What would you do?

[Troy]

Hi all,
I am supposed to go to Shenandoah National Park for some brookie fishing Thurs. - Sun. The weather forecast looks cold. It is supposed to be in the low 40's for the high. I am camping, but I am not worried about the cold for camping. I am worried about the cold for the fishing. I think the water probably has warmed to a decent temperature, but I don't know how this cold snap will affect the water. What do you guys think? Do you think the trip will be worth it or should I stay fishing around here? I just don't know what to expect. Thanks!

Troy

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear Troy,

If you are going expecting hatches and dry fly fishing I think you may be disappointed. They are forecasting overnight lows in the mid 20's around Harrisburg this weekend and I'll bet in the higher elevations in the Park the lows will be all of that. A couple of nights in the 20's will drop the water temps like a rock because the trees aren't leafed out and there is nothing to hold in the warmth.

That certainly doesn't mean that you won't be able to catch fish, it just means that you probably won't be seeing the bugs you may have expected. Personally, I'd wait for better conditions but that is just me.

Regards,
Tim Murphy

 

[Troy]

Tim,
Thanks for the reply. It does suck that I won't be able to use dry flys, but that is ok. I work at a college and I have off Thursday thru Monday for the Easter holiday so it won't be that easy to get days off like this again. I just hope I can still catch fish. One good thing is that I don't expect it to be crowded. I might have these streams to myself.

Troy

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear Troy,

I sort of forgot when I wrote my post that this was Easter Weekend and that you probably had several days off for it.

By all means go and enjoy yourself! Just take plenty of dry clothes and dress in layers that you can easily remove or put back on. From what I've heard climbing around on some of those streams can be pretty rigorous and you don't want to get all hot and sweaty and then stand around and get cold while fishing.

Don't be afraid to try dry flies either! You may not see any good hatches but that doesn't mean the fish won't hit them. I was just kind of working off the assumption that after the Winter you were eager to do some real dry fly fishing for trout.

Regards,
Tim Murphy

 

[FarmerDave]

I think you just answered your own question, Troy.

If I was doing this with a group of friends, and we all have a flexable schedule, I would try to reschedule. If that is not the case (usually isn't), I'd go for it. If you are like me, there is more to fishing trips than catching fish.

We are supposed to be getting some rain with this change of weather, so that might screw things up.

Take a spinning rod along.

It is supposed to be near 80 degrees this afternoon, and by tomorrow afternoon, it is supposed to be snowing (preceded by thunderstorms). Is there any place in the world that gets the drastic changes that we get in NE Ohio, and NWPA this time of year?

 

[Troy]

Farmer Dave,
I guess I did answer my own question. I guess I have no choice. I am actually going with my girlfriend and she already took off work on Thursday. She really enjoys fishing and actually is pretty good. I only taught her how to spin fish so far, but she ties on her own lure and releases her own fish. I am glad I don't have to babysit her. The fishing won't be any better around here so I am going to go for it. Tim, it is definitely a lot of work to fish those streams. We went last Easter too and were really tired after a day of fishing. I couldn't even drink a lot of beer after each day of hiking and fishing. I think I will have to drink a lot this year just to keep warm. Farmer Dave and Tim, thanks for your replies.

Troy

 

[Coughlin]

Yeah, it's always a pain when a planned for trip starts looking less than hoped for. But unless conditions are downright dangerous, I always figure it's beter to be out as planned than sitting home grumbling.
Coughlin

 

[troutbert]

We were down there some years ago and a cold front came through. It did slow down the dry fly fishing, but we did well with small Clouser minnows. The brookies attacked those. Then in the afternoon it warmed up enough that they began to hit dries. But that was around the 3rd week in April and highs got well over the 40 degrees predicted for your visit.

 

[troutbert]

Here's some info on lodging within the park:
http://www.visitshenandoah.com/lodging.shtml

They have cabins at Skyland Restort for $64-$110 per night.

Lewis Mountain Cabins, $74 per night. And Tent Cabins for $26 per night. (Not sure what a tent cabin is. Maybe a tent on a wooden platform?)

 

[Troy]

Troutbert,
Thanks for posting the lodging opportunities. We are going to camp though. I have pretty good camping gear so I am not worried about the cold. We will have a fire and beer. I also have a 20 below sleeping bag. We will be ok there. I just hope the fish are active. Either way, I won't be at work and I will hopefully be having fun. Thanks!

Troy

 

[Chaz]

It’s likely to be pretty cold on stream; of course if you fish the east side on the ridge you'll have the advantage of bright sun during the day so that should mitigate the cold.
I was there 2 for 4 week in 2005 and when it was 95 degrees in Charlottesville it was 75 on stream that gives you an idea of how the temperature can vary from the valley to the mountains. I believe it has to do with air currents flowing over the mountains sucking cooler air toward the ground like a wave breaking on a beach, that and altitude. Subtract 3 degrees per 1000 feet of altitude.