Back Country Camping and Fishing
This is a wonderful time to hike into the back country of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachian Mountains in order to camp and fish for several days. Drive into the upper reaches of these mountains on the National Forest roads, Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive, and hike down the trails to the streams.
Many of these headwater streams have numerous branches. This enables you to fish several different streams over a long weekend from a centrally located campsite.
We presently have what I consider to be ideal angling conditions. That is,
- the stream levels are perfect,
- the water temperatures are excellent,
- the hatches are great and
- the trout are feeding heavily.
By pausing for a few moments below each pool one usually sees several trout feeding delicately in each pool. Drifting a Mr. Rapidan Parachute Dry Fly size 14 over these feeding stations usually brings a solid strike.
You are actually learning the cornerstone of serious trout fishing because many of these streams are populated by wild naturally reproducing trout who have learned to live by precise standards. Once one masters these conditions and understands the trout you can fish successfully all across the country. Many anglers who started in my mountain trout schools are now having great success fishing in the Rockies, Alaska, Argentina and New Zealand.
Selecting excellent locations to camp and fish in the back country is easy. Much of this information is available in my books Trout Fishing in the Shenandoah National Park and Virginia Blue Ribbon Streams. The hatch charts are featured in both of these books. This will help you know what aquatic insects to expect on the streams before you leave home and which flies you will need to match them.
Photo: Harry and a young Jeff Murray camping in the back country.