The Donegal

Was supposed to head down to the Shenandoah National Park this weekend for our annual trout fishing trip, but soccer games, yard work and other family obligations precluded me from making the journey. This is the first time in about 15 years that I was unable to go.

Well, the mulch never came, and the weather was perfect for trout fishing, so I headed out to the Donegal. Fished the lower section and started with a green weenie and quickly picked up a brown. Around the next bend, I saw fish rising to a light colored mayfly which wasn't a sulpher, but didn't seem to be a march brown either. Tied on a light colored compara-dun and picked up two rainbows on top, but then the game seemed to end. I noticed the fish were making splashy rises, so I put on my favorite nymph, and Katy bar the door! It was non-stop action for the next two hours.

Rumors of my demise as a trout angler were put to rest this afternoon. I picked up trout in slow pools, fast runs, out of log jams and I think if I would have cast to the bank, I still would have caught trout. I couldn't miss; and my casting was spot on. I could have put a fly in a tea cup. Ended up with about 20 including two fish, a brown and a rainbow, that were 15", or over. Also had a Donegal hat trick: a brooky, a brown and a rainbow. Nice thing was the browns and rainbows were a mixed bag of wild fish and stockies.