Fly Fishing | Page 2 | Middle River Dispatches

Fly Fish Virginia – North River | Third Bridge

March 2, 2020 By Tom Sadler Leave a Comment

Date: 01March2020
Time: 1:30-4:00 p.m.
Weather: 52 degrees and mostly to partly sunny
Water: 42 degrees, clear and low (10 CFS at Stokesville gauge)

This trip I fished from the third bridge to the forth. Since this is a short section I parked at the third bridge and fished up and walked back down the road to my truck.

You can get the direction to the North River here. From the intersection of Rte 715 and FS 95 it is about 3.5 miles to the third bridge and 4 miles to the fourth bridge. There is a place to park on the right, just past the fourth bridge if you want to fish up to your vehicle.

started fishing here below the third bridge

Here are some images from this section.

Field Notes:
VDGIF stocks this water from the first bridge to the fourth bridge. You will need a valid trout license from October 1 to June 15 in addition to the other fishing license if you are fishing in these designated stocked trout waters. License information: https://gooutdoorsvirginia.com

For details on this and other watersheds check out VDGIF’s Where to Go Trout Fishing (Interactive Map).

Fly Fish Virginia – North River | Second Bridge

February 24, 2020 By Tom Sadler Leave a Comment

Date: 23Feb2020
Time: 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Weather: 55 degrees and mostly to partly sunny
Water: 44 degrees, clear and low (16CFS at Stokesville guage)

My plan had been to fish from the second bridge to the third bridge. I only got about ¾ of the way there. I parked just past the third bridge, walked down to the second bridge and worked my way upstream. There was a lot of water to explore, the fishing was very good for February, so I took my time enjoying the afternoon.

You can get the direction to the North River here. From the intersection of Rte 715 and FS 95 it is about 2.5 miles to the second bridge.

There is a good place to park on the left after you cross the bridge.

Here are some images from the section I fished.

This is where I stopped. There is a trail to the left and a short walk to the road. You can see the rip rap in the background, the road is at the top of that rip rap. The third bridge is a short (10 min or less) walk.

For details on this and other watersheds check out VDGIF’s Where to Go Trout Fishing (Interactive Map).

the Tenkara Tacoma in its natural habitat…

Fly Fish Virginia – North River | First Bridge

February 19, 2020 By Tom Sadler 2 Comments

Directions from Staunton, VA

Rt 250 W toward Churchville and West Augusta.
Travel about 15 miles from the Rt 262 bypass.
Turn hard right onto Rt 715 (Braley Pond Rd) toward Braley Pond/Elkhorn Lake.
Travel about 6 miles to the intersection of Rt 715 and FS 95.

Turn left toward W.VA onto FS 95.

Travel about 1 mile to the first bridge.

Travel about a ½ a mile and you will come to a parking area on the left.

I parked here and walked back to the bridge.

Date: 17Feb2020
Time: 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Weather: 48 degrees and partly sunny
Water: clear, cold and full (35 CFS at the Stokesville gauge)

Below are some shots taken as I worked my way upstream back to the parking spot.

Field Notes:
VDGIF stocks this water from here, up to the fourth bridge. You will need a valid trout license (annual or lifetime) in addition to the other fishing license if you are fishing in designated stocked trout waters from October 1 to June 15.

License information: https://gooutdoorsvirginia.com

For details on this and other watersheds check out VDGIF’s Where to Go Trout Fishing (Interactive Map).

Support Proper Menhaden Management In Virginia

February 2, 2020 By Tom Sadler Leave a Comment

Menhaden, often called the most important fish in the sea, need your help.

Right now the Virginia General Assembly is considering legislation that will put management of menhaden where it belongs, in the hands of the professionals at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC).

If that sentence took you by surprise, you are not alone. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, fishing for menhaden is regulated by the General Assembly. It is the only fish in the Commonwealth managed by elected officials and it has led to a crisis.

Last year, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) found that Virginia was not complyingwas not complying with the coast wide management plan for menhaden. Virginia must come into compliance by June 17, 2020 or a fishing moratorium will be imposed.

In order to bring Virginia into compliance, the General Assembly must act in this session. The best approach to achieve compliance is to pass legislation, HB 1448 and SB 971, transferring management authority to the VMRC.

Please take a moment to send emails to your Delegate and Senator asking them to support this important legislation.

Thanks in advance for taking action today!

EPA throat punched the Clean Water Act

January 28, 2020 By Tom Sadler Leave a Comment

EPA is wrong, so very wrong.

You can bet on gravity every time. Whatever is in our headwaters will ultimately end up in our own backyards. Headwaters and wetlands are some of the most important components to our network of streams and rivers. They’re like the capillaries in our bodies. If they’re unhealthy, so is everything else. Americans should not, and will not, allow our water to be jeopardized in this way.” -Chris Wood, president and CEO of Trout Unlimited

Source: EPA final rule unravels Clean Water Act protections | Trout Unlimited

This is a final rule, so options to fight it are pretty limited. I expect we will see this headed to the courts.

Stay tuned.

Umpqua's innovative packing material

January 7, 2020 By Tom Sadler Leave a Comment

I am always on the look out for companies that do what they can to remove plastic from the waste stream and when a recent shipment from Umpqua Feather Merchants arrived I was delighted to see the were an innovative packing material.

My friend Brent Bauer director of product at Umpqua explained how it came to be:
“we have long had a policy against re-using boxes for shipping orders and would just recycle old boxes. A few years ago a supplier offered a machine that would turn our old boxes into packing material so now most of our used boxes end up inside a box.“

The scourge of plastic waste is daunting, but when companies like Umpqua look for, and implement alternatives to plastics they deserve applause and support.