Virginia

Fishing in Virginia

The state of Virginia offers fishing enthusiasts some or the other kind of water body like a lake or stream or river within an hour’s drive from wherever in the state they may be. Yes, enormous number of fishing destinations makes fishing in Virginia a fun and relaxation along with economy in form of fuel-saving. What’s more, with the coastal waters, Chesapeake Bay, rivers, lakes and the cold and clear streams of the Blue Ridge, Virginia has become a nationally recognized fishing destination.

Top Fishing Destinations

Though the state is full of water bodies, to name a few major of them would be, Claytor Lake, Lake Chesdin, and Smith Mountain Lake in which you can find abundant lots of bass, walleye, crappie, catfish, panfish and stripers, Kerr Lake, Western Branch Reservoir, Lake Anna, Lake Drummond, Lake Gaston, Lame Moomaw, Leesville Reservoir, Philpott Lake, South Holston Lake, and Swift Creek Reservoir are amongst some other major lakes and reservoirs where you get some or the other variety of species of  fish.

If trout is your passion, amongst the lakes, you can visit Lake Moomaw which is the only lake in the state with considerable amount of trout population. Stony Creek and South Fork Holston River hold the state record quantity of brook trout, while Greers Pond has the state record of rainbow trout. Other lakes with trout population are Laurel Bed Lake, Lexington City and Coles Run Reservoirs and Mills Creek.

For musky, or muskellunge, which is also known as the great pike, and northern pike, chain pickerel, sauger and bowfin, you can visit the lakes, Merriweather, Moomaw, Anna, Manassas, Claytor, and so on.

Chesapeake Bay

If you are keen on saltwater fishing, the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia estuaries and coastal waters are ready for you with plentiful of striped bass or rockfish, flounder, grey trout, black drum, croaker, and a number of inshore fish which include bluefish, red drum, sea bass, spot, tautog, and white perch. Fishing on the piers of Hampton Roads is a fantastic method for catching big Virginia croakers.

Baits and Tackle

For largemouth bass spinnerbaits, crankbaits, plastic worms, jigs, spoons and pork baits are ideal, while small jigs, small crankbaits, spoons, and plastic worms are good for smallmouth bass and walleye. Crappie can be caught by still-fishing, casting, trolling or drifting using imitation minnows, insects, worms or small crustaceans as baits. For stripers, trolling is an excellent way of fishing with flashy lures.

For stripped bass, you can use live baits like spot and eels or troll, jig, or cast artificial lures and fly fish as well. On the other hand flounder fishing requires just a rod, rod holder and basic tackle. For black drum fishing, clam or crab baits are used both during day and night. For the big Virginia croaker, anglers need just a good sensitive rod and reel, bottom rigs and baits like bloodworms, shrimp pieces, squid strips, cut peeler crab or any fish bites. For bluefish, anglers troll, jig and cast artificial lures and fly fish. There are several methods of catching red drum at Virginia Beach, of which the most popular is to anchor along a channel edge and bottom fish with cut spot, peeler crab, menhaden or other baits. A fish finder or other rig can be used sometimes into the evening for a large bull red drum. The ‘puppy drum’ or smaller red drum are exciting to fish, and usually fished by casting artificial lures or fishing baits in shallow waters.

License

You can buy Virginia State fishing license online or by calling at the license office or visiting in person hundreds of license agents located around the state. Licenses can also be bought from some clerks of the Circuit Court.

By purchasing the fishing license and paying special taxes, anglers help to fund most of the wildlife conservation programs in Virginia. This contribution is also helpful for non-game and education programs, and for purchasing thousands of acres of lands where everybody is welcome to enjoy year round. Anglers also know the importance of clean water and air and take the pride to protect and conserve Virginia’s environment, Nature and valuable habitat of fish and other animals.

So why not contribute our share by fishing in Virginia? Let’s start at once towards the Commonwealth!