Jeremy's Run

"When you see someone putting on their Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen" 

Winnie-the-Pooh

There are still a lot of Virginia trout streams I haven't hit and one of the closest ones was Jeremy's Run in the northern section of SNP.    Jeremy's Run can be accessed top-down from Skyline Drive at Elk-Wallow or bottom-up from Hwy 340 and RR 611 (this lower section will be the subj of an upcoming post).  Jeremy's Run is tucked between Knob Mtn and the main SNP Spine, it has small but devoted following of adventurous anglers who's knees and spirit support the walk-in. Here's a picture-album The Gift of Jeremy's Run by an angler devoted to the run.   This fall while I was at Laurel Creek I met a Hokie fisherman-aquatic-entomologist who recommended the pools on the lower half of the run as great spots for insects and, corresponding, brookies.   With this knowledge and coffee my game-for-a-hike neighbor George and I set out on a moonlit morning toward Sperryville, Thornton Gap and the Park.  It was clear and chilly as we approached the parking area. Elkwallow is well marked about 7 miles north of Thornton Gap and if you follow the signs to the picnic area parking you'll end up at a parking spot noted with a "P" on the map below.   

The blue line traces the run and trail, I probably only fish 300 yds the fish were so active

The Trailhead is well marked from the upper lot

We stowed our jackets to avoid sweating them out and stepped off at 0900 for the mile down to, as we had heard, the first significant stream-crossing and what's effectively the upper limit of the fishable water. 

George and I rock-hopped the stream and made our way down to the next stream crossing where he made camp.  The well maintained trail crochets its way back and forth over the run continuously and is never far from the water. George set up camp at the second stream crossing and I walked a further 15 minutes downstream with a plan to fish to him for a link-up at 1300.  Heading down the hollow, the run picks up trickle after trickle and its flow and strenghtens with each gurgling input.  The further I got down the run the bigger and more enticing the pools became.  I stopped several times and marveled at specks flittering in perfect cobble pools.  Jeremy's has far less gradient than the Rapidan, Hughes or Hazel its a freestone valley stream more the in category of the Dry or Piney Rivers.   

more of a valley stream than a high gradient tumbler

The pools were long and deep enough to support trout throughout their length and all contained aggressive natives.   This was my first outing wearing my new Costa sunglasses (thanks Hen and Liz) and the polarized lenses allowed me to watch trout rise from the cobble to take my Dry. What fun!   I thought that I could see pretty well before but these lenses are amazing.  A #14 adams parachute and #18 bead-head pheasant tail dropper were all that was required today. 

I didn't lose a fly but the trout destroyed a couple like this unfurled adams

I couldn't bring any to hand in the first pool despite about 8 takes, but this quickly proved the exception to the rule as I cast my way upstream toward George.  I was very inefficient moving and only got about 200-300 yards in three hours as the action was non-stop.  As Scott and Fritz say, I had lucked into "one of those days".  

Frequently, so long as you work a pool carefully, you might be able to take 2 fish, occasionally 3, in the long pool below I caught 6 in 8 casts. Filthy with fish.

Lots of action in this great pool

No monsters today but several at 8 inches

Another on a mossy background -- all trout today returned uninjured 

When I hit my time limit my rangers beads indicated 33 brought to hand and I grudgingly trudged back to camp.    George had left the camp & returned to the trailhead, but the fishing was too good for me to quit so I lunched on a deviled ham and onion sandwich and decided I'd fish to 50 then hit the trail.  The run was getting skinnier and skinnier as surveyed upstream so I chose my spots and cast more deliberately but the fish were still active in their little haunts.  

It took about 10 underwater attempts to capture this handsome guy 

shadow caster

I continue to love my TFO Finesse 1-wt, it loads with just the leader and at 6'6" it slips easily under the branches that often compete for my flies.  In December the sun rises late and sets early deep in these SNP Hollows in December and as I was minding my shadow to not spook the pool I found this guy fishing with me. 

I went from 33 fish to 50 in less than an hour and seemed to be improving my catch % along the way.  I thought I'd quit at 50 as I knew George was waiting for me but pool after run after pool ahead of me tempting me to stay.  I gave in, stayed abot longer, and left after a spirited fish attacked my worn dry in a beautiful pool.   It was one of those times when you know, you just know, that if you can make the cast and tend the fly you'll get a strike.  Sure enough to the left side of a flow at the top of a pool a brookie broke the surface and took my adams, a perfect way to end the day 

Mirror image

keep-em in the water all you can and wet your hands before touching them

On the uphill sweat back I was tracking George's footprints, not focusing ahead of me, when I saw a flicker of black flitt through my eyebrows. I panned up to see a black bear, bigger than me, sitting on the trail 40-feet in front of me. Cue the soundtrack for BlueBerries for Sal as we both realized we were scared until he took off at full lope up the trail and around the corner.   With a shot of adrenalin cursing through my veins and a wary eye I made it back up to the van.

from the depths

dere's bear in dem woods!