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Table of Contents

6 About the Author 7 About the Illustrator 9 Foreword 10 Fly Fishing the Mid-Atlantic 14 Flies to Use in the Mid-Atlantic

Top Mid-Atlantic Fly-Fishing Waters

Delaware 22 Brandywine River 26 White Clay Creek

Maryland 30 Beaver Creek 34 Big Hunting Creek 38 Gunpowder River 42 Potomac River, North Branch 46 Savage River

New Jersey 50 Barnegat Light,

Island Beach State Park 54 Musconetcong River 58 Pequest River 62 Raritan River, South Branch 66 Sandy Hook

North Carolina 70 Beaufort and Harkers Island 74 Davidson River 78 French Broad River 82 Neuse River 86 Oconaluftee River 90 Outer Banks 94 Tuckasegee River

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Pennsylvania 98 Delaware River, West Branch 102 Elk Creek 106 Falling Spring 110 Lehigh River 114 Little Juniata River 118 Little Lehigh Creek 122 Monocacy Creek 126 Penns Creek 130 Spring Creek 134 Susquehanna River, North Branch 138 Tulpehocken Creek 142 Walnut Creek

Virginia 146 Chesapeake Bay Islands 150 James River 154 New River 158 Rapidan River 162 Rappahannock River 166 Shenandoah River 170 South Holston River 174 South River

West Virginia 178 Cherry River 182 Elk River, Slatyfork 186 Greenbrier River 190 Potomac River, Main Stem 194 Potomac River, North Fork

of the South Branch 198 Second Creek

202 Trout Unlimited Tri-State Conservation & Fishing Camp

202 Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival 203 Project Healing Waters 204 Th e Future of Menhaden in the

Chesapeake Bay 205 Conservation 206 Other No Nonsense Guidebooks 207 Fly-Fishing Knots

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Rapidan River

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Camp Hoover

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virginia

Rapidan River

irginia’s Rapidan River was named for England’s Queen Anne, who reigned from 1702 to 1714. This river’s original

name was the Rapid Anne River but this was eventually shortened to Rapidan. Her Majesty was something of a friend to writers: In 1709, she issued the Statute of Anne, Great Britain’s first copyright law, which gave authors rights to their work rather than publishers. Though Queen Anne never visited the river named for her, another head of state, Pres. Herbert Hoover, certainly did. Hoover, an avid fly angler, asked his aide, Lawrence Ritchey, to find him a trout stream within 100 miles of the White House that was above 2,500 feet (so that Hoover wouldn’t have to fight mosquitoes). Ritchey eventually discovered the Rapidan River and recommended the place to his boss.

Rapidan Camp was the first complex set aside specifically as a presidential retreat. The main building, called the Brown House, presumably to set it apart from the White House, received such luminaries as Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Supreme Court Justice H. F. Stone, Mrs. Thomas Edison, Gov. Theodore Roosevelt Jr., British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, and the great Winston Churchill, who was then Chancellor of the

Types of FishThis is wild brook-trout heaven.

Known HatchesDifferent fly hatches can occur throughout the year. These hatches include but are not limited to winter stoneflies, blue quills, blue-winged olives, Hendricksons, March browns, quill Gordons, caddisflies, Cahills, inchworms, and terrestrials.

Equipment to UseRods: 3- to 4-weight, 6½ to 8 feet in length. Reels: Standard trout reel.Lines: Weight-forward floating, matched to rod.Leaders: 4X to 7X leaders, 9 feet in length.Wading: Hip waders are fine here.

Flies to UseDrys: Adams, sizes 14-20; Blue-Winged Olive, 14-20; Elk-Hair Caddis, 14-20; Flying Ant, 10-18; Gelso’s Little Black Stonefly, 16-20; Light Cahill, 14-20; Little Yellow Sally, 14-20; March Brown, 10-14; Murray’s Mr. Rapidan, 14-20; Pale Morning Dun, 14-20; Quill Gordon, 12-22; Stimulator, 12-20.

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The Rapidan has a strong population of brook trout, and all fish must be released immediately. Rich Hiegel casting drys to rising fish. Photo by Beau Beasley.

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The Rapidan is the quintessential brook-trout stream and plays host to anglers as well as schoolchildren wishing to learn more about the environment. Photo by Beau Beasley.

