Fall Musky Fly Fishing on the Shenandoah River and Mid-Atlantic Rivers

Fall is one of my favorite times to chase musky with a fly rod. As the water cools and the leaves begin to change, the rivers seem to take on a different character. The days are shorter, water temperatures drop, and musky can become more willing to chase a large fly.

Here in the Shenandoah Valley, fall can be a very good time to spend a day looking for musky on the Shenandoah River. The same is true on many of the other Mid-Atlantic rivers where musky are found, including the New River, James River, Susquehanna River, and Potomac River. You don’t necessarily need the big weather changes that are often associated with musky fishing. What you need is your favorite 9-weight fly rod, a floating and intermediate fly line, a Murray’s Big Game Leader, and enough time to put the fly in front of a fish.

Why Fall Is a Good Time for Musky Fishing

As the water cools in the fall, musky can become more active as they prepare for winter. Baitfish have had the entire summer to grow and are now near their full size and plentiful in the river. This is one reason I like fishing larger baitfish-style streamers during the fall months.

I generally concentrate on the areas where a musky can hold and wait for a meal rather than trying to cover every inch of the river. Deep ledges, current breaks, large rocks, logjams, undercut banks, tributary mouths, and the heads and tails of deeper pools are all places I pay particular attention to.

Much like any fishing endeavor, committing the time required to catch musky is often the deciding factor in success. You may spend hours casting a large fly without seeing a fish, so I try to make those casts count by concentrating on good water and approaching it carefully.

Musky Fishing the Shenandoah River

The Shenandoah has many long, flat pools that can hold musky, as do many of our Mid-Atlantic rivers. These pools contain a lot of empty water, so rather than trying to cover every inch, I concentrate on the areas most likely to hold fish. Casting large musky flies with a fly rod can be tiring, making it important to approach each pool with a plan. I always keep two things in mind: number one, stealth, and number two, location.

Musky don’t necessarily need deep water to live, although we often find them close to deeper water. I look for current seams, shallow flats next to deeper water, rocky structure, downed trees, and places where two currents come together. These areas provide a musky with a place to hold while waiting for an opportunity to feed.

Pay close attention to areas where tributaries enter the river. After a rain, these smaller streams can bring dirty water into an otherwise clear river. I like to concentrate my fishing just below these tributaries. The discolored water seems to make the musky feel more comfortable, especially in bright sunlight, and can also concentrate baitfish. Many of my musky have come to hand in discolored water following a recent rainstorm.

In clear water, I try to make my first few casts count. Don’t assume there isn’t a fish simply because you don’t see one. A musky can be surprisingly difficult to spot until it decides to follow a fly.

Choosing Musky Flies

There is no reason to make musky fly fishing more complicated than it needs to be. I like large flies that move plenty of water. While some of my friends use a 10-weight fly rod, I prefer a 9-weight because it is easier for me to cast all day.

At Murray’s Fly Shop, we carry several musky and large-predator flies that I like for this type of fishing, including the Brushy Muskie Fly, Joe’s Electric Grape Muskie Leech, Joe’s Flathead Musky Fly, Predator Pounder, Deceiver, and Clouser Minnow.

You can see our complete selection of Musky Flies at Murray’s Fly Shop.

I like having several different colors and profiles available. Some days a large dark fly is what the fish want, while other days a lighter baitfish pattern gets more attention. I also carry flies with enough bulk and movement to make them visible in deeper or slightly stained water.

Use a Fly Rod Heavy Enough for Musky

One of the biggest mistakes I see when someone starts fishing for musky with a fly rod is trying to get by with a 6-, 7-, or even 8-weight bass fly rod. I find the 6- and 7-weights are just too light, and many 8-weights fall into the same category. This is all about the size fly and number of casts required. These are large flies, and casting them all day with a rod that doesn’t have enough power can turn a good day of fishing into hard work.

For most of the musky fishing I do in the Mid-Atlantic, I use a 9-weight fly rod. An 8-weight is a good all-around choice when you don’t want to commit to a 9-weight fly rod. Our Orvis Clearwater 9′ 8-weight Fly Rod & Reel Outfit is one option I like for this type of fishing. It has the power to cast larger flies and is also useful for bass, pike, and other larger freshwater fish.

When I’m throwing particularly large flies or fishing situations where I want more power, I prefer stepping up to a 9-weight. Our Scott Wave 9′ 9-weight Fly Rod & Reel Outfit is built around that heavier type of fishing and has the power needed to handle large streamers and windy conditions. This is also the same fly rod I use for pike fishing, saltwater fishing in the Mid-Atlantic, and Silver Salmon in Alaska.

You can also see all of our Fly Rod & Reel Outfits if you want to compare the different 8- and 9-weight options we carry.

Fly Line Selection – Intermediate vs. Sinking

I use the Scientific Anglers WF-9-F Sonar Titan Full Sink Intermediate Fly Line for most of my musky fishing. It gets the fly down to about three or four feet, which covers most of the water I fish. When I need to reach deeper water, I switch to the Scientific Anglers Sonar Sink 25 Cold Fly Line, which allows me to fish effectively at depths greater than four feet.

Don’t Forget the Leader

A good musky fly is only part of the equation. You also need a leader that is capable of handling a large fish with sharp teeth.

I want plenty of strength in the leader when I’m fishing for musky, particularly when I’m fishing around logs, rocks, and other heavy structure. The leader also needs to turn over the large fly properly. A leader that is too light or too soft can make casting a large musky fly unnecessarily difficult.

I also don’t try to make a musky cast look like a trout cast. With a big fly, I concentrate on making controlled casts and using the rod and line to turn the fly over rather than trying to make a delicate presentation.

Work the Fly All the Way Back to You

One thing I always try to emphasize when teaching someone to fish large streamers is to keep fishing the fly until the very end of the retrieve. By the end, I mean until the fly line-to-leader connection reaches the rod tip, not until the fly itself reaches the rod tip.

I don’t like to see the line-to-leader connection pulled inside the guides of the fly rod. I have seen more than one fly rod broken when the leader is stripped inside the guides and a musky decides to make one more run. The knot at the line-to-leader connection cannot pass smoothly through the guides when a fish takes off, and that can result in a broken rod.

A musky may follow a fly a long way without striking. Sometimes the fish will follow right to your feet or the side of the boat before making a move. This is why the final part of the retrieve is so important.

When the fly gets close, keep it moving and be prepared to make a wide turn or figure-eight-style movement beside the boat or along the bank. Don’t pull the fly straight out of the water the instant it gets close.

Fall Musky Fishing Is a Game of Patience

Musky fishing with a fly rod isn’t about catching a lot of fish. It is about putting yourself in a position to have that one opportunity.

You may cast a large fly hundreds of times without getting a strike. Then a big fish suddenly appears behind the fly, and all of the casting seems worthwhile.

That is one of the things I like most about fall musky fishing. You are covering some beautiful Mid-Atlantic rivers during one of the best times of year to be outside, and you never really know what is going to happen on the next cast.

If you are planning to fish the Shenandoah River or another Mid-Atlantic musky river this fall, stop by Murray’s Fly Shop or give us a call. We can help you put together the flies, leader, fly line, and 9-weight fly rod outfit you need to get started.

Murray’s Fly Shop
121 South Main Street
Edinburg, Virginia 22824
540-984-4212