Smallmouth Bass Streams Fly Fishing Report - August 14, 2024

Yesterday as I was walking around the outside of the fly shop I happened to notice a Hexagenia sitting on the door. The bass actively feed on these the last two hours of the daylight. Be patient and try to go as many evenings as you can because some evenings you might not see any and other evenings you might see many. I like to put on a Mr. Rapidan Skater size 8 on a Bright Butt 9ft 2X leader. I dress both the fly and the leader with dry fly floatant. Cast down and across at a 20 degree angle then skate it across the surface. For a dry/dropper combo I will had 2ft of 2X mono to the skater and attach a Mr. Rapidan Soft Hackle (olive) nymph size 10.  Other surface bugs that are working include: Shenandoah Blue Popper size 4, Murray's Chugger Frog size 6 and Shenandoah Chartreuse Chugger size 6.

Underwater flies that are working: Rubber Leg Nymph, Brown size 8, Murray's Hellgrammite size 6, and Murray's Pearl Marauder size 6.

The North Fork of the Shenandoah River is in beautiful shape so take advantage of it. Areas from Mount Jackson to Woodstock all have great water levels. If you need help on the public access, stop by the fly shop or call us. The South Fork of the Shenandoah River is still a little "stained" in areas but levels are better than they have been most of the summer. There is plenty of public access from the Rt. 675 bridge at Bixler downstream to Foster's Landing.