Many of the mountain trout streams have large populations of terrestrial insects this year that the trout are feeding heavily upon. Along the stream banks where there is abundance of old down timber the trout are feeding well on the oak worms that are matched well with the Murray's Oak Worm in sizes 14 & 16. Fish these upstream dead drift right beside the banks. The natural inchworms are being taken throughout the streams by the trout and a Murray's Inchworm size 14 presented with a splash brings fast strikes. The mountain streams are 58 degrees now.
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 and hike down the trails to fish the upper sections of the streams. You can also get good fishing by accessing the streams from the bottom and hiking up .For more information on these streams and access, check out my book Trout Fishing in the Shenandoah National Park.
Skyline Drive is now open in all sections. This can change frequently if we have storms. To check the status of the Skyline Drive please call 540-999-3500, option 1, option 1 for the latest update before heading to these streams.
Recommended Gear: I am using a 6ft or 7 1/2ft 5X Leader on a 2 to 4 weight fly rod--preferably 8ft or shorter.