South River, VA (SRW)
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On Sunday (Dec. 28), i fished the upper South River special reg area near Lyndhurst, Va. it was a warm day for late December, 49 degrees, overcast, with intermittent light showers. between showers there were midges in the air, and to my surprise, i spotted 2 small swarms of tricos. the trout were looking up, and a midge pupa fished in the film brought a number of 10 inch rainbows to hand. a much better afternoon than watching the redskin/Dallas game!
although the flow, 300 cfs, is 50% greater than normal, 200 cfs, I’m in fly fishing withdrawal, and went over to check out the section near Lyndhurst. unfortunately, the water was the color of pea soup- it will be a few more days at least before most of our rivers will be in good fishing shape!
Tried the South River (Lyndhurst area) again, in the afternoon. Spring is working it’s way in, and the temp was in the 70’s. The water is clearing; visibility about 12″. A scant caddis hatch was present; mostly gray. No rising fish, but I caught several 10-12″ rainbows on a black, soft hackle nymph pattern.
I returned today, this time in the morning, and fished a different section of the river near the nursery. The water continues to clear; visibility now 18-20 inches. Hatches, yes HATCHES, were on by 9 am- black midges, #16 tan caddis and #12-14 black caddis. I fished a #14 black caddis pupa pattern. The trout liked it- with many takes as the fly rose toward the surface. The rainbows were in the 10-12 inch range; so far, I haven’t seen any multi-year holdovers, and suspect that most perished in the fall drought last year.
alHit the South again yesterday. sunny, warm, water warmed to 50 degrees, at 235 CFS, a bit above average. scant hatches of caddis and midges; no surface action. Subsurface action remains good!
I finally made it out fishing today, and went to the nearby South River, SRW. Since I last went, the water level has dropped to a comfortable 140 CFS. It was a bit off-color, but nice temp at 60 degrees.
The fish have moved from their deep holding runs, and being rainbows, were found in the sections with good pocket water. There was no hatch, but they savaged a small, brown wooly bugger. they ran 10-14 inches and had lots of fight for their size.
’twas a nice morning!
I fished the SRW of the South River today. Water levels are dropping to below average here in central Virginia, and the South was running about 50% of norm for this time of the year. But water temp was good, in the mid 60’s, and a storm last evening left the river a bit off color. No hatch, but the fish were on the feed, subsurface. Caught both rainbows and browns, in the 10-14 inch range.
I hit the South River SRW this morning. Despite our recent rains, the water level was low. The water temp was ok, 66 degrees, but due to the low water, the streambed was covered with algae, complicating any subsurface fishing.
There was a slight midge hatch, but nothing else, and no riseforms in sight. So, I did fish subsurface, frequently removing algae from my flies. Did catch two rainbows, a bunch of fallfish, and 1 sunfish.
I returned to the South River today. After more than a week of very high flows, it had returned to a comfortable 200 cfs. The water was a bit turbid, and the temperature in the high 50’s.
There was no hatch, so I fished subsurface, with a sinking-tip line, and a pair of flies, a small bugger, and a soft hackle. The trout, a mix of rainbows and browns took them eagerly! I probably caught over thirty fish in just two hours. Most were 8-11 inches; perhaps half a dozen were over 12 inches. No trophy fish to report, but it sure was fun!!
The South River is starting to get low, and is very clear. Fished in the morning, 8:30 – 10:00; it was sunny and mild. A rare tan caddis was noted, but no rising fish.
Fished subsurface- sinking tip line, small brown wooly bugger and a tan soft hackle. Caught 15-16 rainbows, all but one on the bugger, in soft riffles.
Stopped when a strong wind arrived, bringing a shower of leaves!
fished a different stretch today. air temp 55, with cool NW winds. water was also 50, but clear with CFS of 150.
the rainbows were in the fast water- couldn’t find any browns. good fishing subsurface
I fished the late afternoon/evening midge hatch today. there were a few fish dimpling the surface, taking emergers.
I fished with a pair of small nymphs in the film, using my new T&T 11 foot 4 wt rod, and caught several nice rainbows. not a spectacular evening, but fun none the less.
I fished the SRW today. Temp 60, no wind, water temp 50, cfs 250, and the water was slightly turbid. no hatch.
the fish have moved into their winter holes. fishing deep, i caught a number of rainbows on a cream colored soft hackle.
I fished the SRW water today, from 1-3 pm. it was 50 degrees, water in the 40’s, cloudy, with rain arriving at 3.
a modest midge hatch was present from 1-2 in the quiet waters, and there were rising fish to midge emergers- quite fun! then things shut down, followed by the rain. not bad for January though!
A break in our winter weather, so I grabbed my gear and headed to the SRW section of the South River. The air warmed to the fifties, and the water to the mid forties.
no hatch, but in winter water, the slow, deep runs and pools, the fish were responsive. i lost several early strikes, as my hook-set was faster than their winter takes. but i did catch several rainbows, none over 12″ though.
for a midwinter fish outing, not bad- no frost bite or iced guides!
