When I found out that my daughter Laura had rented a cabin in the western corner of Virginia and wanted to trout fish, I had one piece of advice. If it’s near Whitetop Laurel, fish there. It’s Virginia’s finest trout stream. Period.
Whitetop Laurel Creek is in Washington County and runs through the small town of Damascus. It is the longest trout stream in Virginia and one of the richest freestone streams, aquatically, anywhere.
I had the pleasure of fishing here about 25 years ago. My guide took me to the headwaters, high on a mountain, where we caught wild brook trout. Later, we moved down to the mainstream and caught some huge rainbows and browns. Many of the trout in Whitetop are wild fish, but the state stocks regularly.
There are two special reg sections in Whitetop Laurel, but it’s all good water. Some of the biggest browns lurk in the put and take sections. The Virginia Creeper Trail runs along a good bit of the stream making it one of the easiest trout streams in Virginia to access.
For fly fishermen, it’s a paradise of insect hatches. It begins in February with the Quill Gordon and then March Browns. There is a green drake hatch in early June and a heavy Isonychia bicolor (Mahogany Dun) hatch that extends well into summer, along with the usual stonefly, caddis, and mayfly hatches throughout the year.
The only problem with fishing Whitetop Laurel is that it’s really far. Like driving to Utah. Not really but it is within a rock’s throw of the North Carolina border and sniffing distance from Tennessee. On my trip, I drove down the afternoon before and stayed in a motel in Damascus. It’s definitely not a day trip from Central Virginia.
The area has stunning scenery, it’s rugged and beautiful and the creek is literally teeming with trout. Put it on your bucket list if you like to flyfish for trout.
Virginia Saltwater
When anglers can get out, ocean wrecks are holding some really nice tautogs. Blue crabs are hard to find now so most are being caught with fresh clam, or frozen crabs from last summer.
There are some big bluefish to 15 pounds being caught offshore. The limit is 3 per day. The Chesapeake Bay rockfish season has closed, but you can still practice catch and release. Speckled trout and puppy drum are a possibility in the inlets throughout the winter. Most are being caught now on Mirr-O-Lures and soft plastics.
OBX
Some good catches of yellowfin along with some giant bluefin tuna are occurring out of Oregon Inlet. Surf fishing sucks – skates and dogfish!
