In the middle of March, water temperatures reach the low 40s which is the turn-on point for good brook trout feeding. This is also the temperature at which Quill Gordon (Epeorus pleuralis) mayflies start hatching.

When Art Flick and I first identified this hatch in the early 60s, we were amazed to find how early the hatches started. I've kept stream notes every year since that time, and found the average starting date of the Quill Gordon hatch on most Park waters is about March 15.

After a long winter of very little feeding, the trout break into a feeding frenzy when this hatch appears. There are simply too many insects on the water to ignore.

Shenandoah National Park brook trout are most vulnerable during the early season. After a long winter, the trout feed heavily on the first hatches of the season.

As I fish my way upstream during the Quill Gordon hatch, I break each pool into small pieces, and fish each productive feeding station very carefully. Anglers who rush to the head of the pool and start casting before they study the water often miss the best fish.

The first spot I expect to take a trout is what I call the lip of the pool--the soft spot where the water slows before plunging out of the pool. Often the largest trout in the pool will hold in this feeding station, sipping in mayflies as they pass overhead.

My favorite fly for this hatch is a #14 Mr. Rapidan dry fly. I designed this fly specifically for the hatches and conditions you'll find in the Park in the early season. It floats well in choppy currents, is easy to see, and has caught a lot of fish over the last 15 years.

Mr. Rapidan Emerger

RECIPE HOOK: Mustad 3906B, #12-#16. THREAD: Tan 6/0 prewaxed nylon. TAIL: Ringneck pheasant tail fibers. RIB: Copper wire. BODY: Brown Hare's Ear dubbing. WINGCASE: Mallard flank dyed dark gray. COLLAR: Brown speckled Indian hen back.

Occasionally the streams are a little high in March, and then the most effective tactic is fishing nymphs upstream dead-drift through the deep pockets and runs. Some of the best nymphs include: Mr. Rapidan emerger (#12-#14) , Red Squirrel Bead-Head (#12-#14), and Murray's Cranefly Larva (#12-#14).

Blue Quills
Blue Quill (Paraleptophlebia adaptiva) mayflies start hatching in late March and overlap the Quill Gordons. Frequently when the air temperature is low, Blue Quill duns can't make a hasty getaway from the stream surface. When this happens, the currents push them into the backeddies where they drift helplessly around and around as they struggle toward flight.

Naturally, this sets up a bonanza for the trout, and they hold just beneath this flotilla of duns and sip them in as they go by. This event can afford some easy dry-fly fishing with a #16-#18 Blue Quill dry fly, but I've also had trout snub all my standard dun imitations while feeding selectively on flies partly trapped in their nymphal shucks. If the fish are selectively feeding on this stage, try a #16 Blue Quill Floating Nymph.