Fishing Report

What, no other fishing reports since mine of 10 April-18 May 2006? Please post reports, as they tell of successes and failures and more importantly they lend perspective on trout activity and populations. Particularly post if you have info that bears on the Delayed Harvest Sections of Roanoke River in Green Hill Park and Salem (GHP-DHS; S-DHS). Or, if folks would send reports and tidbits to me (email preferred: jenkins@roanoke.edu; 375-2463), I’d collate and submit them for posting.

Roanoke River – 18 Oct-18 Dec 2006

Trout-stocking occurred on 16 Oct (see Stocking Report on website). The following pertains to the GHP-DHS. From my frequent fishing in mid to late afternoons of relatively warm days, trout didn’t start biting much until a few days after stocking. Other persons and I caught moderate numbers of trout in the week after stocking. In early Nov to early Dec I fished the river few times owing to high and turbid water from frequent rains. Thenafter I caught few fish and this seemed the case with most of about ten anglers queried. Casting nymphs on 5 mid-Dec days (11, 13-15, 18 Dec) during 2-4 afternoon hours of warm weather (60s-74 F), each day I landed only 1 trout of 11-13”; I perceived only 2 other takes. Disappointingly, midges were quite rare, I saw 2 tiny baetid duns, and I never saw a rise. Maybe exceptional on one day each in early Dec, Tom Turner caught 8 trout and Ron Herring caught 9.

Are there many trout in GHP? Mostly poached-out? What’s the evidence for and the degree of poaching? Are the trout dispersed down- or upstream from the park? Unlike during spring hatches of 2006 when good numbers of trout rose and thus could be “inventoried”, currently cold water precludes analogous indices of the population. But suggestions from fishing are that the park population of trout is quite small. I probed by interviewing anglers (see above) and by sight. I saw no trout in the first three pools above the park on a warm day with crystal clear water, good sunlight, polaroids, and from high-bank vistas; that day I caught no trout there. I was told first-handed of a Rainbow taken recently in the first pool above the park. I was similarly informed of a few trout recently taken (and killed, including one of 18”) behind the River Rock bar and restaurant. And likewise I learned of a 16” Brookie taken in late Oct or early Nov at the Glenvar bridge, much above the park. These are non-stocked reaches.

Smith River – 11 Nov 2006

Fished from the lengthy section of flat and heavily vegetated runs (~0.3 mi below mirror pool – let’s call it Weedy Runs) down into Trestle Pool, for 3 hr during midafternoon to dusk. I wanted to fish dry flies for wild Browns, partly to “test” my perspective of fishing for mostly small trout after catching big (personal-best) trout in Riverbound streams. I loved it, despite that fishing was tough as usual for Smith River . I had 5 takes; hooked, landed them all – 2 stocked Rainbows of 12” each; 3 wild Browns, 7”, 7”, 11”. A 13” wild Brown was fresh-dead DOR (dead on river).

It was great to fish a section that I hadn’t in 20 yr, and I realized anew that the Smith has much to love. Lots more trout were rising this day, and more frequently so, than I encountered in three reaches of the Jackson River tailwater during several Oct days. A very interesting fish was making big bulges; I made a few good drifts to it; no dice; I may not have put it down as it had been rising very infrequently; I didn’t tarry with that fish as I aimed to see more of the river. I put down numerous fish; they, even the small fish, demand perfection; it appeared that they were at least mainly eating midge pupae, but I didn’t tie one on. All 5 fish were taken on dryflies – the Rainbows and one small Brown took a #18 Straddle-Legged Midge (modified from Chauncey Lively’s design). Got the other two including the largest just before dark on a #16 baetid dun (tied by Andrij Horodysky).

Smith River – 17 Dec 2006

Grown tired of drifting nymphs and recalling the ample surface feeding during 11 Nov, I took a break from the Roanoke River and headed to the Smith with great expectation of an abundant midge hatch and maybe even baetids adrift. I fished a nymph from Weedy Runs down through much of Trestle Pool. Bad day for me – only one take, missed it, on my “last” cast. Warm day (74 F) but no hatch and only two rises seen while fishing from 2:30 to late dusk at 5:00. The place looked dead, as the Smith and many other Brown Trout streams can seem in absence of a hatch. But after many years of hardly fishing the Smith, and then only in the far upper reach of the SRS, I am so very impressed with the river’s diversity and high quality of physical habitat, trout-holding water. (And all those conflicting currents among much varied depths don’t render easy fishing.) Awaiting spring hatches…

Riverbound – Little River, Big Cedar Creek – 8, 15, 25 Nov, 10 Dec.

