Report from the Moorman's

The North Fork Moorman's River today was cold but had a surprising amount of water.  The fish did not want to take anything that I had to offer, but I had fun teaching a friend how to cast and enjoying the good weather.  There were some small mayflies coming off, probably blue-wing olives, but the fish did not eat any of  the naturals.  

The Trout Unlimited section of the Moorman's is not in good shape.  The water is very low and and frozen in some locations.   The dam above it was not releasing any reservoir water.  A local conservation group used to pressure the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, the group in charge of the dam, to keep the river going.  In drought conditions, they rarely oblige.  Here is a link to an article from 2002: http://www.readthehook.com/Stories/2002/09/19/newsTrickleDownTheMoormans.html

The dam itself should not be there.  The water from the Moorman's flows into the Rivanna, where yet another dam is.  One wonders why the Water and Sewer Authority needs two dams, when the Moorman's does not provide power.