By Dr. Peter Brookes   I’m always up for a challenge and decided to try for a Virginia Bass Slam. The Bass Slam requires the angler to net three species of Virginia bass in a year. The eligible fish include the largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, striped bass, and/or a hybrid striped bass. While a full year is allotted for completing the Virginia Bass Slam Challenge, netting three bass … [Read more...]

On June 10, Danny Arbogast of Millboro, Virginia, landed a 3-pound, 12-ounce fallfish from the Cowpasture River to record the new state record for that species. Hall caught the trophy-sized fish with spinning tackle using a live minnow. The fish measured 20 ¾ inches, with a girth of 11 inches, and was officially weighed at the DWR regional office in Verona, Virginia. After biologist verification … [Read more...]

By Alex McCrickard   Have you ever had to end a great fishing trip early due to accidentally hooking yourself? Safety should never be overlooked when spending time on the water fishing. Without a doubt, it’s essential to make sure you are dressing for the weather, checking river flows or lake conditions, keeping an eye on the radar and forecast, wearing a life jacket if you are on a … [Read more...]

    By Dr. Peter Brookes   You don’t hear much about Buffalo Creek,, but fly fishing phenoms (and friends) Joe Irby and Derek Hutton have been trying to get me to come down to wet a line in the stream for quite a while. I was interested, but like everyone else I was “busy.” Looking back now on that piscatorial procrastination, putting off fishing Buffalo Creek was a … [Read more...]

By Alex McCrickard/DWR   During the coldest months of the year, anglers often find solitude on the river.  Many choose to wait the winter out, cozying up to a fire inside the warmth of their homes. However, for the angler that does choose to brave the elements out on the water, patience and persistence are essential to success. Fishing for smallmouth bass in the wintertime can be … [Read more...]

By Alex McCrickard/DWR Opportunities to fish tidal rivers are plentiful along the western shore of the Chesapeake from the Potomac in Northern Virginia down to the James River and everything in between. These large tidal tributaries follow a salinity gradient where freshwater at the fall line turns brackish, with higher salinity concentrations the closer one travels down river to the confluence … [Read more...]

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By Emily George   While the woods are heating up and the waters are cooling down, this is a great time of year is to catch trophy fish. People are switching gears to hunting season, which is leaving fish less pressured and more apt to seek food before the winter, and walleye are high-quality fish to hook this time of year. DGIF’s walleye fisheries produce ample opportunities for … [Read more...]