Try Ivy Creek on the eastside.

 

Just go up around Old Rag and you can fish the streams there and have a half dozen others within 30 - 45 minutes. Native brookies on the upper reaches of the rivers. You can try the upper stretches of the hazel, robinson, rapidan, hughes river etc. My favorite is White Oak canyon area.

 

Big Run in the south section of the park is a great river to backpack and fish. The hike in (you have to come in from Skline drive) is easy, straight downhill for 4 miles, and there are great places to camp along side of the river. The hike out will make you wish you left any extra stuff you didn't use in the car. I think the last two miles are endless switchbacks straight up the mountain. For Scenery/nature and getting away from people it's hard to beat in the park. You will need to bear bag your food at night. The last couple of times I camped down there I had bears stumble around my camp site looking for left overs. I've had some luck fishing there but you need to fish the lower section of the river, in the summer the upper section is just a trickle so keep an eye out for water levels before you go.

 

guys, thanks for the tips on where to go. did you need waders for this type of fishing or can you get by with waterproof boots?

 

also - thanks for the input on the bears - i didn't think that would be a consideration. very good to know!

 

One can fish pretty much any stretch of any stream in Shenandoah Park on a day trip so I won't go into specific streams because my experience has been the fishing in a lot of the Park streams declines noticeably when they are prominantly mentioned.

If you have the three PATC trail maps of the Park it will not be difficult to find good candidates. Look for streams with characteristics like the Rapidan; i.e. a sizeable watershed and several miles long. Also look for a stream with a trail long enough to get a couple of miles away from the parking area as some streams don't have very good access. Most of my best fishing during 25 years of fishing SNP was at least an hour from the parking lot and generally about half way down the mountain mid way between access from the Skyline Drive or the valley.

Also, as I recall you will need a back country camping permit and I think there are some restrictions on where you can camp.

As for the wader question. You definitely do not need waders and if you don't mind chilly feet in the spring you can also leave the hip boots at home. Even during spring flows you will rarely be in water more than shin deep. I frequently fished with wading boots, neoprene socks and quick drying pants.

Guy

 

guy, thanks so much for your response. i've been loading my pack and i'm trying to keep weight down and i wasn't sure if waders were 100% necessary.

i'll start pouring over the maps to pick a place, and i'll see about getting that permit too.

i think i've spent @ as much on camping stuff as i usually spend on a new rod and reel.

 

SNP

Contact the TU chapter in Warrenton, Va. Rapidan Chapter..... the Rapidan inside the SNP is their home water. I would bet someone there would be willing to go with you..... I was the VP there until I got transferred to AZ in 1997. You only need hip waders.... lighter the better.....

Email chapter president Kevin Daniels at: 2educ8rs@verizon.net

rapidantu.org

Good luck....I spent many days on the North Fork of the Thorton River just outside of Sperryville....

 

Definitely check out Big Run(western slope off sky line drive). Big water for the park and holds some really nice fish. Probably won't see another soul since the hike is a good one, especially back up! Whike Oak canyon is pretty and there are some good brookies in there. Upper Rapidan is also a great piece of water when hiking in from Sky Line Drive. If you hit Big Run, hip waders at the least would be my call. If you camp, make sure to let the park rangers know where you'll be when you get on sky line drive. Let us know how you make out!

 

i will definitely take lots of pics and let everyone know how i did. right now, planning on going the weekend of the 27th. maybe into early april. maybe both.

 

Flyfishing the Shenadoah Park

My wife and I would often backpack up the Rose River. We would start at the bottom and work our way up. Fishing was good with dry flies. Humpies and Wulffs were my favorites. Also wooly buggers. Graves Mtn Lodge was located on the Rose in the Valley. We would stop off there for a meal after our trip. Great memories and spectacular falls in the headwaters. I believe that in those day you needed a backpacking permit which let the rangers know where you intended on camping. The also had various regulation you needed to obey.

Charlie