Fly fishing with deer hair bass bugs for smallmouth bass–let’s discuss when, where, and how.



When our smallmouth rivers get low and the bass become wary, wade upstream and fish upstream to prevent scaring them. I also make longer casts than I do earlier in the season. I can cast deer hair bass bugs further than poppers. As the season progresses, smallmouth bass seek feeding stations along the shady banks. In order to get the smoothest presentation and longest cast, the Tapply Bugs are trimmed closely making them ideal for this type fishing.



There are stretches on both the North and South Fork of the Shenandoah River that are excellent for this type fishing. Most evenings I take my Scott Centric 9ft 7-weight fly rod with deer hair bugs and fish tight to the shaded banks for several miles. LISTEN TO THE REST OF THE PODCAST >>



Learn to Fly Fish in Schools held on the Shenandoah River



Fly Fishing for Wild Mountain Trout



July brings on some of my favorite fishing for wild mountain trout. This is wading cautiously upstream and spotting the trout holding on their feeding stations. Seldom do we spot a trout holding clearly exposed before us. Rather, we discern some slight physical feature which appears out of place before us. Then closer scrutiny reveals our trout.The easiest signal that betrays a trouts location to me is his slight movement. This could be his subtle turn to intercept a drifting nymph or just his readjustment on the feeding station.The contrast in the color of a trouts back and the stream bottom over which he is lying easily betrays his location. Likewise, the ivory edges of the fins on a brook trout when he is holding over a dark stream bottom shows his exact location. See Chapter 4 of my book Trout Fishing in the Shenandoah National Park for more information on these signals.



A Message from the Shenandoah National Park –June 28, 2024



Shenandoah National Park’s streams and rivers are closed to fishing due to low flows and high water temperatures.



Dry conditions have led to extremely low stream flows throughout the park, including some river sections that are completely dry. Hot weather has also led to high water temperatures. Despite some rain on Wednesday, June 26, river flows remain low and are expected to continue dropping with continued hot, dry weather.



Low flows and high temperatures create extremely stressful conditions for fish, and dissolved oxygen can decline to fatal conditions. The additional stress of angling during these conditions could harm the native brook trout populations, which are already low across much of the park. This closure is for all streams within park boundaries including both open-to-harvest and catch-and-release waters. The closure will be lifted when stream conditions improve. Stream flows are expected to remain low until significant precipitation occurs across the area.



Although it has been rare for the park to close fishing in the past few decades, it was done in response to drought conditions in 2021 and 2023.