Mossy Creek Fly Fishing Forecast 10/28/2026
Brian brings us the forecast this week. We're a couple of days late with this one, since most of the crew has been out on the water. We just had a run of 7 to 8 mornings at or just below freezing, which is unusual for October, with days warming back into the 60s. It looks like it will warm up even more over the next few days. There's still not much rain in the forecast.
The mountain streams are holding more water than you might expect for how dry it's been. We found good flows on brook trout streams this week, even to the west where things have been dry. The 3 to 4 inches of rain from the hurricane and the inch after it helped. This time of year the trees stop drawing water, the days get shorter, and there's less evaporation, so the water table holds up or even rebounds a little.
We're coming to the end of brook trout season, and the brown trout aren't far behind. We didn't find any fish paired up the other day, but spawning has likely started in some places already and will start everywhere else soon. Over the next couple of months, please don't wade through the middle of brook trout pools, so the eggs and fry have a chance to develop.
At the same time, the state keeps stocking. Delayed Harvest sections opened this week on the Roanoke River in Salem, the Piney River in Amherst County, and the North River not far from the shop. These are catch and release, single hook, artificial only through June. They'll be stocked again in winter and spring, so the numbers only go up. Fresh stocked fish aren't picky, but the more they get fished over with the same fly, like a Woolly Bugger, the more wary they get. Get out while the catching is good, and bring your A game later in the season as colder water slows them down.
The spring creeks have decent flow, and Mossy Creek is in good shape for water. We're not out of the drought, but the rising water table is pushing through the springs. Browns are chasing each other and daisy chaining, and some have already paired up. The mature browns will be mostly offline until they wrap up spawning around November 11 to 15, so fishing on brown trout water like Mossy Creek could be tough for the next couple of weeks. When they come off the spawn, they come off hungry.
We haven't had a hard freeze yet, so there are still plenty of big grasshoppers around. On streams that run through fields and pastures, like Buffalo Creek with its rainbows, the fish are still keyed in on big hoppers.
Musky fishing is good, but low, clear water makes them wary, so expect to put in extra time. The leaves are coming down on different schedules. The walnuts are nearly bare while other trees are just hitting peak color, so on a breezy day leaves will be a challenge for the next several weeks. They also stack up in the same foam lines and seams where the fish feed. That's part of fishing this time of year, and it will pass in a couple of weeks.
Our best bet this week is a newly stocked Delayed Harvest section, targeting the rainbow trout that are eating well ahead of winter. Happy Halloween, everyone, and we'll catch up with you next week!
Flies for this week: streamers and trout flies.
- Colby Trow
