Bruce Ingram.

APRIL
Trout
Jackson River
Certainly, one of the most exciting fisheries in the Commonwealth is the tailrace below Lake Moomaw’s Gathright Dam. Pete Tackett of Blue Ridge Fly Fishers in Roanoke raves about this tributary of the upper James.

“The lower Jackson is absolutely one of the best tailrace fisheries in the region,” Tackett said. “The Jackson is also one of the few streams anywhere in the country where stocked trout have produced viable populations of wild trout. This is especially a rarity in Virginia.

“The river has both rainbows and browns, but the browns are the ones that grow so large. Fish in the 20-inch range are a real possibility. I think one of the reasons why the fishing is so good is that the water temperature remains in the 50s all the way from when it comes out of Gathright down to the MeadWestvaco mill in Covington.”

Tackett cautions anglers not to debark from their boats and wade-fish. Much of the lower river is under King’s Grants land regulations, meaning that landowners also posses the river bottom. Popular access points include Johnson Springs, Indian Draft and Petticoat Junction.

For more information, the best patterns and guided trips, contact Blue Ridge Fly Fishers at (540) 563-1617 or at www.blueridgegeflytfishers.com

MAY
Muskies
Lower New River
For trophy muskies, the premier place to go now in the entire state is the lower New River below Claytor Lake Dam. VDGIF fisheries biologist Joe Williams told me that the two float trips that attract the majority of the muskie anglers are Peppers Ferry to Whitethorne and Whitethorne to Big Falls.

However, many if not most muskie enthusiasts (and they total only about 1 to 2 percent of the anglers who ply the lower river) concentrate upstream and down from the Whitethorne ramp. This area features islands, logjams, deep pools and goodly amounts of vegetation, such as water willow beds and patches of elodea and curly leaf pondweed -- in other words, ideal muskie habitat.

Beginning in May, the good news is that the fish often hold in shallow depths -- for them, that is -- under 10 feet. The bad news is that the lower New’s muskies remain the proverbial fish of a thousand casts. Another tidbit of bad news is that this section receives heavy recreational boat traffic.

Still, a not inconsequential snippet of good news is that muskies in the 50-inch range lurk in this section.

For guided trips, contact Britt Stoudenmire at Canoe the New Outfitters and Guide Service at (540) 921-7438 or at www.icanoethenew.com

JUNE
Mixed Bag
State Parks
One of the most delightful ways for families to spend a summer vacation is a stopover at a Virginia state park. For angling families, they can enjoy a dazzling array of angling opportunities. For example, Douthat State Park and its namesake lake offer trout fishing in the impoundment’s depths and largemouths, bluegills and chain pickerel along the shoreline.

At Hungry Mother State Park, families can seek out largemouths and bluegills at the lake there, and the same holds true at Pocahontas, Holliday Lake, Bear Creek and Twin Lakes state parks. What’s more, these bodies of water are small ones, and folks can catch plenty of fish from the shorelines.

If your family owns a boat and prefers larger impoundments, state parks exist along the shorelines of such major lakes as Claytor, Lake Anna, Smith Mountain and Fairystone. The latter especially is an intriguing destination because angling opportunities at its namesake lake and Philpott are both a possibility.

For more information, call (800) 933-PARK, or go online to www.dcr.virginia.gov