All Rainbows landed: 14”, 18”, 19” (1 each), 22” (3), 24” (1), 27-28” (3); all quite robust; the latter 3 fish probably were 8-9 lb. That’s 10 trout, all taken on #12-#16 nymphs, 2x-5x tippets. Many other fishers of Riverbound streams seem to catch more fish there than I do, partly because I rarely weight the tippet, don’t fish large attractor flies, and for much of the time I mainly recon by just trying to see the extent of habitat, to learn the better casting positions and drift lanes.

Only on my last visit had it not rained recently, so only then was the water clear and trout could be seen to 4-5’ depths. Shallow-holding fish were easily spooked; drag-free drifting nymphs worked best. Ice was on nearly still bank-margin areas; trout takes were nearly imperceptible unless the nymph was drifted right to the fish and its mouth was seen to open; and the fish were quite lethargic when hooked – a far cry from earlier visits when all fish fought strongly and one twice ran into backing. On some visits, rises – big boils – occurred rarely to occasionally to unseen fare on the surface or just below! Again, awaiting spring hatches!

Roanoke River at Green Hill Park - May 18, 2006

Bob Jenkins' report. Roanoke River in Green Hill Park has been special – Now all-green banks, usually clear water, lots of aquatic insects, rising trout, and no Didymosphenius (gray-mass, algal, serious pest). As of the second week of May or later, now we have: (1) Cream Cahills (genus Maccaffertium [formerly Stenonema]), these replacing the Gray Fox/March Brown of mostly April. (2) The beautiful Yellow Cahills (genus Stenacron); Cream Cahill is much more numerous. (3) Occasionally the Mahogany Drake (also dubbed Great Slate Drake, genus Isonychia). (4) The early “Sulphur” – apparently Ephemerella invaria, size 14-15 (Early Sulphur, or Light Hendirckson), is now replaced, but in relatively low numbers so far, by the true Sulphur, size 18 (Ephemerella dorothea), this starting by at least 14 May. Spinner groups of some of these mayflies have been a joy to watch. Several species of caddisflies are active; some size 10-12 yellowish stoneflies were seen. In the last six weeks I frequently collected insect larvae and adults, and not fished on some days.

As of 15 May we have another load to stocked trout in the Green Hill Park section, and they seem to be tuning to hatches. Yesterday evening I landed an 18” Brown on a Cahill emerger; it’s general body tone was orangish between brown markings, the spots not sharp-edged, differing from the distinctly spotted red-orange we’ve form been seeing.

I must teach a course for 10 days on Eleuthera in The Bahamas starting this Saturday. I hate to miss the further progression of hatches and trout feeding on them, but I’ll not miss the slaughter when harvest is no longer delayed, starting 1 June.

Roanoke River - Lower Special Regs Area - May 17, 2006

Tom Brown's report. Dan Genest, our speaker at the May meeting, John Ross, the state council president and I fished the lower special regs section of the Roanoke on Wednesday afternoon before the chapter meeting. Apparently the word on the last stocking of the year was not an exaggeration as we found good sized
fish in profusion. I landed several fish in the 1 1/2 to 2 pound class. Mostly browns but a few rainbows as well. We did not find any of the large brookies that were supposedly stocked but they may have only been put into the Green Hill Park section.

In the early afternoon Dan landed several fish on a #14 gray "Smith River Caddis" that Dover gave him. By 3:30 they had lost interest in dry flies but came readily to practically any streamer run in front of them. We got mostly reaction strikes, sometime as many as four or five per cast. This
indicates to me that they have not really acclimated to the river yet, are hungry and confused and willing to take a shot at just about anything that might be food. Within days they should begin to figure out how to feed and the fishing will not be quite so easy. On the upside to that observation,
the hatches on the river are picking up and we should have a good time on dry flies just about every evening until the water warms up enough to make the fish lethargic.

