Murray's Fly Shop Fly Fishing Podcasts

Murray's Fly Shop
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Murray's Fly Shop Fly Fishing Podcasts Podcast

Murray's Fly Shop Fly Fishing Podcast with Harry Murray. Learn to fly fish, Share and Enjoy the great outdoors through fly fishing. We discuss useful flyfishing tips, tactics and techniques which we find useful in our fly fishing schools. As well as frequently updated fly fishing reports for the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Murraysflyshop.

  1. 30 AUG

    Fly Fishing in September

    Fly fishing in September can be very productive on both the smallmouth streams and the native brook trout streams. The cooling rivers in September provide an ideal environment for the smallmouth bass to increase their feeding. The aquatic grass beds are very thick along the 3-ft deep banks. There are great numbers of shiner minnows in these grass beds. In the evenings many smallmouth feed heavily here. By wading carefully 40 feet out in the river you’ll see many bass chasing the shiner minnows in the grass beds. Cast a Silver Outcast 2-ft out in front of the basses predicted path and strip it to life. This is so effective that I catch most of the bass I’m after. Listen to the rest of my Podcast >>> NEW Book by Harry Murray Fly Fishing for Native Brook Trout September is a special month for fishing the mountain trout streams because it has its own set of challenges. However, once one masters these conditions, they are very rewarding. For example, as one stands well below a long flat pool he sees several delicate rise forms in the head of the pool. Close scrutiny fails to reveal what the trout are feeding upon. By observing the surface of the stream, you reveal a number of small black midges. Tapering down to 7X and using a Mr. Rapidan Midge Dry size 20 seems logical. Then pin point one of the rising trout. Use a slack line cast to drift your midge right to him. Very gently the trout sucks in your fly and you have him. Listen to the rest of the Podcast >>>

    6 min

  2. 1 AUG

    Fly Fishing in August

    Fly fishing during the Hexagenia hatch has always been one of my favorite types of fishing. I can usually expect this hatch is late August and throughout September. Many smallmouth bass will rise to feed on the adult Hexagenia mayfly. A Mr. Rapidan Skater size 8 works well the last two hours of daylight on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River. This hatch can change from one day to the next and from one section of the river to the next. So try not to get discouraged. Some evenings I see many splashy riseforms. This is inductive of the bass feeding on the emerging insects heading for the surface of the stream to hatch into adults. When I see many of these splashy riseforms, I attach a Mr. Rapidan Soft Hackle, Olive size 10 to a 24-inch dropper below the skater dry. This two fly combination will catch those bass feeding on the surface as well as those feeding on the emergers. LISTEN TO THE REST OF MY PODCAST >>> Fly Fishing for Trout At Charlie Foxes suggestion I developed the Murray’s Flying Beetle to cast in on the abundance of natural beetles which are available to the trout in the mountain streams throughout Virginia. There are over 300 beetle-type insects and the trout feed on all of them. When the major hatches are over, the Murray’s Flying Beetle becomes my number one fly. I fish these either upstream dead drift with a slack line presentation or with a splat presentation. The splat presentation acts like a true beetle falling from a tree limb into the stream. Please note the Shenandoah National Park remains closed to fishing because of low water levels. We will keep you updated as conditions change.

