Richard Formato

Richard Formato is an avid catch-and-release fly-fisherman from Wytheville, Va. When not on the water, he operates a small business there. Formato loves to fly-fish in his native Southwest Virginia because of the great water and wonderful people. He also loves to fish the flats and shallows of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic whenever work and weather permit. He is on the Department of Conservation and Recreation's board of directors and is a trustee of the Shenandoah National Forest and Skyline Drive.

Recent columns

• What about Bob?
• Notes from the Charlotte Fly Show
• A chance meeting
• A wish for Jack

• Column archive
• Talk fly-fishing

I have been on a cold streak.

For this reason, I had to return to the South Fork of the Holston River.

There are several reasons I love the Holston.

It is the closest and best place for wild rainbow and brown trout, and is a quick shot from Wytheville.

Loaded with a rocky bottom, fueled by the cold-water springs of Sugar Grove and the high altitude water of Mount Rogers, the South Fork is a natural, sustainable wild trout fishery.

My favorite spots are just downstream from the Buller hatchery.

The Holston is one of those rivers that takes some practice. These channels are packed with wild fish, and wild fish can be wily. In early April they can be finicky eaters.

Several years ago, after almost breaking my rod on about the tenth fly I pitched into the trees at Buller, my good friend and fellow angling partner David Saliba came over to me and gave me probably the best fishing advise you can ever get -- or give.

He said, "Rich come over here and sit down with me a second." Patting me on the back, he said, "Now, two things. The first is ... settle down. This is supposed to be fun! Secondly, quit trying to throw so much line!"

I think we forget this sometimes. Fly-fisherman can take themselves too dang seriously.

It is not a competition to see who knows the most entomology, who ties the best flies, who has the best technique.

Fly-fishing is about enjoying nature holding a fly rod, and releasing fish in the same shape you caught them in.

The hardcore guys lose me, and it is those guys who scare off the novices.

Let me let you in on a little secret: fly-fishing is something everybody can do.

Where you want to take it and how fussy you want to get is up to you.

But when it becomes work, and when you become disappointed because you can’t match the hatch, or loose $10 worth of flies, you have to wonder why you are there.

This weekend, I was a little pessimistic starting out, and kidded with my friend Will Atwood. I didn't want him to get “too excited about fishing with me” since I had been on a cold streak.

He said, “You too? I haven’t able to buy a fish down here this week!”

Atwood, at 77 years young, and as fit a man you will ever meet, is the quintessential angler. Good natured, and experienced, he always has a fly to spare to someone in need.

Atwood’s go-to fly is the “club sandwich,” a moniker dubbed by Keith Sturgill, another Smyth County local and terrific angler.

The Club Sandwich is a green streamer tied to look like wounded minnow, with a splash of red at the head. Will had already caught six trout before I got there. I was reluctant to use it because of false pride and because I wanted to fish a dry Blue Wing Olive and Blue Quill.

After seeing his rod bent a few more times, I went to the Club Sandwich, and caught six nice rainbows.

Moving upstream to fish the limestone ledges that stair-step downstream, I was using a new eight foot Sage FLi 4-weight with a Lamson wide arbor reel.

At $279, it’s not exactly a starter rod, and is a tad softer than the XP series, but because the 4-weight XP is in pieces, and on its way back to the fine folks at Sage, it is always exciting to use a new rod.

There were bugs everywhere! Swarms of giant Blue Quill Gordons that by 5 p.m. looked like a winter squall of huge snowflakes.

A minor problem. No rising fish.

The water was still a little dingy, ripping and cold, and the trout were probably munching on nymphs. Trout won’t expend energy in cold water when they can eat from an underwater buffet.

Tying on big prince nymph, it was on.

There is nothing like seeing the jerk of your strike indicator on a dead drift..

I prefer to nymph upstream and to the side at three-quarter angle, and I usually get the best strikes soon into the drift. I switched off the FLi to a 5-weight Sage XP that is longer and stouter -- and better for throwing flies with a big plug of soft weight pinched about 18 inches above the nymph.

The bigger the nymph, the bigger the fish I caught.

It was great day. Bugs flying, the sun shafting through the still bare trees, catching and releasing multiples of fish.

I had ended my cold streak … at least until the next time, when it will all be different.

Any great trout stream keeps its own secrets.

Any angler who says they have it all figured out hasn’t fished long enough.