Roanoke River at Green Hill Park 10-15, 19-20 Apr 2006

Bob Jenkins' report. The above dates on Roanoke R and my Smith R day mark seven (7!!!) consecutive days of fishing (mostly in evening), my first time ever for such a sequence, as allowed by teaching only half time, as I’m phasing to retirement from teaching (but not from research). It’s terrific to have Roanoke R’s delayed harvest sections so close to home and workplace. I didn’t fish much in the preceding 10 years.

I’d been on the river in Green Hill Park occasionally in Feb-early Apr during late afternoons, caught trout some days, not on others. Monday, 15 Apr was new to me – a real mayfly hatch, and fish of 12-16” came easy to dry flies that day and the next. The mayflies were Gray Fox (sometimes called Ginger Quill), #12-14, the larger ones colored like the smaller ones. Gray Fox is now synonymous with the March Brown; that is, Maccaffertium fuscum is synonymous with M. vicarium. The Roanoke R flies have a slightly yellowish, cream underside; pale legs with dark speckles; and light gray wings. On Mon and Tue Gray Fox began hatching at least by mid or late afternoon and ended in dusk; it was good to fish a hatch during 2-3 hr of daylight. But in warmer water on Wed, 12 Apr, the hatch began at early dusk and ended at late dusk; very hard to see on the water my fly, lacking big pale upright wings. Starting Thu, 13 Apr, and on the later days I fished (see above), hatching frustratingly began in mid-dusk and lasted only ~20 min. I first saw Gray Fox spinners in flight over runs on Thur, usually a group of 10-20 males, and they appeared on each subsequent evening when I was on-river. I don’t know that the females landed on the water before I departed upon darkness; perhaps they didn’t as I detected no increase of rising by trout. Surely they’ll be more Gray Fox hatching based on my sampling of nymphs, although some of these abundant, med-lg nymphs probably are a Light Cahill type (M. ithaca-like). A different very pale mayfly will also hatch, a species of Stenacron, based on sampling nymphs.

During my bottom-sampling in 10-20 Apr I found ephemerillids to be common, and many of these mostly somewhat chunky and mainly tan nymphs had black wingpads, indicating imminent emergence. Sat evening, 15 Apr, at dusk I firstly saw one of the ephemerellids hatching, ~#16, olive body, med gray wing. Trout were on the duns. I prefer to not call them “bluewing olive” as so many mayfly species, some distantly related to each other and having different habits, often are called that name. In the lower part of the Green Hill section on 19-20 Apr, female ephemerellid spinners were flying upstream and toting an orange egg sac. I expect more ephemerellids to start hatching, including a “sulphur,” which could include 2-3 species.

Using the term “ephemerellid” connotes family Ephemerellidae and nothing more specific. I use the term particularly when I haven’t captured, preserved, examined, and identified the insect genus (~6 genera are in the family), certainly not the species. It’s very difficult or impossible to identify almost all fly species “on the wing”; about the same can be said for color of the flies when seen in flight; often a “dark” fly in flight is light when in hand. If someone wants me to identify an insect, I need a specimen/s in hand.

Have good names been coined for the Green Hill section, i.e., concise names other than descriptions such as “first pool below the picnic area” (which could refer to the pool by the picnic area that extends below the picnic area, or the pool entirely below the picnic area)? How about (progressing upstream)?: Stonehouse (or Lower) Pool; Picnic Pool; Twin Pools (2 pools connected by a short run; 1 could be named Lower Twin Pool, the other Upper Twin Pool); and Upper Park Pool.

I’ve been trying to learn much of the Green Hill section, its habitat and trout and bug populations. I’ve had very little success fishing riffles and runs in the upper 1/3 and lower 1/3 of the Park. In 3 nymphing session in the generally shallow runs and riffles starting just above Upper Twin Pool, I caught only 4 trout, 1 of them apparently twice, all this indicating a very sparse trout population. I had about the same poor success in the very fishy structure of the runs, riffles, and pools extending from the tail of Stonehouse Pool down to Diuguids Rd and ~200 m below. What’s the deal?