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Flies to Use (continued)Nymphs & Streamers: BH Goldilox, sizes 6-10; BH Hare’s Ear, 14-20; BH Prince Nymph, 14-20; Coburn’s Inchworm, 12-14; Green Weenie, 14-16; Mickey Finn, 6-10; Pheasant Tail, 14-20.

When to FishFishing is best on the upper Rapidan in the early spring and right through the fall.

Season & LimitsYou can fish the Rapidan year-round, but you can’t harvest its trout.

Nearby Fly FishingNumerous Shenandoah National Park streams are an easy drive from the Rapidan.

Accommodations & Family ActivitiesGraves Mountain Lodge is a family-owned business, and their excellent meals served family style are not to be missed. Trout Unlimited’s Tri-State Conservation & Fishing Camp held each June are open to boys and girls ages 13 through 17 from various backgrounds, and no experience is needed. Camp staff consists of retired and active doctors, nurses, environmental experts of every sort, fly-fishing guides, a professional biologist, and a former battalion chief from the fire department of Austin, Texas, who reminds me regularly that he still outranks me. The camp is successful primarily because of the selfless work of the staff members who often take vacation time to volunteer at the camp. Campers learn how to wade safely, tie their own flies, and of course, how to cast. A maximum of 24 campers attend each session and scholarships are available. The camp is nothing short of superb. Graves Mountain Lodge Syria, Virginiawww.gravesmountain.com (540) 923-4231 Shenandoah National ParkLuray, Virginiawww.nps.gov(540) 999-3500 Tri-State Conservation CampCamp Director Paul Kearney www.tucamp.org (540) 229-0563

Guides & Fly Shops Albemarle AnglerCharlottesville, Virginiawww.albemarleangler.com(434) 977-6882Angler’s LaneForest, Virginiawww.anglerslane.com(434) 385-0200Mossy Creek Fly Fishing Harrisonburg, Virginiawww.mossycreekflyfishing.com(540) 434-2444Murray’s Fly ShopEdinburg, Virginiawww.murraysflyshop.com(540) 984-4212Rhodes Fly ShopWarrenton, Virginiawww.rhodesgiftandflyshop.com (540) 347-4162

Exchequer across the pond. The camp even boasted a majestic stone fireplace built to be used in photo ops of visiting dignitaries. Hoover

donated Rapidan Camp to the Commonwealth of Virginia when he left office in 1932. In 1935,

it became a part of the Shenandoah National Park. Anglers can access the Rapidan from Route 662 near Wolftown.

Park at the end of the road, and then hike upstream. To fish higher in the park next to Camp Hoover, access the Rapidan from Route 649 (Quaker Run Road). This is a tough and winding road that doubles back on itself in places—and when the hard surface ends, you’ll still have 7½ miles of rough road before reaching a locked gate. Take the time to walk upstream or downstream if you see a car parked on the side of the road. Distance makes good fishing pals. To view Camp Hoover (or take a Park Service tour of the place), park at the end of Route 649 by the locked gate, and then hike up the service road for about a mile. It can be a long walk to Camp Hoover, but it’s worth it—and you can always fish on the way up.

The Rapidan is home to a healthy population of wild native brook trout that can entertain fly anglers all season long. The problem is landing them. These fish spook easily and won’t tolerate poor presentations or sloppy footwork. Successful tactics run the gamut from casting drys along a foam line to plumbing the depths of small plunge pools. Be prepared to keep a low profile, and have plenty of extra patterns on hand—the surrounding tree branches are frequently hungry. On a side note, don’t let a heavy rain put you off. The Rapidan often runs clear even soon after a downpour. The river bottom is mostly rock, so turbidity, while an issue, is not a big problem on this excellent water.

Though named for British royalty and made famous by an American president, the Rapidan River is a trout stream for the everyday angler. The river serves as a living classroom for Trout Unlimited’s Tri-State Conservation Camp, held here each June. The camp, the sponsors of which include Dominion, L.L. Bean, and Orvis, has been so successful that it’s now used as a model for similar programs. See page 202 for more details.

Murray’s Mr. Rapidan

The author has visited Camp Hoover on many occasions. For your first visit, you may enjoy a full tour offered free of charge by the National Park Service. Photo by Fire Capt. Tony Kostecka.