Many anglers feel April is the best month of the year to fish these mountains because three major mayflies are hatching, and water temperatures and water levels are perfect. I enjoy hiking into the remote sections of the Park to fish the headwaters during this season because the fishing can be outstanding, and the scenery is exceptionally beautiful. The ridges are draped with blooming dogwood and red bud trees, and the hollows are carpeted with trillium wildflowers in full bloom.

The March Brown mayfly (Stenonema vicarium).

The tactics in the headwaters and feeder streams are not extremely demanding. Typically, each pool will hold several rising trout, and any natural drift with a #14 Mr. Rapidan dry fly will catch them. The lower reaches of the larger streams present much more demanding fishing.

The March Brown mayfly (Stenonema vicarium) is the largest mayfly you are likely to see in the park, and when the nymphs become active, they migrate from the deep portions of the pools to the shallows.

I've seen many large brook trout move into thin water to feed on these nymphs and emerging duns. This activity is usually manifested to us by what I call "busy water". You don't always see the fish, but you see the effects of their movements on the surface.

The "seam" where fast water and slow water meet is a productive area for both brook trout and anglers. Start at the bottom of the pool and work your way forward.

Trout in the shallows are usually taking more nymphs than duns, simply because there are more nymphs present. However, I prefer to fish dry flies, and take many nice trout on the surface. Use a #12 dry fly during the March Brown hatch. Nymph fishermen should tie on a Mr. Rapidan bead-head nymph or Art Flick's March Brown Nymphs both in #12-#14.

Grey Fox Mayflies
Grey Fox mayflies (Stenonema fuscum) start emerging about a week after March Browns make their first appearance. These mayflies are slightly smaller and slightly lighter in color than March Browns, but the tactics I use are nearly identical. Frequently both of these duns are on the water at the same time and the trout feed actively on both of them. My favorite flies for the Grey Fox hatch are a #14 Grey Fox dry fly or Ginger Quill dry fly, and for wet-fly fishing, a #14 Grey Fox nymph.

Trout feed on March Brown nymphs in extremely shallow water.

The lip in the lower part of the pool which was so good during the Quill Gordon hatch in March is still an outstanding place to find large trout. An additional feeding station that becomes very productive during March is the area along the edge of the main current flowing from the head of the pool into the mid-pool area.

The trout hold along this narrow interface where the fast water meets slow water and sip in every natural insect that drifts by. If this "seam" continues as much as 15 feet down into the pool, you can catch several trout by systematically casting to the lowest fish in the pool, and then moving up. Don't cast to the more active risers near the head of the run until you have covered all the water below, or you could be spooking fish you don't know are there.