As Labor Day quickly brings yet another great summer to a proverbial close… I think I will Go Fishing! The crowded rivers of recreational boaters and tubers will disappear almost instantly next week. Conveniently, we received a nice round of showers this past week which increased the stream levels both for the native Brook Trout Streams within the Shenandoah National Park and Smallmouth Bass on the Shenandoah River. There is plenty of fishing yet to be had, in fact, this is one of my favorite times of the year. The early morning starts will turn to a more humane hour which my circadian rhythm prefers. The late evening floats are coming to an end around 8:30 pm or somewhere close. The Smallmouth Bass are looking down and up for just about anything you can throw at them. The Brook Trout continue to be spooky but for the next month that I fish for them, they will be feeding aggressively in preparation for spawning season (Oct. 5 or thereabout) and the winter that will follow. Well, enough writing, it’s time to go fishing. Enjoy your Weekend and if you cannot wet a line, make plans to fix that problem in short order!
FYI: As for the Brook Trout Spawning season; Virginia does not close trout season so it is up to you to stop fishing the Brookie streams in October while spawning is occurring. I encourage you and ask you to please encourage your friends to leave the Brookies alone from October until late February while the eggs are still in the redds. This simple action will help ensure plenty of fish for all of us in the years to come.
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