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Recommended Flies:  Since the water levels are dropping we are catching many smallmouth bass in the deep water in the upper sections of the pools with Murray's Heavy Black Hellgrammite size 4. The Swinging Nymph tactic we teach in our bass schools enables you to fish these nymphs deeper than any method you can use with a floating line. The Murray's Bright Butt 9ft 2X Leader with its two built in Scientific Anglers Indicators is a great help when using the Swinging Nymph Tactic. Stream Conditions:  The North Fork of the Shenandoah River is clear and in beautiful shape. Any of the access...

The small feeder brooks high in the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains are now producing excellent hatches of Gray Fox Mayflies. By using a low cautious approach you can often catch several trout in each pool on a Spirit of Pittsford Mills size 14. Early in the mornings before the hatch is heavy a good tactic is to fish a Mr. Rapidan Brown Soft Hackle size 14 ona 3 foot 6X dropper below the dry. Stream Conditions: This is a great time to park on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, and National Forest roads on top of the mountains...

 Recommended Flies: I often use a Sinking Tip III line with a 6ft 3X Fluorocarbon Sinking Leader when fishing the Shenandoah Silver Ghost size 10 and Shenandoah Skunk Streamer size 10 along the stream bottom in the deep pools of our large streams. Stripping them 6 inches every 10 seconds is very effective. The Hidden Valley of the Jackson and the Bullpasture are both producing good fishing..   Stream Conditions:  All of the local stocked trout streams and delayed harvest areas including Passage Creek (Fort Valley), Mill Creek (Mount Jackson) and Big Stoney Creek (Edinburg) are currently full but fishable. Recommended Gear:...

Recent rains have flushed many of the minnows from the riffles into the deep pools below them.   Recommended Flies: The Shenandoah Silver Ghost size 10 and the Shenandoah Skunk Streamer size 10 are very productive. Fish these across the pools by stripping them 6 inches every 10 seconds.   Stream Conditions:  Update for May 14  All of the local stocked trout streams and delayed harvest areas including Passage Creek (Fort Valley), Mill Creek (Mount Jackson) and Big Stoney Creek (Edinburg) are currently discolored and too full to fish. I expect them to be fishable within a few days.  I will post another...

Recommended Flies:  In between high water levels we have been catching a few smallmouth bass on the Murray's Black Heavy Hellgrammite size 4 in the boulder water of the fast runs below the riffles. Fishing this upstream dead drift or across stream in all of the pockets which are from two to four feet deep is very effective because the natural hellgrammites are becoming very active.  Stream Conditions:  Update for May 14.  The North Fork of the Shenandoah River is discolored and too high for good fishing. I will have another update toward the end of the week. The South Fork of the Shenandoah...