Virginia Fly Fishing Home

(Photos courtesy of Beau Beasley) When you walk up to a trout stream flyrod in hand and wonder what fly to tie on, sit down or lean against a tree and watch what’s going on around, in, and over the water. Are bugs hatching, are trout rising, is there a foam line? After a few minutes you’ve figured it out: you don’t have a clue what’s happening, so you tie on your favorite fly or the one that caught your last trout, and you begin casting.

Observing the stream is always a good idea before tying on a fly: you can learn a lot by ...

by Beau Beasley
If you’re like me the first time you went fishing you were with your father, grandfather, uncle or some school chum. The local farm pond or river was your destination and you couldn’t wait to get there and do battle with the local fish. Like many fly anglers, I started with a spinning reel using a red and white bobber and worms I collected myself from the backyard. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of spending the afternoon with my brother Jason after school, walking a mile through the woods across to a neighbor’s farm pond and whiling away the hazy hours in search of fish. Any fish that would fight was a delight: bluegill, catfish, red eyes-- and, the greatest prizes of all, the largemouth and smallmouth bass. ...

Jim Hickey, a longtime Shenandoah River guide who now lives and guides in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, regularly guided clients in Patagonia, Chile, “land of the condor,” during the off-season in Virginia. While in Chile, Hickey noticed that the resident trout went nuts for what looked like damselflies. Back at camp, Hickey experimented at his vice until he came up with a respectable imitation of the trouts’ favorite fly. His pattern was a hit in Patagonia; Hickey’s Condor was born. Hickey brought the Condor home with him, noting the striking resemblance between his fly and the Virginia damselflies around him. Sure enough, his pattern was a hit with the fish here, too.

I have fished Hickey’s Condor with tremendous success for several years; on my best day, I landed 22 smallies in a single afternoon without changing flies. Though originally tied for South American trout, Virginia fish take the Condor without a second thought. Hickey’s Condor comes in chartreuse, brown, black, orange, and blue in sizes 6-12.

Brothers Brian and Colby Trow own Mossy Creek Fly Fishing in Harrisonburg, Virginia. They also guide clients for trout and ...