2013 Virginia Freshwater Fishing & Watercraft Owner's Guide

2013 Fishing Regs & WOG 11-15-12_Layout 1 11/16/12 1:01 PM Page 47Maury RiverCalfpasture and Little Calfpasture riverscome together to form the Maury River justbefore entering famous Goshen Pass; oncethrough the turbulent Pass the river dropsinto the valley toward Lexington and entersthe James River at Glasgow.Fishery: The Goshen Pass section has anexcellent stocked trout fishery; smallmouthbass are caught anywhere from the headwatersto the mouth of the river where it entersthe James; the Maury is loaded with scrappyredbreast sunfish and has some rock bass;other fish include carp, catfish, and suckers.New RiverThe New is the oldest river in North Americanand second oldest in the world. It beginsin NC and flows northward for 160 milesthrough VA before it turns into BluestoneLake in WV.Fishery: The New rivals the James andRappahannock rivers as one of the bestsport fisheries in VA: smallmouth bass, spottedbass, largemouth bass, rock bass, stripedbass, white bass, hybrid striped bass,muskellunge, walleye, black crappie, channelcatfish, flathead catfish, yellow perch,redbreast sunfish, and bluegill. State recordsinclude muskie (45 lbs., 8 oz.), smallmouth(8 lbs., 1 oz.), and walleye (15 lbs., 15oz.).The state record spotted bass came out ofClaytor Lake in 1993 at 3 lbs., 10 oz.Access: Plenty of excitement for whitewaterenthusiasts, with several major ClassII–III rapids. There is also an abundance offlatwater to please motor boaters andcanoeists; numerous sites are available;see the website.North Fork Holston RiverFrom its origin in Bland Co., the North ForkHolston flows over 100 miles through SouthwestVA before crossing the Tenn. state linenear Yuma.Fishery: Outstanding smallmouth basspopulation, with good numbers of smallmouth14 to 18 inches, about one thirdmore than 14 inches, and more than 10%longer than 17 inches; rock bass and severalspecies of sunfish provide good fishing andchannel and flathead catfish are available.There is a mercury fish consumption prohibitionin effect from Saltville downstream tothe Tennessee line.North Fork ShenandoahRiverThe North Fork Shenandoah flows north 116miles from Rockingham Co. to Front Royalwhere it joins the South Fork Shenandoah toform the Shenandoah River.Fishery: Anglers can expect to catchsmallmouth bass throughout and the NorthFork is also home to some largemouth bassand redbreast sunfish, rock bass, bluegill,pumpkinseed sunfish, fallfish, muskie,American eel, white sucker, common carp,crappie, yellow bullhead andchannel catfish.Access: The North Fork is a relativelysmall, shallow river; is an ideal river to floatby canoe; and can easily be waded.For updated information about theShenandoah River fish diseaseinvestigations visit:www.HuntFishVA.com/fishing/.North Landing andNorthwest RiversThe North Landing and Northwest rivers inthe Tidewater area may be close in proximityand eventually join in North Carolina, butthere are plenty of differences between thetwo.North Landing, (the larger of the two),contains part of the Intracoastal Waterway,so you can follow the waterway north to theElizabeth River, and ultimately, the ChesapeakeBay; heading south takes you intoCurrituck Sound in NC.Fishery: A wide variety of both freshwaterand brackish fish include largemouthbass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, yellow perch,white perch, and white catfish, with aresurgence of smaller striped bass (up to10 pounds).Northwest River, draining eastward fromthe Great Dismal Swamp, is very dark incolor and acidic (commonly referred to asblackwater). There are plenty of small tributariesto explore that keep you away frombigger boats on the main river.Fishery: Abundant bluegill and pumpkinseed,good numbers of largemouth bass,redear, black crappie, chain pickerel, and afew white perch and white catfish.Nottoway RiverThe Nottoway begins in Prince Edward andLunenburg counties and flows 130 milessoutheasterly to its confluence with theBlackwater River at the NC line, forming theChowan River.Fishery: The fishery is divided at Rt. 630Bridge on the Greensville-Sussex Co. line:above has numerous redbreast sunfish,smallmouth bass, and Roanoke bass.; below,bluegill, largemouth bass, black crappie, andchannel catfish are more common; springsees blueback herring, American shad,hickory shad, striped bass, and white perchmigrating upstream from NC.Access: Above Route 630 bridge,canoeists find nice float trips in this shallow,clear and fast flowing section; below Rt 630,the river slows, deepens, and darkens asnumerous swamps in the Coastal Plain joinit and this part of the river, particularly inSouthampton County, is large enough forbass boats during normal flows.©Bruce IngramRappahannock andRapidan RiversThe Rappahannock flows from its origin atChester Gap in Fauquier Co. ~184 miles tothe Chesapeake Bay. The first 62 miles, fromthe headwaters to Mayfield Bridge (Fredericksburg),are designated State Scenic River.Fishery: Above Fredericksburg and tidalinfluence: excellent smallmouth bass andredbreast sunfish angling. Below Fredericksburg:herring and shad run each spring andthe tidal area also hosts white perch, largemouthbass, striped bass, crappie, yellowperch, channel catfish, and blue catfish.Access: Upper Rappahannock andRapidan access: public access points on theRapp (traveling downstream) are at Kelly’sFord (Route 672 off Route 651) in CulpeperCo. and Motts Landing (Route 618) inSpotsylvania Co.; about 25 miles separatethese canoe/john boat slides and anovernight camp stop is nearly mandatory tofloat fish this reach; another access point islocated on the Rapidan at Elys Ford (Route610) in Spotsylvania Co. about 14 milesupstream of Motts Landing. Access may alsobe gained via several “non-established”points consisting of VDOT right-of-waysalong bridges. Tidal area public boat launchsites below Fredericksburg: 4 (two nearFredericksburg), Hicks Landing (Port Royal)and Tappahannock).www.HuntFishVA.com 47