Alexandria, Virginia, January
1, 2010
"Don't bother," said the gentleman
walking his dog. I was standing on a bluff swapping
out one nymph for another while Jin laid out a few
casts below me and his comment caught me off guard.
"The water is too high...too dirty. You're not going
to catch anything today," he said.
"Yeah, but we have no choice. We're just making the best of
a bad situation," I replied. I don't know if he fished but
as he walked away he looked over his shoulder and nodded at
me in an understanding way--recognition from the
brotherhood of anglers that he understood why we were
standing there in the cold flailing away at the muddy water
attempting to entice a trout to bite. He didn't stop to
chat but continued down the path towards Colombia Pike with
his dog. I finished tying on a heavily weighted size 12
Czech Nymph and a much smaller size 18 black Hare's Ear
above it then looked over the embankment to see if Jin had
any luck.
It was a cold, damp day that kicked off the first day of
fishing in 2010. It had rained heavily for most of the
previous and and night but Jin was in town and we both had
permission to fish for a few hours so we decided to hit our
favorite fishing spots at Holmes Run Stream Valley
Park. We began
at the lower end at Chambliss Street and worked our way
upstream. The ongoing sewer improvement project
rearranged or eliminated several of our favorite fishing
spots along Glen Hills Park so we only stopped long
enough to throw a few casts to see if anyone wanted to
play then quickly moved on.
I took Jin to a spot
I fished in November
and pointed out a few
places that held fish. The water was absolutely horrid.
Standing in shin-deep water, you couldn't see your
boots. But when you draw a weekend pass from the
boss-of-the-house to fish, you better make the best of
it and FISH. Hard.
I worked the water with several varieties of nymphs and
drew two tentative taps as I worked the slower water just
outside the main current. The takes were very subtle--the
indicator would stop moving for just a second so the hook
set had to be fast. Evidently I wasn't fast enough. However
Jin had switched to a small black woolly bugger and managed
to hook and land a nice brown trout. It's colors were a bit
pale, but fish in stained water often develop a lighter
shading which turns darker after the water clears up.
We continued to fish upstream but it was soon time for us
to leave and I'll admit it didn't take much coaxing to get
me to walk off the water.
EQUIPMENT:
We used 3-weight rods,
floating lines and various nymphs and streamers.
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.
The lower section of Holmes Run can be reached at Glen
Hills Park on North Chambliss Street. There is no parking
lot--the road ends at the park. Follow the path upstream.
It takes you to Columbia Pike and the Lake Barcroft Dam.
For the more adventurous angler, try fishing Holmes Run
downstream of Glen Hills Park. There are trout there. You
just have to find them.