Holmes Run Report 10-16

[Andrew Caballero-Reynolds]

Spent the afternoon on Holmes run, one small rainbow on a prince nymph in one of the deeper holes, and about what seemed like a thousand blue gills. Has anyone else had any luck with the stocked trout on the creek?

[Forrest Allen]

I went there last Tuesday. Saw about a dozen trout, and a few were breaking the surface at sundown. As has happened to me there on my previous visit, I was unsuccessful. I'm not quite sure what the deal is, but I bounced wiggle worms, prince nymphs, copper johns, and zebra midges off their heads, only to have them slowly move upstream about 10 feet. I only got to fish for about an hour, though, because that place is creepy after the sun goes down so I boogie on out of there. It also smells terrible.

Guys with spin reels said the caught an 18 incher about 20 minutes before I showed up. If I go back, Ill probably try woolly buggers and some sort of dry fly. 

[Kevin Huntington]

Most of the time recently stocked fish will take a week or two to get the lay of the land, settle into their runs and start feeding on things coming downstream and not pellets thrown in the top of the tank (also why they eat topwater flies - they just mistake them for floating pellets).  They usually just chase each other around and battle for the best holding grounds for at least the first week.

I would give it another shot maybe this weekend and see if it's any different.  That's provided that they all haven't been snagged by bait fishermen or transformed into the walking dead - a common occurrence for VA stocked trout. Consider yourself a champ if you can catch one that has more than 1/2 a tail!