When we drove up to Skyline Drive, we asked the Park Ranger at the entrance for advice on good spots to fish – she told us Jeremy’s Run. That’s were we were heading anyway on this trout hike, but that should have been a huge red flag that this stream gets a lot of traffic.
To get there, follow Skyline and park in the Elk Hollow Gap picnic area – that’s the trailhead. It’s an easy walk down, not much vertical gain, but is a hike that you should wear hiking boots on. Do not wear your fishing shoes as the hike out with wet shoes and socks could produce a blister.
It was a pleasant sunny day as we headed into the valley and we were excited to see the stream. But after following it for a while, it became clear that this was a low water fishing event. The stream is very shallow – but does support a good population of native trout. Most are pretty small; the larger pools supporting the larger fish.
It’s hard work fishing this as the target area is so small. It’s like fishing in a series of mud puddles. There are a small number of bigger pools and, as you can see from the pictures below, we caught a few 6 to 9 inch fish – but – these were the exception rather than the rule. Most of the guys hanging out were like the one to the right – small and aggressive. I suppose fly fishermen like trying to catch these, but they did nothing for me.
We did see a number of other folks fishing – at least 7 other people – so this stream does get some pressure.
Bottom line: I will not go back here – it’s just not good enough.
Caveat: I did not go all the way down to the bottom – it might be better water down there… but … still plenty of pressure on this water
Dick at the top of the trailhead to Jeremy’s Run – easy walk
Dick was using these mayfly things and had good luck. I stuck with my Panther-Martin spinners
The larger fish were all about this size – 6 inches or so
The trail is clearly marked with blue blazes on trees – you will not get lost
As you can see, low water, low flow
There are a few decent size pools – I imagine these get heavy pressure
Another good pool
We practice immediate catch and release – all these fish are still there for the next person.
Since this is in the Shenandoah, it’s single hook – be sure you take a pair of pliers along with you to snip your treble hook
Unless stated otherwise, this article was authored by Steve Moore