Trip to the North Fork

This Saturday will my first time fly fishing in Virginia this year.  The fall was simply atrocious.  Drought conditions kept many of the mountain streams in Shenandoah National Park low and according to some folks in the UVa Department of Environmental Science, killed a significant amount of trout.  Even my old stalwart, the Trout Unlimited section of the "Moorman's River" was unfishable.    Due to the drought, not much water was released from the reservoir above.  Why there is a dam here is worth a post in itself.  

I will be checking out "North Fork of the Moorman's."  This river has some of the best brooktrout fishing in the area and involves a nice 2 mile hike.  I have seen black bears, deer, and all sorts of birds on the North Fork.  A sign at the start of the river explains to visitors that "no trout have returned" since a flood years ago.  May everyone cherish this illusion.