The Board of Directors of Destination Downtown Waynesboro was pleased to present a check for $2000 to Shenandoah Valley Trout Unlimited. The funds came directly from the proceeds of the 2018 South River Fly Fishing Expo and will be used by Shenandoah Valley Trout Unlimited to improve trout habitat on the South River near Waynesboro. In the photo above, Webber Payne (left) of Destination Downtown Waynesboro presented the check to Urbie Nash of Shenandoah Valley Trout Unlimited.
Funds from the 2017 South River Fly Fishing Expo provided a Rainbow Trout Bike Rack at the Arch Avenue Parking Lot and funds from the 2016 South River Fly Fishing Expo were used to purchase over 1000 juvenile Brown Trout that were stocked in the South River.
The 2019 South River Fly Fishing Expo will be held at Constitution Park on April 27thand 28th, 2019 and will feature fly fishing and fly-tying experts from Virginia, West Virginia and New York. \There will be on stream presentations on fly fishing tactics, fly casting, and stream ecology along with great opportunities to meet local and regional non-profit organizations that are working to promote fly fishing, and protect and improve fisheries across the nation. For more information, go to www.southriverexpo.org, Destination Downtown Waynesboro at
301 West Main Street, Waynesboro, VA 22980
Or contact Tommy Lawhorne – tommy@southriverflyshop.com
Lake Orange
Darrell Kennedy of Angler’s Landing (540 672.3997) reports that water temperatures at Lake Orange are in the low to mid 60s. The lake is clear with bass and crappie in full spawn now. Several nice crappie have been caught on small minnows along the shoreline brush. Bass can be found bedding next to stumps, rocks and brush. Bass are hitting soft plastic and live minnows. A few catfish have been caught on live bait and chicken livers with the upper end of the lake producing best
Freshwater
Stan Cobb at Greentop reports that bass in lakes and ponds are in full spawning mode. The bass at Anna are spawning and the stripers are making their spawning run at Kerr. These fish make long runs into the headwaters of the lake. Both the Dan, and Staunton rivers attract the stripers. Stripers are being caught at Anna also. Live bait has worked best. Excellent catches of crappie are occurring in area lakes and tidal rivers. Tidal river bass are responding to many offerings now, as they are quite aggressive. Spinnerbaits continue to be very productive. Both the Chickahominy and James are excellent, but the James has risen due to rainfall upstream. The Chickahominy rarely gets stained, due to the many swamps and marshes that filter out the silt and mud. Rockfish are being caught in the tidal rivers, but must be released. The shad run is still underway, especially on the James. Spoons sometimes work better in the stained water, but shad darts have been working as well. The white perch bite is strong inside the James. Cut bait and bloodworms are working well, as are minnows. The blue catfish bite is perhaps the best of the year, right now. The shad and herring runs create boundless food sources for these giant predators.