Brookies, Flowers, and Fluorescent Red Crawfish

Today I was a free man, so I hit two brookie streams.  Plan was to fish two new streams, but after the first new stream kicked my butt, I said forget the second stream and fished a much easier to fish stream.  I'll try to paint a picture to why the stream kicked my butt.  On the first stream I took a trail down the mountian for about a mile to where it meets a creek, and then the creek goes back up the mountain but on the opposite side of the mountain from the trail.  I fished up the stream till it was just a trickle and no brooks anymore.  Instead of hiking down the creek back to the trail and then out, I knew that the stream would go all the way up and meet the road I was parked on.  Hike to the trail and then back out would of taken 45 min to an hour and I figured the hike up the stream to the road would take 30 min so up the creek I went......bad idea.  Took about 2 hours and was to date the worst hiking conditions I've been on.  It got very vertical and hundreds of down trees making it about impossible. I did eventually make it out, but was in no condition to fish another remote stream so I just went to a good road side stream that never really has produced numbers for me, but has some big trout in it.  

Here are the pictures from the first stream.

The hike in.

Biggest brookie from stream one (was a very small stream)

Believe this is a crane fly. 

Finally made it out of the creek in one piece.

Pictures from the second creek.

Finally had one of the bigger guys come out.

Now I know when I post this picture that it'll give this stream away, but I figure if you know the stream by seeing these crawfish you have already fished it before.  I just think these guys are too cool not to post up.  There are only two stream known that produce crawfish this color.  This stream, and then another on the VA/NC

border.  Has something to do with a certain mixture of minerals found in this stream.

Thanks for reading!

Afternoon Brookie Fishing.

After classes today I was able to sneak away to do a little brookie fishing.  Caught my first brookie on a dry today so I was happy.

Also saw this big bug.  It was at least a size 6 or size 4.

Thanks for reading.

Bass fishing warming up.

Between studying for exams and homework in this busy last semester, I've been sneaking away to a pond close by.  I'll keep it short and sweet since I'm in some need for some sleep.  Throwing top water Tuesday caught me this.

And throwing streamers today caught me this.

Plan on making more trips soon. Thanks for reading.

Brookies Galore

Planned a much needed outing Saturday morning.  Fished a stream that is probably the longest brook trout/least pressured stream in Central VA.  Fished from 8 to 3 and still did not get anywhere near the top of this stream.  Brought 30 to hand and lost another 20.  Think my hooks are dull and need sharpening.  Oh well, who can complain with a gorgeous day and native trout. Fished dries a little, but the area just got too much rain last night.  All in all, it was a nice way to round out March.Heres the pics.

Great day to be out on the water.  Thanks for reading.

Wedding Registry, Rain, Thunder, and Brookies

Saturday I had to go down to Roanoke and do pre martial counseling and a gift registry with my fiancee. My plan was 10 to 10:45 Counseling, 11 to 1 gift registry, 1 to 2 lunch with finance and her family, and 3 to 7 fishing.  What really happened was 10 to 10:45 counseling, 11 to 3 gift registry, 3 to 4 "Linner" with her family, and 5 to 5:45 fishing.  I had a throbbing headache, and was just about to starve to death during the gift registry.  Only fished for as long as I did due to the thunder and rain that broke loose shortly after I got there.

Still managed to catch 4 in the short 30 to 45 minutes I fished, so can't complain about that.  Saw tons of march browns with some being as big as size 10 and 12. Water was still too high from the rain though to use dry flies.  I'm so ready to catch them on dries!  Another note to make is its only March and I'm already wet wading.  Its been a crazy winter.  Here are a few brookies for your time reading.

Saturday SNP Venture

Got an invite from a buddy I know up in Harrisonburg to fish the SNP, which he did not have to twist my arm to say yes.  I drove up Friday and spent the night with him and his friend.  All day Friday VA got pounded with rain, which had us worried about the streams being blown out.  Luckily my friend knows the SNP like the back of his hand and he picked out a high elevation steep feeder stream.

Ended up being a good call on his part because the water was perfect levels for big brookies.  All the fish were holding close to the bottom so tungsten played a major role.  Ended up being over 50 brookies between the three of us caught with one being over 12 inches.  I did not catch this brookie, but the size of him proves how healthy the SNP streams are.

I've never seen a brookie fight like this one did.  He was a true beast!

Here are some other pictures from the trip.

The SNP will definitely be visited more this summer!  Thanks for reading.