    6 min

  3. 1 JUL

    Fly Fishing in July

    Fly fishing with deer hair bass bugs for smallmouth bass–let’s discuss when, where, and how. When our smallmouth rivers get low and the bass become wary, wade upstream and fish upstream to prevent scaring them. I also make longer casts than I do earlier in the season. I can cast deer hair bass bugs further than poppers. As the season progresses, smallmouth bass seek feeding stations along the shady banks. In order to get the smoothest presentation and longest cast, the Tapply Bugs are trimmed closely making them ideal for this type fishing. There are stretches on both the North and South Fork of the Shenandoah River that are excellent for this type fishing. Most evenings I take my Scott Centric 9ft 7-weight fly rod with deer hair bugs and fish tight to the shaded banks for several miles. LISTEN TO THE REST OF THE PODCAST >> Learn to Fly Fish in Schools held on the Shenandoah River Fly Fishing for Wild Mountain Trout July brings on some of my favorite fishing for wild mountain trout. This is wading cautiously upstream and spotting the trout holding on their feeding stations. Seldom do we spot a trout holding clearly exposed before us. Rather, we discern some slight physical feature which appears out of place before us. Then closer scrutiny reveals our trout.The easiest signal that betrays a trouts location to me is his slight movement. This could be his subtle turn to intercept a drifting nymph or just his readjustment on the feeding station.The contrast in the color of a trouts back and the stream bottom over which he is lying easily betrays his location. Likewise, the ivory edges of the fins on a brook trout when he is holding over a dark stream bottom shows his exact location. See Chapter 4 of my book Trout Fishing in the Shenandoah National Park for more information on these signals. A Message from the Shenandoah National Park –June 28, 2024 Shenandoah National Park’s streams and rivers are closed to fishing due to low flows and high water temperatures. Dry conditions have led to extremely low stream flows throughout the park, including some river sections that are completely dry. Hot weather has also led to high water temperatures. Despite some rain on Wednesday, June 26, river flows remain low and are expected to continue dropping with continued hot, dry weather. Low flows and high temperatures create extremely stressful conditions for fish, and dissolved oxygen can decline to fatal conditions. The additional stress of angling during these conditions could harm the native brook trout populations, which are already low across much of the park. This closure is for all streams within park boundaries including both open-to-harvest and catch-and-release waters. The closure will be lifted when stream conditions improve. Stream flows are expected to remain low until significant precipitation occurs across the area. Although it has been rare for the park to close fishing in the past few decades, it was done in response to drought conditions in 2021 and 2023.

    8 min

  4. 1 JUN

    Fly Fishing in June

    This June looks to be a great opportunity for fly fishing on the native brook trout streams and the smallmouth rivers. The steady rains have provided perfect water levels in the Shenandoah National Park for the trout. Hopefully that will last all of this month. Let’s start this blog with the smallmouth bass rivers. The rivers are warm enough that the smallmouth are starting to feed on hard head surface bugs. Success here depends on selecting the bug which will produce the action you need in each area. The action you can get from each bug depends on the shape of the body and the cut of the bugs face. The Shenandoah Chugger has a large fat body and a deeply cupped face. It can be made to create a loud chugging action. This will often pull bass up from very deep water and undercut banks. The Slider has a long slim body with a fine pointed nose. This type body design makes it easy to produce a gentle teasing bug action. Fish this in 2-3 feet deep water over cobblestone bottoms around shaded river banks. The Shenandoah Blue Popper has a straight body with an up-sloping face. It is very effective in the tails of the pools and around aquatic grass beds. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST>>> Fly Fishing for Native Brook Trout There are many little yellow stoneflies and sulphur mayflies hatching. These in conjunction with the terrestrials are providing a great source of food for the trout. The trout are more wary than they were in April so use a stealthy approach to each pool. I have tapered down to 6X leaders and use a slack line presentation so our flies will drift to the trout just like the naturals. I like to use puddle cast or a lazy-S cast to assure a good drift. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST>>>

  5. 1 MAY

    Fly Fishing in May

    Fly fishing for the smallmouth has really picked up over the last two weeks. The shallow gravel bars along the river banks hold large numbers of shiner minnows. The bass feed in these shiners in a hit and run manner. They literally crash into the shallows and grab several shiners then return to the safety of the deep water. Cast a Silver Outcast Streamer out in front of the marauding bass and strip it right in front of him. Often they will hit it on the first presentation. If not, then try several more cast in front of the direction the bass is cruising. Listen to the rest of the podcast.>>> Fly Fishing for Trout For great trout fishing in May, anglers need to be observant of the aquatic hatches and how the trout react to them. The March Browns, Little Yellow Stoneflies and Sulphur Mayflies are occurring this month. A Mr. Rapidan Parachute Dry size 14 or March Brown Dry size 14 are excellent for the March Brown hatch. The Murray’s Stonefly Dry (yellow) size 16 is excellent for the LYS hatch. I match the Sulphur hatch with a Murray’s Sulphur Dry or Shenk’s Sulphur Dry size 16. By this time of the year we are using a Classic Leader 7.5ft 6X or Mountain Leader 6ft 6X. Listen to the rest of the podcast>>>

