Harry Murray is owner of Murray's Fly Shop in Virginia. You can usually catch these trout on dry flies from the middle of November into the first or second week of December. What a delight to fish with. If you do encounter birds feeding try to approach the area as stealthily as possible, you can then cast buck-tails into the area where the feeding is going on. Fly Fishing The Elk River West Virginia The uppermost part of the Elk River in West Virginia is a limestone spring creek that should be a top fly fishing destination for any serious angler. Here are tips from three well-known state anglers on how to experience more of the former and less of the latter. Angling for Virginia’s wintertime river smallmouths is a paradox. As D.C. fishing guide Rob Snowhite explains in great detail (including maps), Northern Virginia's Four Mile Run comes alive in the winter, as a vast number of carp and other species migrate into the stream because of the warm 60 degree, clean water discharge from a sewage treatment plant located on the stream. Fly Fishing Smith River Virginia The Smith River is recognized as one of Virginia's best tailwaters but little is known about its fine headwater fishing for native brook trout. It ends in a rock garden that provides a great place for them to move a short distance and spawn in May. FLIES. The key for largemouth bass is to look for areas of the river where the current is slower then anywhere else or look for places that have warmer water then the bulk of the river. prosperent_ad_width = 160; Also if you fish up closer to the fall lines on these rivers you can catch smallmouth bass that have moved down from the upper reaches of the river for the winter. google_ad_height = 600; My favorite way to fish these areas is to wade into the stream about a hundred feet downstream of the spring and wade upstream ten feet from the bank looking for feeding trout as I go. google_ad_width = 160; Inquire about non-fishing nature adventures on foot or in a boat. Look for deep-water structure along main river channel bends where there are quick changes in depths or on some of the various bridge piles. The James River cuts its course directly through the heart of the urban … Bass Flies. These areas are warmed by the discharge from the Dominion Virginia Power Plant so they stay a lot warmer than the main river areas. There is still bass fishing … If you do want to go on a bender and hear the smack of trout jaws amongst the snowflakes, try one of A.K. The warming does not need to be huge, just a few days of slightly warmer weather can have an impact on the water temp and put the fish on the feed. This article discusses winter fly fishing, with strategies, techniques and flies to use when fly fishing for trout in the winter. These 16 Amazing Spots In Virginia Are Perfect To Go Fishing. Fly Fishing Tips for Catching Winter Trout. At 11 PM I was met by Colby Trow, one of the founders of Mossy Creek Fly Fishing and we drove two hours to his place in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Solon. That is just awesome. It seems like a lot of anglers stay inside during the winter months and miss out on some of the best fishing … prosperent_unit = 8474686; Wi… After your Shrimp sinks deeply use a very slow retrieve to crawl it across the stream bottom. WVAngler.com is the home of all things Fly Fishing West Virginia. Since these trout often have not finished spawning until the middle of November most anglers believe it is not wise to stress them by fishing for them until after this. On Lake Anna you can catch them on the main lake during the winter if you target structure on areas where there are good quick drops like along old channel edges. Your goal is to make your nymph look like a real baetis nymph swimming up from the stream bottom. Created in 2001 on the banks of the mighty Elk River, WVAngler has grown from a small personal website into a virtual community where … google_ad_slot = "5431353071"; Best’s Plastic Bag Midges or a simple Parachute Midge. Virginia Fly Fishing Virginia is bordered by West Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia (across the Potomac River) to the north, by Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, by North … Trout in the … January 2, 2013 FLY FISHING MADE EASY. Excellent trout fishing … caught off Virginia Beach in 1981 by John Thurston Sheeps-head Fiddler crabs, mole crabs (sand fleas), clams Fishing bait near the bottom (suspended off the bottom) near submerged structures … Three Rivers Ranch is proud to offer Owyhee River Fly Fishing Trips. Second look for areas of the rivers that are deeper. Big Wilson Creek . Pick the right place. When most species move south, big “Rockfish” come out of the Chesapeake Bay and line the coast all around town. Mar 3, 2016 - A bit of Winter Rainbow beauty. Most people do not venture outside their homes so winter fly fishing keeps the crowds away, and often times you’ll have the water all to yourself. Cast down and across at a twenty degree angle so your fly falls at the near