The good news is that Virginia is blessed with an abundance of good water. And the bad news? Virginia has so much to offer the fly angler, in fact, that one hardly knows where to begin. Most of us have limited recreation time, and we don't want to squander it experimenting: We're all looking for the sure thing, the honeyhole that justifies the opportunity cost of the entire trip and makes dusting off all that gear and burning all that gas worthwhile.

The Rapidan is a first-class small trout stream whose beauty (and the possibility of hooking a native brook trout) makes it a favorite with Virginia anglers. Photo by Beau Beasley.

My deep sense of fellowship with my brother and sister fly anglers has compelled me to do a great deal of fishing research across the Old Dominion so that when they ask me, for example, to recommend the top three trout streams in the state, I am ready with an answer that I can defend. I will gladly share the results of all that research with you now, dear reader. You can thank me later.

THE JACKSON
Making the short list of Virginia's top trout streams is the Jackson River. The lower portion of the Jackson River is a tailrace that begins at the base of Gathright Dam. The dam normally releases 58-degree water from Lake Moomaw via a 200-foot tower. Released directly below the dam, this water has two very positive effects: First, the river receives 58-degree water year around, which the trout love; second, because controlled releases carefully regulate the influx, this part of the Jackson can be perfectly suitable for fishing when other waters within 100 miles are out of their banks after heavy rains.

Anglers will need written permission from the Army Corps of Engineers' Gathright Dam office to fish directly below the dam; the fishing permit is free and is good for a year. Too busy to pick up a permit? Don't chance fishing here then: Local sheriff's deputies patrol this area daily.

The area of the Jackson directly below the dam has bathrooms and a place to launch small boats, but that's where the good news ends. In 1996, local landowners filed a claim contending that they not only owned the river bottom but the fish in the river as well, and that this ownership was passed on to new owners as they purchased the property. Before this issue arose, guides and other anglers would float the river and fish as they went along. Much to everyone's surprise, the case went all the way to the Virginia Supreme Court, which issued a landmark decision commonly referred to as the King's Grant or King's Crown decision. The court agreed that not only did local landowners possess the bottom of the river (effectively preventing anglers from anchoring their boats), but the fish in the river were also their property. These sections are well marked along the river -- and I must say that they are the most ominous signs I've ever seen as an angler. If you see one of these warnings, you would do well to heed it.

The King's Grant area begins roughly three-fourths of a mile below the dam and continues to Johnson Springs, where it officially ends. Anglers can fish all the way from here to the Westvaco/Meade Landing near Covington. Landowners who claim King's Grant rights below Johnson Springs may approach you; these folks were not part of the lawsuit, however, and therefore the court did not validate their claims. Personally, I try to be at peace with everyone: If a landowner confronts me, my approach is to respond politely and move on.