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 »

The water in the James River has gotten much clearer over the past few days, allowing the fish to see anglers’ lures better, which leads to more hookups! Tandem rigged darts are taking the most fish with the spinning crowd with a close second being a small gold spoon weighted down with a 1/2oz weight. The temperature of the water has slowly but surely crept up to the mid 50s and the fish are acting like it’s spring! Good colors include combinations of pink, white, and green.

Fly fishermen and women … 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 »

The shad are on the bottom and the current is swift on the James River. In order to coax them up, local anglers are still using a ½ oz weight, but a better color selection for this part of the week would be pink/white or chartreuse/white. The same colors go well for the fly-fishing crowd, but getting down to the fish is a bit more involved. A sink tip will not do it at the moment. A full sink line over 300 grains is more likely to dredge them up, … Read More »