Fishing Report

There are so many Epeorus mayfly duns and spinners on the streams that if you are using my "pop strike" or just release your trout gently so they don't spook the other trout, you can often catch several nice trout in each pool.  Check the lip carefully for riseforms because at normal water levels the largest trout in the pool will be on the lip feeding station. Fish a Mr. Rapidan Parachute Dry or Mr. Rapidan Spinner in size 14 on these streams. Important Notice:  The Shenandoah National Park has waived the entry fee to the Park during the COVID-19....

The back eddies occasionally have fast currents along the center of the river and it is best to use a Sink Tip III line with a Murray's 6ft 2X Sinking Leader in order to fish streamers deeply here. The slower and deeper I fish my streamers, the larger fish I catch. The Murray's Magnum Creek Chub, Magnum HogSucker and Magnum Darter all in size 4 are outstanding.  If you have my book Virginia Blue Ribbon Streams, there are many access points listed on page 11 for the North and South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Be sure to bring your...

Many of the trout in the delayed harvest areas and stocked trout streams are feeding heavily on the natural crayfish that live among the cobblestones in the 2-3ft deep water along the stream banks. Fish a Murray's Crayfish in size 6 or 10 with a slow crawling action tight to these banks at dusk and you have a good chance of catching trout.  Please be respectful of others while on the streams and maintain a safe distance from other anglers. All of the local stocked trout streams are clear and fishable.    

Frequently the large trout go out of their way to feed on the large natural nymphs right below the riffles. The Bitch Creek Nymph and Murray's Skunk Road Kill Nymph both in size 8 match the stonefly nymphs found here.  A Mr. Rapidan Soft Hackle Nymph, Olive size 10 will match the mayflies here. I experiment with these 3 flies to see which is the most effective on a specific day.  Streams:  All of the local stocked trout streams are in great shape, clear and fishable. Big Stoney Creek and Mill Creek were just recently stocked.  The Heritage Day scheduled...

The Epeorus mayflies are hatching well now. A very effective ploy is to fish a Mr. Rapidan Parachute Dry size 14 on a 5X Classic 7 1/2ft Leader with a Mr. Rapidan Emerger size 14 on a 2 ft 5X dropper below it. Experiment between a dead drift and a slow lifting action. Streams:  You will get better water levels by coming in from the heads of the streams or off the Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park. Hike down about 45 minutes and fish back up. The Shenandoah National Park has waived the Park entrance fees so that...