Not all is lost on the Shenandoah

[Jeffrey Silvan]

I ended up on a flat on the South Fork of the Shenandoah this past weekend. It was almost as far upstream as you can get while still being on the Shenandoah. I'm happy to report quite the opposite of what most (including me) have previously experienced on the Shenandoah this year. While the trip didn't compare to the one I had on the James, we had a very solid number of 12-16" fish. We had one that rang in at 18", but the number of fish we saw (and didn't hook) that were easily topping the 20" mark really surprised me. Of course, we still ran into a large number of dinks, which isn't a bad thing for the years to come. We took the fish on a combo of topwater and subsurface patterns. 

[TurbineBlade]

I haven't been up on the SF in a while now, but we thought the same thing this June-July when we were out there almost every weekend (good mid-sized fish, larger ones....including one I lost and still regret). 

I can't say the same for the LMB on the tidal Potomac.  In the places I fish anyway, they've been fewer and further between and mostly replaced with 5,000 dinker white perch in the same areas. To be honest, I haven't caught a single decent LMB this season.  Usually I'll get into a hefty one every weekend or so (+-) the last 2 years. Heck, even having no clue what I was doing I'd still catch a few that first season with the fly rod (as if anyone really knows ever, I guess).   

That said, I've been quite happy with the wild browns lately (size and number) and won't complain -- 

Gene

P.S. -- Redbreast sunfish, 2-meals per month Jeff.  You'll thank me  ;). 

On Tuesday, September 8, 2015 at 2:35:57 PM UTC-4, Jeff Silvan wrote: