The Rapidan Chapter

Sept 2010 Hatches Newsletter

See and download the Chapter Newsletter for September 2010 Click Here

July 21, 2010 Fish With a Friend

Join us for a Fish with a Friend day on the Rapidan River at Germanna College Visitor Center at 7am for smallmouth bass hosted by Fred Kallmeyer.  Fred  will be sending out an email as the date approaches with additional information.  Send Fred an email via the Contact Us page  if you are interested in receiving the FWF emails.

July 28, 2010 Fish With a Friend

Join us for a Fish with a Friend day on the Rappahannock River at Kelly’s Ford for smallmouth bass hosted by Chuck Hoysa.  Fred Kallmeyer will be sending out an email as the date approaches with additional information.  Send Fred an email via the Contact Us page  if you are interested in receiving the FWF emails.

June 2010 Hatches Newsletter

See and download the Chapter Newsletter for June 2010 Click Here

June 12, 2010 Fish With a Friend

Join us for a Fish with a Friend on the SF of the Shenandoah hosted by Bill Hobson. Meet at 8am in Front Royal at Big Lots at intersection of Routes 55 & 522. Bring poppers, wooly buggers, & crawfish imitations. Plan on wet wading with sneakers. Lets have some fun!  Send Fred an email via the Contact Us page  if you are interested in receiving the FWF emails.

June 26, 2010 Fish With a Friend

Join us for a Fish with a Friend day on the Little Stony Creek hosted by Larry Tumblin, Jr.  Fred Kallmeyer will be sending out an email as the date approaches with additional information.  Send Fred an email via the Contact Us page  if you are interested in receiving the FWF emails.

Cancelled***July 10, 2010 Fish With a Friend

I just got off the phone with Rob Paul, who had just spoken with Mike McCaffery, reporting on the Rapidan.  The water levels in the Rapidan are lower than he has ever seen them and water temperatures were approaching 70 degrees.  According to Rob, Mike also reported dead fish floating in some of the pools, snakes in the pools going after the trapped fish, and the fish in the pools rightfully stressed.

This weather has been the most severe I’ve seen this early in my 10 years here, and while things are going to cool off some, it has imposed a serious toll on the fish.  As a result, we are going to cancel the Fish with a Friend outing for July 10.  Sorry for the notice.

Greg Safford and I fished  Shaver’s Fork south of Elkins about 6 weeks ago.  The water temperature was 53 degrees.  We went back 3 weeks ago and fished Shaver’s Fork again and the canyon section of Blackwater Falls.  The water temperature on both rivers was 77 degrees.  Tailwaters may be the only solid trout fishing in the area for quite some time.

Have a great weekend and stay out of the heat if you can.  Cross your fingers for much cooler temperatures and long durations of steady rain.  We need both desperately.

Local Students Release “Trout in the Classroom” Fish

Over the course of the past year, several classrooms of students raised trout from eggs to releasable “fry” as part of Trout Unlimited’s Trout in the Classroom Program.  With sponsorship by the Rapidan Chapter, students at Cedar Lee Middle School, P.B Smith Elementary, Emerald Hill Elementary School, and Highland School received eggs that hatched, then cared for dozens of “baby” trout until of a size permitting release of the fish back into their natural habitat.

tic-release_march-2010

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Tri-State TU Youth Camp Update

Students learn stream entomology as part of TU Youth Camp

The Tri-State TU Fishing Camp was completed on Friday, June 26, 2009 at Grave’s Mountain Lodge and was the most successful camp to date in the past 5 years the camp has been in operation. There were a total of 21 campers this year from states including West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. The curriculum was cram-packed with such notable faculty members as C.J. Geraci (Smithsonian Institution) and Wes Jargowsky teaching about stream macro-invertebrates; Noel Gollehon on invasive species; Jeb Wofford and Paul Bugas of VDGIF on fish habitat,; fly tying with Doug Brune and Walt Cary; our own John Ross on stream restoration; Bill Bolin of Dominion Energy; TU’s own Jim Gracie on stream habitat restoration; and Kareen Beck-Herzog from Shenandoah National Park. The mix of campers included 3 girls and 19 boys with all levels of fly fishing experience (e.g. no experience to intermediate level). Read more »

August 5, 2010 Fish With a Friend

Join us for a Fish with a Friend day on the Mossy Creek hosted by Andy Hollmas.  Fred Kallmeyer will be sending out an email as the date approaches with additional information.  Send Fred an email via the Contact Us page  if you are interested in receiving the FWF emails.