Fly Fishing Around High Water Levels

Fly Fishing Around High Water Levels

Fly Fishing Tips Podcast by Harry Murray

Trout Fishing

Many of you are itching to get on the mountain trout streams and enjoy the trout fishing. As many of you know this time of the year usually provides extremely low water levels.  This year, that is not the case.  The heavy rains we have been receiving all summer have prolonged the trout fishing in these native brook trout streams.  Although now you have to find a stream that doesn’t have high water.  In this podcast I am discussing how to fish the mountain trout streams and how to get to the best water levels.  I am fishing the upper reaches of these streams to get to the better water and fishing dry flies in the corner of the pool.  (See page 31 of my book Trout Fishing in the Shenandoah National Park for more information.)  A Murray’s Flying Beetle size 14 seldom lets me down.

Bass Fishing

There are several feeder streams that run into the North Fork of the Shenandoah River causing different water levels at different areas.  In times like this summer, with the heavy rains, if you can get upstream of those feeder streams then you can usually get above the higher water and get some good fishing.  With the river being discolored my rule of thumb is if I am standing in the river knee deep and I can see my feet then I should get some good fishing.  A Murray’s Heavy Hellgrammite, Black size 4, Magnum Darter size 4, and Magnum HogSucker size 4 work well in the slightly discolored water.

Remember to wade safely and carefully!  I always have my Folstaf Wading Staff with me not only for stability but to also help me see or feel the step in front of me.

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