Great day on the Shenandoah.
The weather we have had so far this year has made fishing anything except predictable. Summertime water flows in February, August temperatures in May, and water levels that are all over the chart. Not only has it been a great new learning experience, it’s been an amazing first half of 2017.
The pictures say it all. Smallmouth, the bite is on. Virginia is an amazing smallmouth fishery. Although boating 100+ fish in a day shouldn’t be expected, anytime you are on the James, Shenandoah or Rivanna river it is a possibility. I had the pleasure to fish with some great friends this past Sunday and had one of those magic days. No one kept count but, everyone agreed that well over 100 fish were landed. Including a small musky and and a few nice largemouth. Some fish are starting to lookup but, subsurface patterns are the go to for this time of year. As spring progresses into summer and air and water temperatures rise the surface bite will improve.
As we come to what we at the Albemarle Angler consider the end of our trout season, we can’t help but reflect back on all the great people we had the pleasure to guide on Virginia’s beautiful trout streams and the brave souls that chased musky with us. We can’t thank you enough.
For all of us trout lovers, don’t worry. The recent rain and cooler temperatures should keep the trout happy for the awhile. The brookie fishing has been outstanding so far this spring. Our larger state stocked rivers should continue to fish well into the middle of next month. We have closed Sugar Hollow Farm until fall however, Big Bend and Big River Farm remain open and are fishing great. For those of you that need a summertime trout fix, don’t forget about our Jackson river floats. We do offer trips on the Jackson year round.
Hope to see you on the water.
