Warm Weather Has Kept the Trout Hungry
by: Chris Siess

     With the warm weather making a surprise run into November, fly fishing for trout in Southwest Virginia has been red hot.

     Mountain brook, rainbow and brown trout are actively feeding in the area's rivers and streams as the weather has remained warm and food is widely available.

     “There is a lot of insect activity right now, more than in the summer,” said Blane Chocklett, owner of Blue Ridge Fly Fishers in Roanoke.

     Blue winged olives and several types of caddis flies are hatching and provide food for the trout. Land insects that fall in the water, called terrestrials, also become a quick meal, Chocklett explained.

     “It's a pretty good terrestrial season,” Chocklett said. “A lot of ants.”
     The unusual weather has changed fishing patterns. With lower water, the fish are less protected and are even more skittish of their surroundings.

     “They are wary, that's for sure, especially with the water being low,” Chocklett said. “You have to use lighter lines and make more delicate presentations, especially on the smaller streams.”

     Though the fish are spooky, the warmer water has made them more active than the usual, cooler autumn, said Stephen Hiner, a laboratory and research practitioner for the entomology department at Virginia Tech.

     “It's been an unusual fall,” Hiner said. “I still see lots of ants and beetles. The water temperature hasn't cooled down enough to make the fish lethargic.”

     As for patterns, Chocklett recommends using blue winged olive and caddis dry flies in sizes 16 and 18, ants in 16 and beetle patterns in size 12.

     Below the water surface, pheasant tail nymphs, caddis larvae nymphs and sinking ant patterns are excellent choices as well.

     The mountain brook trout are spawning and have become extremely aggressive defending their “reds,” or spawning beds, said Hiner, who also guides in the area with Chocklett.

     The spawning brook trout are also very eager to eat and therefore easier to catch, Hiner said. Taking care not to harm them is important for the future of the fish and stocks.

     “It's sort of unethical to fish for fish that are on the red,” Hiner said. “The fish are very aggressive and if you pull them off the red, there are chances they won't come back to it.”

     Chocklett also cautioned against wading.  “I would mention to stay out of the water; you don't want to step on their spawning beds.”

     Anglers should not be discouraged, however.

     “There are always fish that aren't spawning,” Hiner said.

     Smaller fish tend congregate below the spawning beds, while there are plenty of  larger fish that are simply not able to, or don't spawn, Hiner said.

     The water will eventually cool and slow the fish down, but the action should last into the winter and does not completely stop said Hiner. The fish in smaller streams still eat during the cold months, and in tailwaters below dams insects hatch even on the coldest days and continue to do so all winter long.

     “There is really no end to the season. It has more of a limitation on us,” Hiner said, referring to the trout anglers. “You can always catch a few in the winter.”

     Chocklett recommends fishing the Jackson River and Smith River. Hiner said fishing should also be productive in the Big and Little Stony creeks, the South Holston River in eastern Tennessee, and in the small streams along the West Virginia state line, some of which are nameless.
     Chocklett guides more than 100 days a year and offers trips out of his shop in Roanoke, including ones featuring Hiner. Trips for this fall are still available Chocklett said.

     Chocklett can be contacted at www.blueridgeflyfishers.com or (540) 563-1617.