For those who miss the opening day of trout season in Virginia, the Game Department has set aside Saturday April 2 as the next best thing – Trout Heritage Day. The selected streams and lakes will be closed on Friday, to allow for a big stocking, then reopen on Saturday at 9 AM giving everyone a chance to arrive and set up. Looks like decent weather on Saturday. Pick a stream from below and take advantage.
Amherst Co.: Pedlar River (Upper)
Bedford Co.: Liberty Lake
Botetourt Co.: Jennings Creek
Franklin Co.: Pigg River
Madison Co.: Robinson River; Rose River
Page Co.: Hawksbill Creek
Prince William Co.: Quantico MCB
Roanoke Co.: Tinker Creek
Scott Co.: Bark Camp Lake
Shenandoah Co.: Passage Creek
Smyth Co.: Middle Fork Holston River (Marion & Chilhowie)
Tazewell Co.: Lake Witten; Lincolnshire Lake
Washington Co.: Beartree Lake
Wise Co.: South Fork Powell River
Wythe Co.: Cripple Creek (Ravens)
The following fee-fishing areas are also being stocked for Heritage Day:
Bath Co.: Douthat Lake
Carroll Co.: Crooked Creek
Washington Co.: Clinch Mountain
All Heritage Waters are closed on Friday, April 1, and will reopen to fishing on Saturday, April 2, at 9 am.
This week’s stockings
Albemarle Co.: Moormans River (N. Fork) (03/29); Moormans River (S. Fork) (03/29); Sugar Hollow Reservoir (03/29)
Bath Co.: Back Creek (3/28); Cowpasture River (3/29)
Buchanan Co.: Dismal River (3/28)
Craig Co.: Potts Creek (3/26)
Floyd Co.: Laurel Fork (3/28); Burkes Fork (3/29); Little River (03/29)
Frederick Co.: Paddy Run (3/30)
Giles Co.: Wolf Creek (3/30)
Madison Co.: Robinson River (3/28)
Montgomery Co.: Pandapas Pond (3/28)
Page Co.; Upper Passage Creek (3/28); Cub Run (3/30)
Patrick Co.: Dan River (Above Talbott) (3/28); Round Meadow Creek (3/28)
Roanoke Co.: Roanoke River (Salem) (3/30)
Rockingham Co.: Dry River (3/29)
Shenandoah Co.: Stony Creek (3/28)
Smyth Co.: Middle Fork Holston River (Marion & Chilhowie) (3/29)
Wythe Co.: Rural Retreat Lake Pond (3/30)
More Trout News
South River Fly Shop says that fishing has been solid on the South River in the Delayed Harvest and Special Regulation Area. Caddis larva and pupa in amber or olive/green along with smaller mayfly nymphs are working along with size 16 pheasant tail, hares ear, copper john nymphs. Suckers and fallfish are now going on the spawn so light colored egg patterns are working well.
West slope park streams have been off and on depending on the temperature, but some nice brookies being caught. A recent report notes that the St. Mary’s River is showing no immediate ill effects following the wildfire. Ramsey’s Draft and North River are also fishing well for the brook trout.
Remember, that The South River Fly Fishing Expo is less than 4 weeks away and is shaping up to be a great show. Along with Stu Apte, Pat Dorsey, Greg Senyo, and Will Turek there will be presentations on lots of local fishing options (SNP, South River, James, Shenandoah, SW Va.) There will also be plenty of great fly tiers showing off Including Chuck Kraft, Walt Cary, John Conrad and more.
The dates for the Expo are April 23rd and 24th from 9-5 each day.
Lake Anna
Young fishermen were scoring last week at Lake Anna. Owen Harper, age 9, brought in one of the biggest crappie of the year, at 2 pounds, 2 ounces. Nine-year-old Isaac Curtis had a 4-4 striper.
Adult angler, Kurt Hammerschmidt, brought a 10-pounds, 13-ounce striper to the Anna Point Marina scales. In the Extreme Bass Angler tournament, Barry Shrum and Andy Bowman took
1st Place with 15.68 Pounds and had the big fish, weighing 6.6.
Shenandoah River
By Ed. T, Front Royal Canoe
On 3/30 the water had a slight stain, and was 55 degrees. The weather was sunny, with a high temp of 70 degrees. The trip was from the State Park to Karo Landing
The river was at a nice water level, an easy float all the way through. There was almost no plants or debris in the river, good conditions in every way. But the fishing was quite slow. Not a bite for the first hour. I tried different lures and patterns. Slow going. I finally caught a twelve-inch smallmouth on a #3 Mepps spinner (gold blade) in a shallow pool near the bank. A little while later I got a ten-inch smallmouth, same lure, same pattern. Around noon, I caught a fourteen-inch bass on the spinner, just past a mid-river rock ledge. And that was it, my third, and last fish for the day. After an hour without another bite, I called it quits and paddled on in. Maybe I should have stayed at it longer and waited for the bite to pick up, but the wind was getting kind of gusty and I figured I have plenty of trips ahead this year.
