Virginia’s Outstanding Fisheries.
I often get asked, when is the best time to fish in Virginia? My response is, for which species?
Virginia is such an amazing and diverse fishery anytime you can get out on the water is the best time to fish. I will try to break it down in my opinion.
Lets start with trout. Virginia has a number of locations which fish year round for trout however, we primarily guide for them September through the end of May. Best times. Spring and Fall will produce amazing insect hatches. If you love fishing dries, Spring and Fall is when you want to be out there. I love throwing dries as much as anyone however, my personal favorite time of year for trout is winter. It is mostly subsurface but any day through the winter you can run into a good hatch. Depending on water temperatures and levels we do fish for brook trout and browns into the summer.
Moving on to warm water. Smallmouth Bass.
Although you can fish for and catch smallmouth bass year-round in Va, We fish/guide for them starting in April and will continue through late October. Springtime can be great to target larger fish in the post-suspension pre-spawn. That time of year the water is normally on the high side so it’s mostly large streamers and sinking lines. As spring progresses into summer the top-water bite really gets going. Fall can be amazing top-water as well. The summer cicadas will really start falling October and the bass love them.
Last but not least, Musky.
What to say about these fish? Cast and keep casting. Although musky have been in Virginia waters for a long time they have just become popular over the last decade. Musky can be and are caught year-round in Va. We fish and guide for them primarily from Fall through Spring. Catching them during the hot summer months is very bad for them. Muskies are found in the same waters/rivers that we smallmouth fish. The New, James and Shenandoah Rivers all have decent musky populations. These fish are not for the faint of heart or for anglers that judge the success of their day by numbers of fish caught. Seeing one/having one follow your fly is a good day. Boating one is a great day.
If you’d like to join us to target any of the species above please give us a call.
See you on the water.
