The Murray's Flying Beetle is one of my favorite summer trout flies because it enables me to catch trout in a broad variety of conditions. Not only do I catch trout where they have access to feed on natural beetles but as an "attention getter." Often I've had a large trout rise to investigate my dry fly which matches the hatch only to refuse it. Then I put on a Murray's Flying Beetle size 14 and present it with a snap of the rod tip so it lands on the stream with a splash just below the trouts' tail and two feet to his side. Usually he will turn back and quickly grab my Flying Beetle. This ploy enables me to catch many trout I would not catch otherwise. Fish these on a Classic 6X leader either in 9ft or 7 1/2ft.
Stream Conditions: These streams are clear so wade carefully and sneak along so you do not spook the fish. 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 can also get good fishing by accessing the streams from the bottom and hiking up .For more information on these streams and access, check out my book Trout Fishing in the Shenandoah National Park.
Skyline Drive is now open in all sections. This can change frequently if we have storms. 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 6ft or 7 1/2ft 5X Leader on a 2 to 4 weight fly rod--preferably 8ft or shorter.