 11-12 incher in the upper part of Junction Pool with my last cast of the day.  My total to hand today was 19 and I suspect Bryan caught about the same.  A great day on the water.   Fritz, Jacob, Scott and James I wish you had been here too.

Typical small brookie for today

Camouflaged in the fall leaves

Bryan with a nice broookie in gorgeous pool

OK -- so this one was small but I needed a picture!

#16 Elk Hair Caddis was a winner today