Fly fishing during the Hexagenia hatch has always been one of my favorite types of fishing. I can usually expect this hatch is late August and throughout September. Many smallmouth bass will rise to feed on the adult Hexagenia mayfly. A Mr. Rapidan Skater size 8 works well the last two hours of daylight on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River. This hatch can change from one day to the next and from one section of the river to the next. So try not to get discouraged.



Some evenings I see many splashy riseforms. This is inductive of the bass feeding on the emerging insects heading for the surface of the stream to hatch into adults. When I see many of these splashy riseforms, I attach a Mr. Rapidan Soft Hackle, Olive size 10 to a 24-inch dropper below the skater dry. This two fly combination will catch those bass feeding on the surface as well as those feeding on the emergers. LISTEN TO THE REST OF MY PODCAST >>>



Fly Fishing for Trout



At Charlie Foxes suggestion I developed the Murray’s Flying Beetle to cast in on the abundance of natural beetles which are available to the trout in the mountain streams throughout Virginia. There are over 300 beetle-type insects and the trout feed on all of them. When the major hatches are over, the Murray’s Flying Beetle becomes my number one fly.



I fish these either upstream dead drift with a slack line presentation or with a splat presentation. The splat presentation acts like a true beetle falling from a tree limb into the stream.



Please note the Shenandoah National Park remains closed to fishing because of low water levels. We will keep you updated as conditions change.