Stream Conditions April 20, 2019 9:00a.m. We received heavy rains last evening. If you go to the very heads of the mountain trout streams coming in from the top of the mountains and Skyline Drive you can still get some good fishing even though the streams are full. The bottoms of the the trout streams are still too full for good fishing but should be better by the first of the week.
The large trout are selecting the primary feeding stations in each pool. The first spot I expect to find this trout is on the lip of the pool. If he is not there he will be on the corner of the pool. If you see him rising go one-on-one with him. If you don't see rising trout go ahead and fish these two feeding stations as well as the runs on each side of the incoming riffle in the head of the pool. The Mr. Rapidan Parachute Dry size 14, the Mr. Rapidan Emerger size 14 and the Blue Quill Dry size 16 will help you catch many trout.
Stream Conditions: This is a great time to park on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, and National Forest roads on top of the mountains and hike down the trails to fish the upper sections of the streams. You will get better fishing and water levels by hiking in from the upper reaches. The northern and central section from milepost 0 to 65.5 is open. To check the status of the Skyline Drive please call 540-999-3500, option 1, option 1 for the latest update before heading to these streams.
Recommended Gear: I am using a 7 1/2ft 5X Classic Leader on a 2 to 4 weight fly rod--preferably 8ft or shorter.