3wt7X
Active member
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2008
- Messages
- 704
I recently read a positive update on the Savage River and I had to take a trip out to see the river for myself. I arrived on 04/12 at about 4pm and the weather was really nice. The air temps were approaching 75 degrees and the water was in the lower 50 degree range. It was very sunny and I immediately noticed swarms of midges on the water and some very tiny (size 20) black stones crawling on the rocks. The water was low and clear and the river was only running at 70 CFS.
I started with a grey midge size 22 dry fly and I worked an area downstream of the flyshop that is known for rising trout. I saw several midge sipping browns and brookies and I was able to take five on that first evening. It was very technical fishing and I had to use about 15 feet of leader tapered to 7X to get these fish to rise, but it was great seeing these beautiful Savage river trout again.
The second day, 04/13, I woke up to cloudy skys and temps in the mid 40s, which slowly rose up to the mid 50s by noon. I was expecting a nice BWO hatch, which never came, but I did manage four nice trout including a beautiful holdover rainbow that made its way up from the Potomac. I took three fish in the morning on a black stonefly dry in the pocket water and I got the forth and largest fish of the trip on a size 20 Griffith's Gnat. He was only about 13 inches, but he put up a nice fight.
Overall, it was great to see a boulder strewn bottom to the Savage river again. There was some siltation in areas that did not previously have it, but it was not a problem. The boulders on the bank had a very small layer of mud on them as well, but that should go away with time. The fish seem to have made it through the repairs just fine except for this year's class. I cannot speak for the mayflies yet, but I did not see any during my two days there. It is still early, but that seemed odd to me.
I started with a grey midge size 22 dry fly and I worked an area downstream of the flyshop that is known for rising trout. I saw several midge sipping browns and brookies and I was able to take five on that first evening. It was very technical fishing and I had to use about 15 feet of leader tapered to 7X to get these fish to rise, but it was great seeing these beautiful Savage river trout again.
The second day, 04/13, I woke up to cloudy skys and temps in the mid 40s, which slowly rose up to the mid 50s by noon. I was expecting a nice BWO hatch, which never came, but I did manage four nice trout including a beautiful holdover rainbow that made its way up from the Potomac. I took three fish in the morning on a black stonefly dry in the pocket water and I got the forth and largest fish of the trip on a size 20 Griffith's Gnat. He was only about 13 inches, but he put up a nice fight.
Overall, it was great to see a boulder strewn bottom to the Savage river again. There was some siltation in areas that did not previously have it, but it was not a problem. The boulders on the bank had a very small layer of mud on them as well, but that should go away with time. The fish seem to have made it through the repairs just fine except for this year's class. I cannot speak for the mayflies yet, but I did not see any during my two days there. It is still early, but that seemed odd to me.
