How many people are from Virginia?

[AD]

     Just wondering if there is anyone from Virginia on here or not, I am guessing that there are a few but not too many.     
     Trout stocking season officially kicks off tomorrow here in the western part of Virginia, although most of the streams and some of the rivers are just to low to stock for the time being, some of the lakes are going to be stocked.     
     If anyone is interested there should still be a few trout at the stream in Clinch Mountain, although you have to be a bit careful as bow hunting season has kicked off and there are some hunters up in there.   The fee fishing season is officially over as of Friday there so I believe it is free from here on out.     Dont forget about the lake up top too, a good place to catch some rockbass, smallies, and some stocked brook trout.     

[Fat Boy]

treed posts quite a bit around here.  I live just across the Potomac in Maryland and I used to fish VA a lot, now I just don't have the time but do fish once in a while.  My brother, Otter on this site, now lives in Lynchburg so he does fish the James quite a bit.  He has been quiet on here of late, but I'll have to get him posting again.  The Virginia board is what you guys make of it, so recruit your buddies to post here with you and people will start showing up more and more.

[AD]

treed posts quite a bit around here.  I live just across the Potomac in Maryland and I used to fish VA a lot, now I just don't have the time but do fish once in a while.  My brother, Otter on this site, now lives in Lynchburg so he does fish the James quite a bit.  He has been quiet on here of late, but I'll have to get him posting again.  The Virginia board is what you guys make of it, so recruit your buddies to post here with you and people will start showing up more and more.

     Yeah Im trying to spread the word, right now jsut everyone is out in the woods after the deer, although we did see some nice fish come out of Holston last wednessday.   one walleye in the 8 pound range and 30 or so from 2-6 pounds.     Some great fish.     
      Streams are still real real low, we havnt even been able to stock some of them with Trout.   
      Glad to hear that there are some people around already though.       

[treed942000]

Hey Guys

I'm still around, life has been really crazy and I haven't had the time I used to.

FB - I just moved to the Tidewater area and live 10 minutes from the James.  I'm hoping to do some Stripper fishing for the first time in my life.

AD - We're around, any advice is appreciated as I'm a transplant to Virginia.

[AD]

Hey Guys

I'm still around, life has been really crazy and I haven't had the time I used to.

FB - I just moved to the Tidewater area and live 10 minutes from the James.  I'm hoping to do some Stripper fishing for the first time in my life.

AD - We're around, any advice is appreciated as I'm a transplant to Virginia.

'

As am I,   I was always a Central New Yorker but have been moving around the past few years.     
     Right now I think the walleye run is either screwed up or over.    It got warm and the water was pretty low, which warmed the water up, then got cold again and rainy, brought the wter temps back down adn blasted the rivers out.     
      I got one small male out of the New River at Fosters Falls a week back or so.      From what I have heard from the Fisheries guys the creel survey's for the walleye have been a disapointment so far.     Best bet for the eyes is a rapala of some sort at night.     
       If its trout your looking for the western portion of Virginia has been getting some monsters, 1.5 fish to the pound and bigger.     

[camo_fish]

Hi guys,
I grew up in Roanoke, Va and did alot of fishing as a boy on Smith Mtn. Lake, Roanoke River, James River and Shenandoah River in the Luray, VA area. I've done some trout fishing in the western side up in the Mtns. too put don't remember where with out looking on a map or being there driving around.
I love it down in VA, you guys are luck to be down there. 
My father still lives in Roanoke and fishes all the time.

Treed - you must be around the Richmond area or so?

AD - where abouts are you, if you are on the new river somewhere, you must be in the southern part?

[AD]

Camo, I live right ouside of Marion.   I work at the trout Hatchery right off of 16 (only 2 miles off of 81 south).    We stock most of the streams in the Western part of this state with brown and rainbow trout.     
      Smith Mtn, lake has gone down the tubes in the past few years from what I have heard, its right outside of the big city and everyone and there friends zoom around it on ther fancy speed boats.    Actually had a guy drunk driving a boat run over a fisherman and his wife that were in a boat.     
     Fishing is on the up-hill climb around here though, fisheries division is doing a great job.    And the trout this year from the hatchery I work at and two others that I know of are going out big     The hatchery right outside of Paint Bank, has been stocking some 2 pound brook trout out, and just some monster fish.    Our hatchery has been putting out some nice trout too.   

