For the fly angler, spring is almost too good in central Virginia.

With so many excellent fishing options, time available to spend on the water is the only constraint. In the interest of brevity, I will stick to the fishing right around my home in Richmond.

The real jump start to the season is always the annual Shad run on the James. Starting in March, deep sinking lines and bright flies can take these fish downstream of Ancarrow’s Landing. As the temperatures warm, and the fish move up to the 14th St … Read More »

CHESAPEAKE BAY- The Speckled Trout bite continues to improve throughout the bay as daylight lengthens. The Elizabeth River is still holding good Trout, along with Puppy Drum. There have been other areas producing Trout over the last few weeks. Mobjack Bay usually comes to mind when considering Speck fishing. Some notable catches have been made there lately. A few 26-30 in. fish have been reported. The Rappahannock River and its tributaries have also produced some big fish lately. As more anglers target , Trout are being caught on a bigger variety … Read More »

While on a search mission for the next day’s tournament on Kerr Lake, my partner and I were greeted by light S-SW winds as w launched at County Line Park in the Nutbush Creek area.  Water temps were hovering around 46 deg. as we targeted secondary points with jerk baits and crank baits.  We had a few short strikes on shallow jerks over deeper water, so we decided to move to shallower water.  Out first fish was 5 lbs 10 oz, so we expanded our search for other secondary points and main lake points. … Read More »

The shad are on the move! They are breaking apart into smaller pods and moving up river slowly. The water temperature is coming up a few degrees on the James River which makes the fish feel feisty. Shad darts in tandem are taking the most fish with color combinations of pink, chartreuse, and white taking the most fish. Heavier darts are working better than lighter right now, but you may be able to ditch the 1/2 oz weights for the time being.

Fly-fishermen should take note of the color choices above … Read More »