Daily Archives: March 18, 2011

2 posts

Holy Water, Rapidan River Brook Trout Fishing

Rapidan Brookie
Rapidan Brookie from the Eat More Brook Trout blog.

The Eat More Brook Trout blog was fishing on the Rapidan River just a couple weeks ago. Sounds like a great time, dry fly fishing in the afternoon with Tenkara rods. I’ve fished the Rapidan once, the first time I caught a brook trout. It certainly is a beautiful place. On that April trip I did not make it to President Hoover’s camp, having called it a day just downstream from there after losing count of how many trout I caught, but reading this post reminded me there is a lot to see in Shenandoah National Park, and that river and the camp should be high on any fly fisherman’s list of places to go.

This time of year, when the temperature has warmed up a bit, afternoons bring good dry fly action on the streams in Shenandoah National Park. My first brookie of the season was exactly a month ago, on a certain unnamed stream in the park, and on a day when the temps hit seventy degrees the afternoon definitely turned the fish on to dry flies. I still can’t bring myself to nymph for them. It just seems wrong even if I miss out on some action because of it. There is nothing like floating a Royal Wulff or an Adams over small pockets of water and having little native fish just slam them. Right now the Quill Gordons should be starting to hatch so the fish should be looking up.

If you’ve never fished the Rapidan and certainly if you’ve never fished Shenandoah National Park, consider signing up for Murray’s Fly Shop Mountain Trout Fly Fishing School. It’s two days of guided fishing and instruction on the Rapidan River, and you’ll learn exactly how to fish these small mountain streams.

Virginia Trout Stocking Schedule March 18 2011

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
VDGIF

I realize I have posted a lot of trout stocking info for Virginia in recent months, and that’s not exactly brook trout fishing material. Bear with me, though. A lot of people find this useful. For many of us, fishing for brook trout in late fall through mid-winter (during and after they spawn) is considered at least unfair, and really, damaging to the populations of fish. So hopefully the trout stocking info has helped people find other places to go during the winter months. I also try to add a little extra info on particular places I’ve fished before in the hope that it is helpful.

Anyway, in the next few weeks the amount of brook trout fishing content should increase. The weather is now turning for the season (and for the better) and I plan to make time to fish a lot of streams and report about it here. Next week I have a Winston WT 7 foot 3 weight fly rod arriving for a full on-stream review, and in conjunction with a detailed report on the Shenandoah National Park stream I visit to do that. So things will be picking up.

Now on to the weekly trout stocking report. Note that the South River, which is coming back into its own, has been stocked.


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Alleghany Co.
Clifton Forge Reservoir (03/11 Late)
Pounding Mill Creek (03/16)
Smith Creek (03/16)
Augusta Co.
Back Creek (03/14)
Mills Creek (03/14)
Braley Pond (03/15)
Hearthstone Lake (03/15)
Elkhorn Lake (03/15)
Bath Co.
Douthat Lake (03/17)
Jackson River (Hidden Valley) (03/17)
Botetourt Co.
Roaring Run (03/12)
Carroll Co.
Crooked Creek (03/17)
Little Reed Island Creek (03/17)
Lovills Creek (03/14)
Stewarts Creek (03/14)
Floyd Co.
Goose Creek (03/15)
Laurel Fork (03/15)
Franklin Co.
Pigg River (03/17)
Giles Co.
Dismal Creek (03/16)
Grayson Co.
Fox Creek (03/14)
Helton Creek (03/14)
Middle Fox Creek (03/14)
Greene Co.
South River (03/14)
Swift Run (03/14)
Henry Co.
Smith River (Lower) (03/14)
Madison Co.
Robinson River (03/17)
Nelson Co.
South Rockfish River (03/16)
Page co.
Hawksbill Creek (03/16)
Patrick Co.
Dan River (above Talbott) (03/15)
Poorhouse Creek (03/16)
Round Meadow Creek (03/15)
South Mayo River (North Fork) (03/16)
South Mayo River (South Fork) (03/16)
Roanoke County
Roanoke River (City) (03/16)
Roanoke River (Salem) (03/16)
Rockbridge Co.
South River (03/14)
Rockingham Co.
Dry River (03/17)
Russell Co.
Big Cedar Creek (03/17)
Scott Co.
Bark Camp Lake (03/17)
Smyth Co.
Middle Fork Holston River (Marion) (03/12)
Staley Creek (03/12)
Staunton (City of)
Lake Tams (03/15)
Warren Co.
Happy Creek (03/17)
Wise Co.
Clear Creek (03/16)
Middle Fork Powell River (03/16)
Wythe Co.
Stoney Creek (03/14)
West Fork Reed Creek (03/14)
Cripple Creek (Ravens) (03/15)