side on the upstream section of the spring. … Keys to this winter fishing are to first try to get to them after we have had a several day warming trend. The stream immediately below them will be cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than the rest of the stream. Fishing information, rules & regs, fish stocking reports, and more! Virginia has it all. Striped Bass are the superstars of the Virginia Beach winter fishing scene. There are many pools on these rivers that will run 10 feet or more deep and these are where the fish will concentrate. During the spring, fall and winter, enjoy hiking and catching Rainbow, Brown or Native Brook Trout in wild, stocked or Special Regulation streams. google_ad_client = "pub-9269710255025004"; WVAngler.com is the home of all things Fly Fishing West Virginia. Caught on the new ALEKA X1 prototype Switch rod. When I see him turn to take my fly or "white it" as he opens his mouth to take it, I set the hook quickly. Look for rises. All clients are expected to have a Virginia fishing license and trout stamp as necessary. It has some very large wild rainbow trout and brown trout. It seems like a lot of anglers stay inside during the winter months and miss out on some of the best fishing of the year. Join 100's of fly anglers. When you do locate concentrations of fish drop your baits down on fish-finder rigs with 2 – 3 oz weights and 7/0 or 8/0 circle hooks, remember Buggs is where the current 94 ½ pound state record Blue comes from so be prepared for big fish. Fish these upstream dead drift along the stream bottom using two strike indicators spread at three and six feet above the nymph on a 9 foot 5X knotted tapered leader in order to detect the strikes. Lake Moomaw in western Virginia is a man-made lake covering 2,530 acres and is great for winter fishing. This action will be sporadic so don’t get discouraged if you don’t catch fish every trip. For catfish fish the same as you would the James, look for deep holes, especially those with structure or cover and drop your lines. The Trinity River of northern California is a great winter fishery, both for … Can be booked at our office in advance of your stay. You can drift live bait on float rigs in areas you have found schools of baitfish or you can look for the tell-tale feeding birds and then cast buck-tails or swim-baits to the area to try and pick off a few of the feeders. Emerger Flies. I can’t argue that it is colder however with the right clothing it is very comfortable out there. The lake is stocked with both warm water fish, like bass, sunfish, crappie, and catfish, and cold water fish, such as trout. Peak smallmouth bass fishing occurs April through September and good musky fishing can be found through the fall and winter months. /* Text black 160x600 */ Wednesday was long. $75 additional per person for private water Float fishing: $400 half-day 5hrs. In Southwest Virginia, this warm water fishery flows through Grayson County and offers enterprising anglers the opportunity to catch the smallmouth bass of a lifetime. //-->. Each trout will range anywhere from 10-16". It’s wintertime in the Virginia piedmont, home to hundreds of brook trout streams. To most fly fishers, trout fishing in the fall is much like reading last week’s Sunday Times on Saturday—some interesting stuff, but it’s mostly over. During the beginning of the baetis hatch each day when the adults are sparse you can catch many nice trout on a Blue Wing Olive Nymph size 18. Popular spots are the barge pits near Dutch Gap, and the Spray Pond at the end of the old River Channel in Dutch Gap. Rob offers guided trips by the hour in Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. for novice and experienced anglers. Generally speaking, trout are a smidge … // 8700 Potomac Hills St., Great Falls. The tidal portion of the James River below Richmond offers excellent prospects for those fishermen that venture out on winter days. When you find these underwater springs mark them carefully by some physical feature such as large steamside trees or unusual boulders in the stream. Most of the river is slow flowing with small ledge riffles and runs. Winter Rainbow Trout on Bamboo Rod; Western style fly fishing for trophy trout in Virginia. These “pit” areas are not nearly as warm as the first two areas but due to the openness of them and their relatively shallow, slow flowing waters, they tend to warm from the Sun more then the rest of the river so they can be good place to target, especially on sunny days. Bead Head Zebra Midge $ 1.50. If you enjoy solitude on the trout streams and matching your wits against large trout you should seriously consider fly fishing for them in the winter. FLY FISHING: Fly Fishing in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, the Shenandoah National Park & George Washington National Forest. By Kirk Deeter. prosperent_ad_height = 600; Newbury's Dirty Hipster $ 1.85. Also check out any of the many “pits” areas on the river, you can find them on any good map of the river. John Robert's