Smith River 16 Apr 2006

Bob Jenkins' report. Josh Haddock and I fished the Smith during 1515 hr to dark (2015 hr). A beautiful day, blue sky with scudding white clouds, and very briefly a few rain sprinkles. River low, clear; Riverweed (Podostemum) growth on rocks profuse and loaded with ephemerellid nymphs. The mayfly dun hatch apparently just began as we entered the upper reach of the spec regs section, the main flies being Ephemerella berneri, not the true Hendrickson (E. subvaria) so well known NE of VA, although the Smith species is often referred to as a “Hendrickson” or “Smith River Hendrickson.” Hatching frequency of E. berneri was moderate, finishing essentially by 1830 hr. Upon appearing on the surface most duns generally were quickly eaten or took flight.

Ephemerella berneri is a beautiful fly on close inspection, and we could dub it the Chestnut Graywing: typically #14; medium gray wings; ventrally mostly yellowish cream to tan; dorsally mostly chestnut brown, with a pale band dorso-posteriorly on most segments; forelegs black, mid- and hindlegs white (based on personal obs, and Kondratieff et al. 1981. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash 83(2): 300-303). Based on the total few duns Josh and I captured and preserved, at least one other, similar ephemerellid was hatching, this one not as dark dorsally and slightly larger, ~#15. Also seen were very few Gray Fox (Maccaffertium vicarium) duns; 1 tiny baetid; numerous sm-med gray caddisflies; 1 med stonefly.

I landed 5 wild Browns (2 of 4”, 2 of 8”, 1 of 11”) and an 11” stocked Rainbow, all on a #14 red-brown, pale-legged and -tailed, chunky nymph I tied ~25 yr ago to imitate the Chestnut Graywing. Again, mostly small but beautiful Browns; I suspect age-groups 1, 2, and 3 are represented by the 5 fish. I greatly lament the currently slow growth of Smith R trout, as during the “Great Times” of the Smith I fished within Stanleytown to Philpott Dam somewhat regularly during 1976-1985. Back then, using scales I aged a 22” Brown as only 4 yr old!

Roanoke River - March 11, 2006

Dick Taylor's Report. Saturday morn was spent walking around the woods in Franklin County about 6:30 am listening and watching for turkeys to wake up. Saw two fly off a roosting tree and heard three more gobbling. Won't be long before there might be more turkey biots and feathers available for tying. Have some more feathers from last years birds; so, may bring them to the meeting. Spring gobbler season opens April 8th. Youth day is April 1st.

Making up for lost time; so, headed back to the Roanoke River on Sunday. Started below the Colorado Street bridge and decided to use the Prince Nymph for the day again. Caught two decent rainbows and then; surprise, a big carp slurped up the nymph and I had a good fight for a while. Went back on the other side of the bridge and managed three more rainbows there. Headed back to Green Hill Park around 4:00 pm and fished the lower stretch, not quite to the bridge. Tied into two more rainbows there and missed a few more. Haven't caught a brown yet. Really need some rain as the river is getting pretty low. Mailed in my request for a Mossy Creek permit and am going to have to make it up there this year.

Whitetop Laurel - March 10, 2006

Tom Brown's report. I fished Whitetop Laurel from the parking area downstream of Beartree Park up to Taylor's Valley and back on Friday the 10th. Hit the water about 11:45 and took a temperature reading of 45* farenheit. While I saw a few insects through the day there was nothing resembling a hatch all day. I think the stream should turn on with a few more days of warm weather and sunshine. The water is very low and will also benefit greatly from the next rain.

From the time I arrived I mostly walked and looked for active fish until after lunch about 2:30. Saw two fish, one was feeding in a lie I couldn't reach and the other was simply holding in slack water. After lunch at the Taylor's Valley Cafe I headed back downstream and managed to trick two juvenile rainbows with a size 14 stimulator. Finally, a few minutes before dark I put on a crawfish streamer and hooked up on five fish in quick succession. All but one were 14-16 inch browns feeding over shallow gravel next to deeper water. The other was a 12 inch rainbow holding under a small plunge.

Upper Jackson River - March 9 - 10, 2006

Hans Loberg's report. The parking lot at Hidden Valley was almost filled up; - turned out they had stocked the put-and take section the day before. We used our mountain bikes to cover the 1.4 mile stretch from the Hidden Valley parking lot to the beginning of the Special Regs area at Swinging Bridge. Took the bikes across the river and biked another mile upstream and had the river to ourselves. The water flow was good at about 75cps and the weather very nice with temperatures in the upper sixties (did not check the water temp). There were a few stone flies, some caddis and an occasional BWO buzzing around, but the trout did not seem to care much. There was however quite a bit of sipping in the surface at times. Apparently they went for some small black terrestrial type flies, size 22-24, they were alive and just going down the river for a ride on the surface.

