A Day on the Bay

The Chesapeake Bay boasts a variety of wildlife and outdoor activities. However, with decades of abuse and a notoriously polluted past, the bay is a shadow of its old self. While the Chesapeake Bay may never completely recover to its original state, progress has been made towards repairing this resource and increasing populations of it’s native inhabitants.

Armed with a couple rods and kayaks, I met up with a friend to explore one of the numerous marshes along the bay. Rumors of red fish, stripers and speckled trout was all the motivation we needed to explore the area. Unfortunately, as is often a theme of saltwater fishing, inclement weather made it nearly impossible to find feeding fish. We managed to catch a few striper, a speck and a red before ominous clouds and thunder rolling just south of us threatened to end our day on the water. The storm stayed south of us before heading out to sea, but the change in atmospheric pressure remained and the fish seemed content on eluding our offerings for the rest of the day. The fishing was far from ideal, but fish were caught (on spinning tackle) and fun was had. We will be back.

Mossy Creek

Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley is a fisherman’s paradise. From wild trout to lurking musky, fish are plentiful. Tucked away in this lush valley, the legendary Mossy Creek holds some of Virginia’s greatest and toughest trout fishing. Monster brown trout lay hidden in the heavy weeds and undercut banks of this meandering spring fed creek. These elusive fish are wary of fishermen and are not often eager to take ones fly. I have spent multiple days completely humbled by these fish without so much as a bite. Persistence can pay off and the reward can be well worth the wait.

With dense vegetation lining the stream, nymphing can prove a frustrating endeavor. Many anglers, myself included, prefer an aerial approach. Abundant terrestrials and sporadic hatches can provide excellent dry fly fishing opportunities. Most of my success on this creek has come from casting dry flies to sighted fish. The vegetation and river hydrology make for very short drifts, so I tend to aim my casts just above the nose of the trout.  When there are no bugs coming off the water and no fish in view, running a streamer along the undercut banks is recommended. This can be especially effective in higher flows and murkier water. Regardless of technique, these fish have see many flies and are wary of imposters. A stealthy approach is essential or a shot at a fish could be lost before the fly touches the water. It is best to keep a low profile while walking along the bank, tread lightly, and watch out for the cows. Also, it should be noted that wading and fishing after dark is not permitted. 

Photo contributions: Charlie Church

Shenandoah River

After bidding a temporary farewell to the pristine brook trout laden streams of Shenandoah National Park, I entered stage two of a fisherman’s weekend. The Shenandoah River meanders patiently through the Shenandoah Valley and is home to many species of fish, smallmouth bass being one of them. Outfitted with a kayak, I approached her banks. The river was flowing well, fed by recent rains and only slightly off-color. Perfect conditions. After a few sloppy casts sending heavy flies whizzing past my head I adjusted to the heavier rod without serious bodily injury. I began by throwing a chartreuse CK baitfish which fooled a fish on the third cast. The fish were active and continued to hammer the baitfish pattern all day. While the fishing was consistently good all day, it was incredible in the late afternoon. Recognizing this bite surge, I docked my kayak opting to wade fish and cover the water more thoroughly. Standing in the middle of the river, I was hooking fish on every other cast 360 degrees around me when I noticed a shadow appear out of the glare. I cast my baitfish a few feet upstream of the shadow before slowly stripping it back. The bright color and large profile of the chartreuse baitifsh was easy to follow with my eyes until it disappeared, engulfed in shadow. I set the hook hoping my eyes had not deceived me. Immediately, the line tightened under tension of a large smallmouth quickly followed by the stomach churning slack as the fish raced directly towards me. Stripping line like a mad man, I recovered the slack and put the fish on the reel. After several line ripping runs and inspired jumps, the fish exhausted itself and I had my personal record of a smallmouth. The afternoon blitz seemed to defy time, but the sun had gone down behind the mountains and darkness approached. I paddled the remaining two miles, content without throwing another cast. Tired and smiling, I loaded up my kayak at last light and returned to the city to begin planning the next adventure.

Shenandoah National Park

As seasons change, only fond memories of summer remain. Of these, Shenandoah National Park shines like a gem. The opportunity to pair backpacking with fishing is always a treat and Shenandoah National Park is a gracious host to the willing adventurer. With over 70 streams teeming with wild trout, choosing which trail to follow is a difficult decision. This time, I chose Jeremy's Run. I picked up a backcountry permit (which are free) from the ranger station and was on my way. The park rangers require some detail of your hiking plans as a precautionary measure incase the unplanned happens, like getting lost or getting into a fight with a black bear over trout. After a final check of my gear, I began hiking. The trail slowly descends a fern covered hillside shaded beneath a canopy of trees before connecting to stream in the valley. With trout on my mind, I quickly scouted out a campsite and dumped my pack, then began fishing. Sporadic hatches of everything from golden stones to sulphers to caddis throughout the day had the fish voraciously feeding on anything and everything. I fished two flies the entire day, only switching from my Royal Wulff to a stimulator because the first fly became so saturated with water,  and refused to float. It was one of those days where you quickly lose count of fish caught and even ballpark estimates seem hazy. A Shenandoah personal best 13” brookie highlighted the day and after a quick internal debate on whether or not to keep the fish, I decided to release it back to its home. A wild fish that size in such a small stream deserves to live and besides, I didn’t need any extra attention from some roaming black bear.

    Back at camp I threw a few more casts in the dwindling light before making the necessary preparations for the night: boil water for tomorrow’s drinking (I need to invest in a pump), hang food in tree, set up tent...what tent? Oh yeah, I decided not to bring one. The weather looked fine and I had opted for the lighter no tent option. I still had my trusty Tyvek for a ground cloth, so all was good, except for those weird looking bugs that kept on invading my personal space. After an hour of frantically flicking away wandering insects and shining my headlamp at every rustling leaf in nearby bushes, I finally drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

    At daybreak, I packed up my gear, leaving no trace (Boy Scouts taught me well) then departed for the second half of a fishy weekend. I made it back to the car around 8:30am where my kayak awaited me patiently. A short drive and 30 minutes later, I exchanged my 6ft 2wt rod for a 9ft 6wt and was ready to float down the Shenandoah River.