Fly Fishing Adventures located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia offers the best trout fly fishing in Virginia. Some days can be too cold but for the most part, it is year-round fishing. This article is intended to point out some of the more prevalent winter fishing opportunities out there in our state and maybe inspire you to try and get out and catch yourself some fish rather than sit on the couch waiting for spring. I have actually caught several near citation and citation class fish on my offerings to the largemouth. In either case I use the same tactic. Especially during the morning hours when water temps are at their coldest, or on really cold days the trout will typically be deep, and to get strikes you have to put the flies where the fish … Oak Creek is a productive stream, and dry-fly fishing is actually pretty good in the winter, with Blue-winged Olives hatching on warmer days, and midge action happening just about all winter long. One of the top winter … As for tactics a lot of things will work on these fish as the water is so warm so don’t be afraid to try out your favorite tactic. Please note that fishing in all of these locations requires a valid Virginia fishing license. Caught on the new ALEKA X1 prototype Switch rod. During these frigid winter months I often find myself thinking about something dear to me – smallmouth fishing. Streams are vacant, except for roving bands of mergansers, and in places where you feel like you had to take a ticket in June you’ll have the water to yourself, with no looking over your shoulder for intruders every few minutes. For example a friend of mine and his partner, on a recent January outing, caught 40 largemouth in the 1 ½ to 2-pound range. The North Fork of the South Branch Potomac River — say that ten times fast — flows through West Virginia and eventually passes between Virginia and Maryland before it empties into the Chesapeake Bay. With so many freshwater lakes and rivers, plus an abundance of saltwater options, fishing in Virginia … Watch the flat sections of the pools in the evenings and you'll often spot trout rising to sip natural midges from the surface of the stream. Streamers. John Roberts is your guide offering 50+ years of flyfishing expertise on Virginia … When you do have the right conditions and find the right spot try slow rolling a spinner-bait, or working a tube or jig on around and available structure. Call 800-436-6254 for a guide. Fishermen will hit most of the same areas the cat-fishermen will be in, even using most of the same baits. The fish will concentrate on deep holes in these areas so use your fish finder or graph to look for them. Created in 2001 on the banks of the mighty Elk River, WVAngler has grown from a small personal website into a virtual community where thousands have come to share tips, reports, ideas, fly patterns, and even make new fishing buddies. As a Virginia fishing guide or a fishing guide anywhere we all have to deal with the weather. Trout will move slower and our presentation of the fly will need to match this or we might just end up cold and skunked for the day. (2 people) snacks and drinks included. Check out our partner site - FishinTrips.net. Look for back areas, bays and flats that have warmer water then the main river and then fish them slow. There are usually more natural shrimps here than cress bugs so use a Shrimp pattern size 14 on a 9 foot 5X leader. After it sinks deeply swim it back across the stream by stripping it six inches every five seconds. You will usually be able to pick up a few largemouths on these rivers. Woolly Bugger (size 10) In black or olive, I can fish this fly to mimic many critters trout feed on. Fish this two fly rig the same way you would if you were fishing just the dry. The fish are purchased from state fisheries in Missouri, arrive around Thanksgiving, and last through early April. However, the action will be very slow because of the cold water. According to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, there are more than 2,900 miles worth of trout streams, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs you can explore. Allow the buck-tail to sink a few feet and then use a jigging retrieve and hang on. It doesn't have to be over for us. James River, Richmond, VA. … Mar 3, 2016 - A bit of Winter Rainbow beauty. Since large trout prefer to feed on overcast days this is a perfect situation for you to get great fishing. These are usually stretches of the streams downstream from where rich springs flow into them. Many of the Old Dominions smallmouth rivers can provide good smallmouth fishing in the winter. Park has 2 bodies of water that are prime for catching trout, bass, muskie. $300 half-day 4/5hrs. Winter Dry Fly Fishing. That Dealer would be us by the way. As he continues to feed I cast my Shenk's Cress Bug size 16 two feet upstream of his location and watch him closely as my fly drifts downstream to him. We must schedule a guide. These 16 Amazing Spots In Virginia Are Perfect To Go Fishing. //-->,