Alighting on the film

Heaven has got to be like April on a VA trout streams.  Stream temps in the low 50s, clear running water incubating bugs to life and causing brook trout to look up for their next meal.   They are so eager to slurp the hatch from the film of the surface...it's a show to watch. 

Low Water in the log pool

With a Friday off I headed to my home waters of the upper Rapidan and was pleased to find only a truffle hunter parked at the upper limit of the fire road.   I was greeted by a swarm of flies as I started rigging a trusty 2wt built for casting in these narrow confines.   I didn't tie on a dropper as is my habit and was rewarded with amazing dry fly action for my stay.    

Tight casting required in this crystal clear pool

The Glide Run is one of the loveliest on the Upper Rapidan

The flow was low this high on the mountain and the dry spring caused the trout to be staged in the pools not the normal holding runs... so I went pool hunting.   I soon was reminded to approach each pool stealthily as a spooking even the bottom/near side of the pool would decrease me chances throughout the pool.   

With no schedule to keep I approached each pool slowly and really worked on alighting my fly first cast in the right spot with the right presentation and brought brilliant brookies to hand in 7 of the first 10 pools before I stopped counting and let the morning flow through me.  I watched in wonder as brookies submarine-porpoised 2-3 inches out of the water attacking their surface meals.   All my brookies were caught on a single warrior of a parachute-adams before the hackle was torn off and I retired.  An amazing day in an amazing place.

Swarms of trout food!

                          "The older I get the more I strive to spend time in beautiful places that inspire me"

                                                                                                                            said some angler