On December 18, 2021, I had the opportunity to fish Mossy Creek near Bridgetown, Virginia, with Andy and Cory Mekelburg. Mossy Creek is a limestone, spring creek south of Harrisonburg which is renowned for providing the opportunity to fish for large brown trout. It is an excellent example of how collaboration with landowners, the state, and Trout Unlimited can provide anglers with access to quality water and does require a special, free permit from the Virginia DWR.
We started our day on a privately owned stretch of Mossy Creek that we were able to access through a guide, Wayne Sexton of the Mossy Creek Fly Fishing Shop. It was an overcast day in the 50s and the water was opaque. It took awhile but Cory finally started things off with a rainbow which he caught with a Zurtle. He ended up catching four more rainbows and a sunfish.
Andy and I ended up catching two rainbows each. I caught one with a Zurtle and one on a dropper combination with a pink Squiggly Worm that I had tied and a Copper John. I am fairly new to fly tying and can tell you that it was extremely satisfying and encouraging.
When we concluded our time with Wayne, we took the opportunity to find the public access area of Mossy Creek. We fished for about an hour before ending the day. This portion of the stream reminded me of Beaver Creek in Hagerstown, Maryland, as it had a substantial amount of aquatic vegetation and .was not wide open. To me, like Beaver Creek, it presents an ongoing challenge in a beautiful setting that I look forward to pursuing on a regular basis.
For those interested in fishing Mossy Creek, you can find more information, including directions, at: mossycreekflyfishing.com/pages/mossy-creek
— Mike Holland
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