Frequently the largest trout choose feeding stations in the deep water right below the riffles during the winter on the delayed harvest streams. The current is not excessively fast so the trout can hold here easily.
These parts of the stream hold large populations of minnows and nymphs for the trout to feed upon. This presents an ideal situation for fishing a two fly rig. I like to fish the Shenandoah Silver Ghost Stream as the top fly on my 3X Leader. Then I use a Mr. Rapidan Soft Hackle Olive size 14 as the dropper below it. Swim this slowly across the stream bottom by stripping it six inches every 10 seconds. Cover all of the water down to where you come to the deepest part of the pool.
Once you reach the deepest part of the pool which is often 30-40 feet downstream of the riffles, a deeper running two fly rig is very productive. A Murray’s Heavy Chub Streamer with a Mr. Rapidan Soft Hackle Olive size 10 as a dropper is the best. A Sink Tip III line is very helpful to catch the trout holding in this deep water. The correct lead is very important in fishing these deep pools properly. I use my sinking 6ft 3X leader on the sinking tip line and attach my Chub Streamer to this. Tie 12-inches of 4X mono to the bend of the streamer hook with an improved clinch knot. Then tie on the Mr. Rapidan Soft Hackle Nymph. In order to mimic the deep, slow-swimming minnows in these parts of the pool the old line-hand-twist swimming retrieve is exceptional effective.
These two-fly rigs with a streamer and a dropper are great for delayed harvest streams in the winter.