Easter Weekend Virginia Blue Ridge Mountain Brookies

 

 

Johnny, Bobby, myself and Cooper made a trip up to a Piney River tributary in the Blue Ridge mountains while everyone was in town for the twins baptism in Lynchburg, VA over Easter weekend.  This was John's first crack at fly fishing and we went chasing some brookies on a sunny March day.  The morning started out a little slow but as the sun came up over the mountains, the brookies started eating dries and made for an awesome afternoon.  John had never cast a fly rod, so this was trial by fire...similar to the bird hunt we had in October. 

A typical 5-6" brookie that ate a dry



Cooper trying to get in on the action

Bobby fishing a gin clear run







Awesome pocket water

 

Johnny's first brookie - nailed everything but the photo shoot!

Bobby working a pool with an attractor dry

 









Cooper spotting fish for me

There isn't much more I enjoy now than watching someone catch their first trout and the fever that follows. The whole process is great from the first few 'misses' to actual hook set and mild panic to get that first one landed. The highlight of the trip was Johnny's hooking into the big fish of the day that pushed 9-10"! A spotted orange-bellied mountain monster!  I watched him hook it from the top of a steep hill and after I watched it go airborne, I had to slide down the hill to snap a picture.

Everyone caught trout, along with a stream side lunch and a few good beers. Hopefully the next time Johnny ventures up to Vermont or the Poconos, he'll have a 3 wt and some attractor dries!

Doesn't get any better than this!

2013 Yough Maiden Voyage

Its been a long time since I wet a line and I have to say this one felt great just to get out.  David and I went out for a quick tail race float on the Yough on a great 60 degree winter day.  There was only a trickle coming out of the dam (around 300 CFS) but the Cassleman was providing a good flow of muddy runoff water.  We picked a few fish up in the tail race section and then a few more below the Cassleman.  There were little black stoneflies (#16-18) that were being washed out of the Cassleman that we could see wiggling all over the place in the water column.  Apparently the trout noticed them too, because that was the hot fly.  There were no trout actually working the surface and our little Blue Winged friends never showed up today.  Here's to a great season on the Yough.

 

Looking up to the snow covered mountains over Confluence

A couple healthy Yough bows