During the winter I recommend a sinking tip fly line with a 6ft sinking leader for nymph fishing in the bass rivers. I find these five nymphs fished in the deep protected runs below the riffles can be effective for this time of year. Flies: Dragonfly Nymph size 8, Bitch Creek Nymph size 8, Casual Dress Nymph size 4, Murray's Black Hellgrammite size 4, and Murray's Skunk Road Kill Nymph size 6. Now are you going to catch as many fish as you did in the summer--no, but I usually continue to fish until I get skunked three outings in a row.
The North Fork of the Shenandoah River is in beautiful shape--clear and at perfect water levels. The South Fork of the Shenandoah River is still carrying an extra water volume which is not safe for wading.
| Ft. | CFS | |
| North Fork at Mount Jackson | 3.86 | 596 |
| North Fork at Strasburg | 3.14 | 800 |
| South Fork at Luray | 5.51 | 3100 |