Spring training

The vernal equinox is upon us

Spring fly-fishing for brook trout in the mountain streams of Virginia is hard to beat. From March to June the streams come alive, offering a variety of fly-fishing opportunities in increasingly picturesque settings. Bugs start getting active, trees start budding and the wildlife shake off their winter doldrums.

Now’s the time to watch the weather in earnest and get in on the action. Here’s my routine to make the most of my time on the water.

Water levels, temperatures and rigs

Early spring water levels vary, but usually in a good way. The drought conditions of late summer have given way to more normal levels enhanced by early spring rains. Big storms may blow out the bigger streams, but that is an opportunity to “blueline” some of the smaller feeder streams.

March water temps start rising from the mid-forties as overnight lows consistently stay above freezing and into the forties. Daytime highs start hitting the seventies. Trout like the water temps between 50 and 65 degrees, so knowing what the water temp is key to planning your fishing tactics.

Regardless of where or when I’m fishing, the first thing I do is take the water temperature.¹ In the morning, with water temps in the mid to upper 40s, I put a nymph or two on below a small indicator.² If you haven’t tried a micro swivel when you fish two nymphs, do yourself a favor and learn how to set up and use one. Game changer.³

I create a separate leader for this rig and switch out to a regular leader for everything else. I’ll admit to a bit of a bias against indicators. It bums me out when a fish hits the indicator, like one did this week. If it had been a dry fly, it might have meant a hook up. That said, the ability to change depths easily and fish two flies are mitigating factors hard to ignore, so indicators are part of the program.

As the air temp warms, I’ll check the water temp again. If temps have moved closer to 50 degree or above, I’ll switch to a dry-dropper rig hoping to entice a take or two on the dry. Because depths vary from section to section, I tie two nymphs to two separate pieces of tippet. For instance, I’ll tie one on 18 inches of tippet and the other on 24-30 inches. I can quickly change flies according to stream depth.

I’ll also try an unweighted nymph or emerger if I start getting regular hits on the dry.

Finally, I’ll change to just the dry fly if the fish are consistently hitting the dry and ignoring the nymph. I take a temp as well, so I know what the sweet spot is.

1. I use a Fishpond Riverkeeper Digital Thermometer

2. I use small Oros Strike Indicators

3. I use small Rio Micro Swivels