The
Shenandoah River
The Shenandoah River is a
favorite of mine. It flows in a northeastwardly direction
from the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and enters the
Potomac at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. From my
perspective it reaches its apex on the North Fork from Mt
Jackson, Virginia to Strasburg,
Virginia.
Here it's a
shallow, mostly wadeable river flowing over a series of
hard rock ledges and meandering through the "Seven Bends"
(actually more than seven). A wonderful summer day can be
had with a canoe, lunch, fishing gear and clothing to wade
wet. Fishing can be the best combination sport available as
it can be fishing and swimming at the same
time.
The
river is alive with fish of all size and description. It is
easy to catch several dozen in a few hours. I think it's a
perfect place to learn to flyfish as you can perfect your
technique and catch fish at the same time. Much more
rewarding than most places where it is more of the former
and almost none of the latter.
My
friends Russ and Debbie own a cabin on a bend high above
the river. Here's a shot of Russ fishing the "home pools"
just below the cabin.
It's
a great destination for a hot summer weekend in Washington,
D.C. Here you can combine fishing with eating local treats
such as country ham.
And
don't forget to visit Murray's Fly Shop on Main Street in
Edinburg, Virginia. Harry Murray runs a small shop and drug
store. He can sell you everything you need and has tthe
best advice about local fishing. He has written several
books about local fishing as well as a excellent how-to
about fishing for the prize local fish, smallmouth bass
(micropterus dolomieui).
Murray
is also a fly-fishing innovator developing new flys and
leaders. You can shop on line at Murray's Fly Shop. I can personally vouch for
the effectiveness of his Murray's Hellagrammite and
Strymph. I have caught fish with them almost everywhere
I've gone, even in New Zealand, where the locals looked
aghast at the fly and assured me that a New Zealand
trout would never bite one.