For a year I’ve been contributing to the excellent magazine Dark Skies Fly Fishing. Available digitally or in print, this periodical is the spiritual successor to a publication that Mid Atlantic anglers relied upon for decades. In the February/March issue, I give a quick synopsis of what fly fishing looks like in the Shenandoah National …
In what is effectively a trip report from my most recent jaunt down to Virginia, I cover all the topics in the episode’s title and more. I don’t assume that you have a vested interest in what I do in my leisure time… well, aside from fly fishing. However, I do think that you and …
It would be easy to say that I regret not reading Christopher Camuto’s A Fly Fisherman’s Blue Ridge years ago. Not only is it well written, but the author’s experiences overlap with my own in a remarkable way. It is good enough that I can simply embrace that it was providentially saved for me today. …
It isn’t often that you’ll find me gushing about government agencies. While I have deep convictions about submitting to the magistrate, I’m confident that the state likes to carry a stick to redraw lines in the sand in a manner that can only be described as “willy nilly.” But when something good does come along …
Back at the tail end of June, things were pretty dry in Virginia’s piedmont region. I was down there in July, and saw the low flows with my own eyes. Rivers and creeks weren’t dried up. But low flows and high temperatures are a perfect combination for stressing out coldwater fish. Add in the high …
Last year, fishing within Shenandoah National Park was verboten from the beginning of August through the beginning of November. Similar bans have been enacted over the past decades. While brook trout populations generally manage to endure hot, dry conditions, it is prudent for such a well-visited area to limit fishing. Because by limiting fishing, they’re …
I was blessed to get a week and a half of vacation in one of my favorite places in this world: Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Along with general rest and a lot of family time, I was able to get out and do a little bit of fishing. In this week’s episode I talk through why …
I only lived in Pennsylvania for seven years. But the quantity and quality of the angling I squeezed in during grad school and my first career was remarkable. Primarily focusing on spring creeks, with the overwhelming majority of the time on three in particular, I can’t fathom how many days of my life were spent …
Luray, VA – Effective immediately, Shenandoah National Park officials have lifted a parkwide fishing closure. Extremely dry conditions and low stream flows prompted the ban on August 31. Recent rainfall has improved conditions resulting in lifting the fishing ban. However, Evan Childress, fish biologist, added, “Be gentle with the fish and the fragile environment they …
Luray, Virginia: Effective immediately, Shenandoah National Park’s streams and rivers are closed to fishing due to low stream flows and high water temperatures. This closure is being implemented to ensure the long term health of the fish populations in the park. Dry conditions have led to extremely low stream flows throughout the Park, including some …