    7 min

  6. 1 APR

    Fly Fishing in April

    Fly fishing in April is wonderful on the mountain trout streams as the water levels and hatches are ideal. We have good hatches of Quill Gordons, Blue Quill, and March Browns. All three of these start hatching about mid-day and continue until dusk. The spinners return at dusk. This means the last two hours of the day will have the greatest dry fly fishing. The Blue Quill is one of the major mayfly hatches that occurs in the East Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass We are on the early edge of the smallmouth bass season but we picking up a few nice smallmouth. A dependable area to catch some large smallmouth is a seventy foot long ledge lying perpendicular to the flow of the river with a five foot deep cut right downstream of it. This deep cut extends sixty feet down the river and holds great numbers of bass that feed heavily on sculpins and hellgrammites. I start at the downstream end of this pool and fish a Murray’s Heavy Black Hellgrammite size 6 across stream with a swing nymph tactic which swims my flies right along the stream bottom. I can spend two hours in these areas. By studying the river closely, you will be pleased with how many of these spots you find. Learn to Fly Fish — Summer 2024 Fly Fishing Schools at Murray’s Fly Shop

    4 min

  7. 29 FEB

    Fly Fishing in March

    Fly fishing in March on the smallmouth streams can be productive in the bank bays. These are indentations which floods have carved back into the river bank. Some of these reach 10-20 feet back into the bank. These block major currents but hold a generous food supply for the smallmouth. Wade or float down the river to 30 feet out from the opening. I begin my casts to the upper end of the bank bay with my flies reaching all the way to the deep part and strip it out 6 inches every 4 seconds until I swim it out into the main part of the river. The strike usually comes just as the fly enters the main current. Successive casts are made two feet further downstream until I’ve covered the whole bank bay. Then I wade on downstream to the next bank bay. Effective flies include Murray’s Marauder (olive or chartreuse) size 6 and Murray’s Heavy Hellgrammite, black size 6. Fly fishing for Native Brook Trout By now most of us have cabin fever and are ready to fish the mountain trout streams. March is a wonderful time to fish these streams. In early March the Quill Gordon mayfly nymphs are reaching full size and moving to the lower part of the riffles in preparation of hatching. Fishing a Mr. Rapidan Bead Head Nymph size 14 upstream dead drift into the lower section of the riffle will catch many trout. By mid March I start using a Mr. Rapidan Emerger size 14. When I will start seeing Quill Gordon adults riding the surface of the stream, I switch to a Mr. Rapidan Parachute. By mid to late March you can expect the Blue Quill hatch. Listen to my Podcast for more information.

    9 min

  8. 1 FEB

    Fly Fishing in February

    Today let’s discuss the fly fishing on the large stocked trout streams. There are many streams that have an abundance of springs that produce great midge hatches. Big Stoney Creek, Mill Creek, and Hidden Valley of the Jackson are just a few that have great midge hatches. At dusk there are often thick midge hatches in the tails of the pools bringing many trout to the surface to feed. Recommended flies include: Birchell’s Hatching Midge Mr. Rapidan Midge Griffith Gnat Fish these on a Classic Leader 9ft 7X. If I spot rising trout, I fish one on one to these trout using a dead drift. If there are only a few feeding trout, I fish these same flies upstream and impart a gentle twitching action. Smallmouth Bass Fly Fishing in the Winter The mouths of feeder creeks flowing into our smallmouth rivers can give us some early smallmouth fishing. These feeders are warmer than the rivers and they hold large populations of crayfish, sculpins, and shiners. A good tactic is to wade into the upstream side of the feeder creek 30 feet out and cast down and across stream. Slowly strip the flies through the water flowing from the feeder into the river. Continue to wade downstream in the river as you move across the flow of the incoming feeder casting your flies broadside to the feeder so all of the bass will see your flies. We are still early in the season so don’t expect to catch a lot of smallmouth.

    4 min
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About

Murray's Fly Shop Fly Fishing Podcast with Harry Murray. Learn to fly fish, Share and Enjoy the great outdoors through fly fishing. We discuss useful flyfishing tips, tactics and techniques which we find useful in our fly fishing schools. As well as frequently updated fly fishing reports for the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Murraysflyshop.

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