Go To near Graves Mountain Lodge

[Brian]

Looking for a spot to hit Sunday afternoon after an appointment with CfR at Graves Mountain Lodge.  Do I just go park side and hit the Rose?  Head up to the Hughes or Hazel?  What are your thoughts?

[James M.]

Those streams at the bottom of the park (in elevation) might be rough with all the rain this week, and tomorrow and Saturday are supposed to make things even worse.  If you have enough time to drive around to Skyline, you'll probably be better off fishing from the top of the mountain down.  Alternatively, you could hit some of the smaller streams like the Staunton, Brokenback, or Cedar run from the bottom up.  The Staunton usually sucks and is super low, but it's easy to access and after all this rain it might actually be alright. 

If Saturday is dry, you might be alright by Sunday afternoon. Those streams usually clear up pretty quick.  Good luck - hope you find a decent place to wet a line.

[Gregg DiSalvo]

I'd agree with the top down approach.  I've enjoyed checking out some of the smallest streams when there is a lot of rain.  Look for the streams that get low in summer and you'll find they are much easier to fish with loads of rain.  I'm a bit clumsy when it comes to sneaking around....bad knees and pure laziness leads to spooking a lot of fish in low water.  This weekend is a great time to take advantage of higher flows in the diminutive streams!  

On Thursday, May 17, 2018 at 2:32:59 PM UTC-4, Brian wrote:

[Carl Z.]

The rose in front of Graves is a bit shallow and accessable.  You can drive up to the White Oak canyon trailhead and hike up that a bit.  Or drive over to the Rapidan.  The road is a bit rough, but I wouldn't try to go too far back.  Just stop when you see the river and fish, especially if you don't have much time.

I agree that water level is going to be key.  It might be time to hang out and tell fishing stories or fish for panfish in the pond at the lodge.

Carl

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Carl Zmola

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http://www.tpfr.org
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[Andrew Sarcinello]

I'd go with Staunton. Completely disagree that it "usually sucks". I've never had a bad day there and the good days are outstanding, though it's rare to catch one over 8". Just don't start fishing until about a quarter mile up from the mouth on the Rapidan. It gets better as you go up.

Recent reports posted here from Hazel were mostly people questioning whether it has trout at all. Would avoid that one.

[Brian]

Thanks folks.  It may be tough and time may be tight, but it's nice to have the wisdom of crowds!