Shenandoah trip 04/9-04/10 2022

[DruC]

Anyone interested in running their yaks down the the South Fork of the Shenandoah with me the second week of april for some pre spawn smallies and other species, weather permitting?

[Seafury]

On 3/31/2022 at 1:11 AM, DruC said:

Anyone interested in running their yaks down the the South Fork of the Shenandoah with me the second week of april for some pre spawn smallies and other species, weather permitting?

I hope to do this with my new OT 120 pdl at some point this season. Only been out on it 3 times since buying it in the fall. 

Caught several small Strippers in Occoquan River at old town Occoquan and once on Burke lake got skunked. 

 

A couple of things:

 

1) Where exactly are you looking to go on the south fork? 

 

2) Are you floating down river, or somehow going upriver then floating back to the truck? If your floating down, how are you doing transportation? I have a 5.5ft bed full size pickup for my kayak, but no one to help with the drop off and pickup if floating down river. 

 

3) It is raining all day today and the reporting shows more the next 2 days. The river will likely be to flooded, stained, and dangerous this weekend. 

 

4) I have yet to get any Smallies from the Bullrun creek by my house. Aside from a random unexpected 2lber last week. I have wade fished it several times in the last 2 weeks at every type of location, deep, shallow, current, slack, bends, beside the bank, they are just not here yet. I did finally see and hook some sunfish the other day so times coming soon. Normally in the summer I can get 6-10 in a couple hours largemouth and smallies. 

 

5) I only got 1 tiny smallie bank fishing at Kelly's Ford the other day. This is on the upper Rappahannock River and one of my favorite Smallie waters aside from the Rapidan river which is the best in the area. 

 

6) We had to many cold spells recently and it's still not warm, plus the rain now, the smallies just aren't around and biting in numbers yet 

Hopefully in the next couple weeks depending on what the weather does. 

 

I have never had any luck fishing the Shenandoah River from the bank or wading around the public access spots near Front Royal. 

 

I am really trying to kayak fish both the upper Rapidan/Rappahannock this year but portage alone is tough. Still not sure how paddling and peddling upriver from the put in will work or if it's even possible. Last year wading fishing I tore them up all summer, was awesome but a lot of work and can't cover much water. 

 

I do need a fishing buddy for Sundays when my father and brother are busy. 

I am in the Manassas area.