I talked to a guy in a group of kayakers, shortly before the end of the trip. He told me his father had bagged an eighteen-inch smallmouth that morning on a nightcrawler. That was so perfect, just perfect. I end up barely a notch above “skunked” and this guy gets a near-citation bass on an earthworm. Oh well, not one of my more memorable trips. Still, it was fun just to get out on the South Fork. No such thing as a truly bad day when I get out on the Shenandoah. The bite should pick up soon. The water was warm enough that I expected it to maybe be a little better yesterday. Oh well. I expect to do better next week. Good luck with your fishing.
Potomac River
Bass fishing is taking off!
Other than wind and cold snaps fishing is pretty good. Using moving lures on downsized line is key. Water temperature is in the low to upper 50s.
Think red! Red lipless crankbaits like Lucky Craft LV 500 in water more than 4 feet or LVR D-7 for grass or shallower presentations. Slow retrieves on 12 pound test GAMMA Edge fluorocarbon line and short snaps out of grass will trigger strikes.
In clear water around wood cover, try suspending Lucky Craft Pointer 100 jerkbaits in clown patterns. Use 10 pound test Edge and make long casts. Slight taps and varied pauses will get bites.
Shaky head black stickworms on a MIZMO BarbWire head. Use 8-pound test Edge. Spray Jack’s Juice garlic attractant on baits. Pitch to targets and shake. Another way to rig this bait is with the new MUSTAD Fastach X-Rig. The 3/0 hook and 1/4 ounce attached weight allows the bait to sit on one spot, shaking the worm to bring strikes. This is a bit beefier than the shaky head and requires 12 pound test Edge and a reel, feel and pull set. This all in one pre-rig also has a small swivel to prevent line twist.
Under cloudy skies or in stained water, slowly swim Mann’s Classic spinnerbaits.
Capt. Steve Chaconas is a guide on the Potomac River. info@nationalbass.com
Lake Orange
Lake Orange is open for business! Darrell Kennedy of Angler’s Landing (540-672-3997) says the water temperature is around 57 degrees and clear. Most of the fish are heading to the shelves for the spring spawn. Largemouth bass are hanging in and around 8-10 feet of water. Crappie are moving to the shallows around wood, feeding on small minnows.
Chickahominy Lake
Capt. Art Conway of Conway’s River Rat Guide Service (804-746-2475) out of Ed Allen’s Boats and Bait reported that Chickahominy Lake mid-day water temperatures were in the low to mid 60’s in the lower main lake and in the major creeks on Wednesday (3/30/2016).
Some blue cats and a few bullheads were still in channels and winter holes, but others had moved onto flats and into creeks. Cats were hitting live minnows and cut bait. Crappie seemed to be in multiple patterns in response to recent temperature fluctuations, with a few crappie on spawning sites, a fair number of crappie widely scattered along creek channels, and a few crappie on deeper cover outside creek mouths. Active crappie were hitting live minnows, Wright Bait Co. and Southern Pro curlytail jigs, small tubes, Kalin crappie scrubs, and small swim baits. Small to medium yellow perch were scattered or in loose aggregates on some main lake flats and in channels and on flats in major creeks and were hitting live minnows, small drop shot baits, and small jigs. Small to medium bluegill and shellcracker were starting to accumulate along some shorelines in major creeks and were hitting flies and small jigs. Some bass, pickerel, and bowfin were along shorelines, on flats, and along drop-offs in the major creeks. When active, bass and pickerel were hitting live minnows, spinnerbaits, swim baits, stick worms, crank baits, jerk baits, and jigs.
Fishing with Capt. Conway, Mickey Cleveland had 27 crappie, 1 pickerel, and 1 bass. Capt. Bill Buck had 9 bluegill, 14 crappie, 1 white perch, and 3 bass.
Rappahannock River
Charley Taylor reports that the warm weather this weekend should bring on the shad, perch and herring run. Lots of stripers, white perch, crappie and largemouth bass are now in tidal sections of the river. Shad colored crankbaits and spinnerbaits are the better baits. Cut bait is producing a few large blue catfish in the outside bends of the river channel. Above the city, smallmouth bass are taking small crankbaits and plastic grubs in the deeper holes.
Buggs Island
Lake level is at full pool. Stripers are biting well on live shad. Fishing is good from Nutbush Creek to Palmers Point, and from the mouth of Eastland Creek to Butchers Creek. The stripers appear to be moving up the lake, starting their spawning runs into the Dan and Staunton Rivers. Largemouth bass are taking spinnerbaits, Speed Shads and plastic grubs in the shallows, around rip-rap and rocky points. Anglers fishing spinnerbaits adjacent to buck brush are taking good-sized bass. Crappie are in the process of spawning, with brush piles being full of hand-sized crappies. Fish small minnows or jigs, 9-10 feet deep, over brush piles. Stripers are being caught below Kerr dam, when the Corps is generating. Catfish are taking chicken livers and cut shad.