Moorman's River, TU section
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The Moorman’s River TU Section, is a catch and release fly fishing only private stream managed by the Thomas Jefferson TU. It is NW of Crozet and west of Whitehall and many know the area as Sugar Hollow. Permits are required and cost $50 a year which pays for the stocking and supports several programs with cancer recovery and handicapped groups held in conjunction with Therapeutic Adventures. Permits can be obtained by emailing the TU chapter president or at Albemarle Angler in Barracks Road shopping center.
I have fished this stream about twice a week for the last month and have found plenty of rainbows, although they have been well educated by anglers. There have been winter stones coming off and on my most recent visit, a few blue winged olives. While generally a nymph fishing stream, last fall I did quite well on sixe 18-20 olive spinners and small Henryville caddis dries. Avoid the second weekend of April as the stream will be crowded by a cancer recovery group. TU always stocks the stream just before these events.
Recommended flies are small nymphs, sometimes wooly buggers, and San Juan worms. Most of the fish are currently in the pools, some of which are quite large. They will scatter as spring develops and some of the best fishing will be between the pools where the fish are far less heavily hit by anglers.
I fished the Moorman’s both Saturday the 11th with a cancer recovery group and yesterday April 14 by myself. Yesterday there was no other fishermen around between noon and 7ish when I called it quits for the day. Lots of fish were to be had both days, mostly on small nymphs. Particularly effective was a size 20 thread midge and a size 16 brown bead head caddis pupa with the latter working best. The bead head was black although I also fished a copper one which worked as well–I am not much for bright, shiny bead heads. There were a few bugs in the air and a couple of fish were rising to them. I never caught a sample bug but a fellow said he had seen tan caddis in a pool above where I was. I reached the point of enough and tried a dry for the few risers, but never got as much as a look. Mid 70s and plenty of fish on a stream by myself makes for a really nice day.
