Alexandria, Virginia, March
14, 2008
A report from AndrewB.
I got out for an hour around 2pm and
caught a nice 12-inch rainbow at the head of the bend pool
below the second crossing. I saw several fish with splashy
rises and tied on a size18 X-caddis and a green soft hackle
and took the rainbow on the dropper.
Holmes Run is small stream right in the
middle of northern Virginia suburbia-- strip malls,
apartment complexes and single family homes. It's a
gem for the urban angler looking for a quick trout fix
because there aren't many places inside the Beltway
where you can be on the water in 20 minutes and have a
trout on the end of your line. The Virginia Department
of Game and Inland Fisheries maintains Holmes Run as a
stocked, catch and release fly fishing
only area during the Spring then as a put and take
fishery during the summer. The water becomes too warm
during the summer to support trout in any numbers
although you will find holdovers throughout the year
in deep pools and runs).
DIRECTIONS: The upper section of Holmes
Run Stream Valley Park is located just off Columbia Pike
(244) amid apartments, residential housing and strip malls.
As you drive on 244 towards Leesburg Pike (Rt. 7) the road
will slope downhill. To your right you will see a large
apartment complex and on your left will be the face of the
Lake Barcroft Dam. You will cross a bridge with a covered
pedestrian walkway. At this point slow down and get in the
right lane. The road will begin to slope uphill. To your
right is a small, paved road that looks like a bike path.
This is the entrance. It's a sudden right turn so make sure
the car on your tail knows you're turning. Park and follow
the path to Holmes Run.