     

[camo_fish]

Very cool AD - I've heard of Paint Bank and may have been thru it a few times. Sounds like, that trout stocking has been doing well. I love those mountain stream, I have a nice 19" brown on my wall that I got when I was 10 years old or so out of Barbors creek around The Pines campground. I've been all over those mountains in that area. It's been several years since I've been back though, I miss it, beautiful country there.
   Yes, SML has gone down hill over the years, but there is still some good fishing, just need to know when and where. That is why we mostly fish it at night, you eliminate all the traffic and party goers that way and can fish it.
   During the hot summer anyways, its nicer to move to the rivers and creeks for some canoe and tube fishing. The abundance in smallies, gills, catfish, and crap are a blast while lazying around getting wet and cool in the river and having your drag sing as your fish is moving up river on ya and all you can do is hold on.  Man, I miss it bad.
    If I was to ever move back to Virginia, I'm afraid that my wife would never see me, that is unless she was on the  water ways with me. 
    Great to hear that your enjoying the land of lovers.  And it sounds and looks like your busy with work, if I can help ya in finding any fishing holes or anything else. I'll do what I can, it's been a while since I've been down in the area, but my heart and sole will always be apart of the BlueRidge Mtns. and the Adirondacks, too. 

[camo_fish]

looks like I'll be in VA for a few days toward the end of April, and plans to do an all nighter with my father on SML. Can't wait to tie into some stripers from the lake. Hope that the weather holds up and is nice to me and my trip back home. 

[AD]

Sounds like youll havea good time on your visit down here.

Hoping to get after some walleye tomorrow night after work.   theyve been landing some from where I fish for them too, and good eating sized ones too 18-24 inchers.    Hopefully I can hook into one or two this time.   

[camo_fish]

Sounds like youll havea good time on your visit down here.

Hoping to get after some walleye tomorrow night after work.   theyve been landing some from where I fish for them too, and good eating sized ones too 18-24 inchers.    Hopefully I can hook into one or two this time.   

YES, my father is going to do some extra scouting to get me in on some big stripers this year.  I love night striper fishing on SML. Oh, yea, there is a place where he hammers the walleyes, too. sorry though SSSHHH the word. 
Yep, the reservations are made and I'll be in Roanoke, VA from April 20-23. Man, I can wait. I haven't been fishing with my father in over 2 years now. And hopefull the stripers will be up and hungry while I'm in. 

Good luck and tight lines on the wally hunt.
Where abouts, what body of water are you hunting them in?
Hope to see some pictures soon. 

[AD]

I was looking for then in the headwaters of the Holston Lake that borders Tenn and Virginia.     
      I have been a bit disappointed, as the last time I went and snuck out of work early and drove down there, had a good spot staked out only to pretty much get pushed out of it and cut off by other fisherman who really lacked ethics, well they had none.    Waded in with chest waders to the exact spot I was fishing after watching me fish it for a half hour.     all I could do was cast upstream, and thats useless.    But I prevailed, and hooked a walleye finally after dark, after several hours of straight casting andabout 3 lost Rapala 11's in the brown trout color.    Only to have the same guys cast across my line and break off my fish.      Id would like to say they didn't mean it but they saw I was fighting the fish, and the right thing to do would have been to wait a min till I landed the fish...  But they casted across my line and ended up breaking my fish off.....     I was less then pleased and uttered a few words under my breath....       But I wanted to land a walleye pretty bad so I tied another rapala on and casted back out to be bit clean off, on 12 pound test.    Thats when I decided to call it a night,   5 rapalas lost.       
        I need a few more guys to go and we could actually fend off a good spot, but most of the guys at work have other things to do.      I may wander back down there again, but may go from 2 am till 6 or so and then head to work, try and go there when ther may not be many other fisherman.    I don't think the run will last too much longer.   
       I also have got a hankering to go fish a certain section of stream that is C&R only that I know for sure got rainbows stocked in it from 4- 7 or 8 pounds a piece.     Those were some of the most beautiful bow's Ive ever seen thats for sure.       I had the camera with me but was too busy when the truck got loaded and found out later the batteries were dead 

   Camo, you may also want to check and see if the alewives (spelling?) are up and spawing, from what I have heard they drag a lot of fish up high with them and the fishing can be pretty incredible, for the striper's too.

[AD]

Looks like Ill be representing Virginia in this years tourny.     Ah well wouldnt it be great to beat out some of the other states, especially my home one?     
     Trout stocking is pretty much done for the year, so the stream fishing is gonna die down.     But the catfish and striper/hybrid bite is on from what I have heard and saw.