Spring is the season of hope, at least for fly fishers. We have become weary of winter, of fishing impossible-to-see midges, and of standing in chilly rain and snow waiting for an olive hatch to happen. Spring refills the trout streams with water, and promises a return of more predictable hatches, with flies that don’t strain the eyes. And hungry trout begin to leave their winter holes, moving into more fishable water, looking for a tasty meal. Indeed, spring is a season of hope and promise. Spring fly fishing in the Blueridge Mountains of Virginia offers both beauty and bounty.
The Streams of Spring
Spring brings showers, bursting streams, and warming stream temperatures. Tributaries spill down the mountainsides, filling the mainstem-streams below them.
a small tributary with blooming trillium
a tributary with waterfalls
a racing tributary
The tributaries race to join one another, filling the larger secondary streams, creating falls and fishable pools.
Blueridge trout stream
a Blue Ridge trout stream
spring waterfalls
a Blueridge trout stream
Springtime Flowers
Spring turns the riparian foliage green, and wild flowers burst forth, adorning the streamside banks with color.
mountain laurel in bloom
streamside flowers, blue phlox
wild blue phlox
streamside flowers, parsnip
streamside flowers- star chickweed, mixed with PI!
Trout stream with blooming redbuds
Streamside rhododendrons
Streamside cherry trees
Fishing the Blue Ridge
Some of last season’s trails are yet visible, bordered with fresh flowers.
Blueridge trail with moss phlox in bloom
While others, less trod upon, are overgrown with moss and other ground covers. They hold the promise of a day of fly fishing in solitude.
untrod trail to a trout stream
Streamside campsites are rediscovered and beckon the angler to stay for more than a day.
streamside campsite
Hidden pools, filled with hungry trout, await the venturesome angler. Can it get any better?
Blueridge trout stream
A tug, a quick hook-set, and a Blue Ridge brook trout is brought in.
brook trout
Yes, spring is a beautiful time to be a fly fisher!
Virginia is blessed with hundreds of trout streams, and over 2,000 miles of wild trout water. For further information regarding Virginia’s many trout streams, explore the Fish and Game Departments Website.
or, read Dave Hart’s book,
for spring fishing strategies, see-
written and photographed by Al Simpson, June 2017.
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