I have been fishing in the Shenandoah National Park several times over the last few weeks some in the evenings and some in the mornings. In the evenings close to dark there are many moths fluttering around the back eddies and brush piles. The trout feed heavily on these and you can often see them chasing the natural moths as they skate across the surface of the streams. The Murray's Moth size 14 & 16 or a Spirit of Pittsford Mill size 14 & 16 are both very effective when these moths are on the water.
I have found the water temperature to be just a few degrees cooler this week when on the stream around 10a.m. because of the cooler nights. This has actually helped the fishing. Water temperature was 63 degrees on Monday. The water levels are better by coming into the streams from the lower boundaries of the Shenandoah National Park. I was using size 16 Mr. Rapidan Ants and Murray's Flying Beetles with some luck. With the lower water levels I decided to switch to a size 18 ant pattern on a 7X leader and had much better fishing. Sometimes you just have to experiment with different size flies.
The water is crystal clear so be sure sneak so you are not scaring the trout.
Our Spring 2023 Mountain Trout School dates are open for registration. If you are interested in learning how to fish the native brook trout streams during prime time of April & May then sign up for a school.