The trout did come up to take different dry flies, -parachute Adams, BWOs, midge patterns, - nothing consistent, but we did catch enough fish, some nice sizes too, on both days, to consider it good fishing. On Friday afternoon I caught three in a row after I switched to a size 22 black spinner. Something to keep in mind, spinners can work at times other than the traditional evening spinner fall after a hatch. As usual, I let Anke have the "hot spots" in order to maintain her tradition of catching more and bigger fish than I did.

On Thursday, we got a text message from our son, Rolf, fishing the Roanoke River: "I got the BIG one!"

Upper Jackson River - March 5, 2006

Parick Klingensmith's report. I fished the Upper Jackson river on Saturday. Water was fairly low and crystal clear, considering the time of the year. I did not take a water temp, though if I had to take a crack at it, I’d say it was still hovering in the mid to upper 30s. Water was icing up on the edges in the morning, though the sun melted it as the day progressed. Fish began to turn on in the early afternoon. I caught some fish, though definitely didn’t hammer them and lost quite a few as well. The prize catch of the day was a 14 inch wild brown. They were taking various beadhead nymphs.

Little Stoney Creek - March 5, 2006

George Kessler's report. Sunday 3, 2006 . Went to Little Stoney Creek below the Falls. What a beautiful day. It really did not matter that the fishing was mediocre. Lots of foot traffic...Tech students, families with small kids, just a perfect early spring day to be in the sunshine.

The water flow was low for early March. But, as we all know................we need rain! The several Bows that I caught were small 9 to 10 inches but boy were they beautiful. Full of color and I did not see any hook marks.

We left about 3 o'clock ( had to get back to Roanoke). Some 16 caddis were starting to move off the moss on the rocks when we left. The Cascades and Little Stoney is a wonderful resource. You don'T have to fish. But why waste a perfect day on just hiking.

Roanoke River - March 2, 2006

Dick Taylor's report. Got up to 73° today; but, the wind was howling at about 25-30 mph when I started fishing at Green Hill Park about 1: 00 pm today. First time since about last October. Caught four nice rainbows; the first one a fat 15" . Missed about 3-4 more. Caught them on nymphs cause you would hardly be able to fish a dry fly today with the wind. Maybe you might have been able to catch a flying fish cause your line would have been about a foot above the water! Met a young fellow that was leaving as I got there and he told me he caught eight before the wind came up. He fished the upper stretch, above the picnic area, and got them all there. I started out in the upper area above the picnic grounds and then fished from the lower big hole down to the bridge. Missed a nice one there on a nymph tied with all green beads instead of the brown ones. Just started to pick up the line to roll cast it back upstream when a good one hit in the slack water and I broke him right off. Called it quits about 4:00 pm.

Roanoke River - February 7, 2006

Hans Loberg's report. The weather was miserable. In the afternoon, at the upper pool in Green Hill park, with the temperature in the low forties and breezy conditions, I stubbornly pretended that I was enjoying the experience. My cold feet and frozen wet fingers, however, said otherwise. The positive aspect; the only reason I was toughing it out, was that for the first time there was a significant surface activity as the trout were busy sipping off midges. I barely managed to change my size 22 fly when it shredded after a couple of strikes. Midge fishing can be a frustrating challenge, particularly in cold and windy conditions, but then, - that's the way it should be at times. I think I'll wait for temperatures in the fifties or at least less windy conditions for my next attempt. If I'm lucky, I might even catch one. Maybe I'll bring Anke, - she keeps suggesting the "wrong" dry fly selection that quite often, for some reason, will catch more than one trout unfamiliar with proper rules of selectivity.

This page is to be used for disseminating information on the latest hot (or cold) fishing spots. It will be based upon information submitted by you, the active fishermen out there. Stocking reports can go here. Please submit your input to dickvipp@aol.com. Please include your name, specific dates, streams, areas, flies used, water conditions, etc. We will make every attempt to update this page on a timely basis.

Disclaimer - This writer accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of the information presented or your success in following it. If you're good you'll catch fish anyway - well maybe.