SteveL was in town and we planned to fish but first we had a lunch appointment to keep with some close friends to celebrate Chinese New Year, the Year of the Ox. We met at Fortune Chinese Restaurant in Falls Church, Va., and not only put away a few plates of goodies but also got to watch a very noisy lion dance. Lunch lasted a bit longer than anticipated and by the time we got out it was nearly 1:30 pm. However the sky was clear, the sun was out and we had already packed our stuff in the car so we jumped onto the Beltway and made it out to Beaver Creek in about an hour and a half.
Although the days have been getting a bit longer, we still only had a few short hours to fish and lots of ground to cover so it turned into a speed fishing expedition. Set up and throw a few casts at the best holding spots and if there were no takers we moved on. Since I knew the water the best, Steve did the fishing with one rod while I swapped out flies, adjusted leader length and moved indicators on a second rod then handed it to him to fish. We moved some trout at the first section of the creek then packed up and moved to the Upper Fly Zone.
The sun was begining to dip towards the horizon so we continued to speed fish down the creek until we reached the old bridge. We spent some time throwing streamers and drifting nymphs but nobody wanted to play. After another hour it was time to go so I tied on a size 18 Montana Mud Snake and Steve fished back up towards the car. At one of the deep pools we fished earlier with midges and scuds he hooked up with a decent rainbow that put up a pretty good fight. By the time we took a few pictures and had him back in the water it was really time to get off the water and on our way home.
EQUIPMENT: We used 9' 4 and 5-weight rods and an assortment of nymphs and streamers.
DIRECTIONS: From I-70 heading towards Hagerstown, take Exit 66 (Boonsboro) and turn left at bottom of ramp onto Mapleville Road (66). Continue down 66 and turn right onto Beaver Creek Road. About 100 yards past Beaver Creek Church Road on your right is the fly fishing parking lot. Follow the signs and instructions.
