Fly Fishing Virginia. Beau Beasley
that you need a day away from the office when you’re already on your way to work. Think of it: you can pull over and trout fish until the traffic lightens up enough to go home.
Burt Weisman, a member of the Northern Virginia Chapter of TU, during a fall stocking. Photo by Beau Beasley.
Types of Fish
Rainbow trout, brown trout.
Known Hatches
Hendrickson, March Brown, Little Yellow Stonefly, Sulfur, Caddis, Cahill, inchworm, terrestrials.
Equipment to Use
Rods:4-6 weight, 7½ to 8 feet.
Reels:Mechanical and palm.
Lines:Weight forward floating matched to rod.
Leaders:4X-5X leaders 9 feet in length.
Wading:Hip waders are fine here.
Flies to Use
Dries:Adams #14-20, BWO #14-20, Braided Butt Damsel #10-12, Dusty’s Deviant #12-16, Elk Hair Caddis #14-20, Flying Ant #10-18, Gelso’s Little Black Stonefly #16-20, Lt. Cahill #14-20, Little Yellow Sally #14-20, March Brown #10-14, Murray’s Mr. Rapidan #14-20, Pale Morning Dun #14-20, Quill Gordon #12-22, Stimulator #12-20, Steeves’ Attract Ant #16-20, Steeves’ Bark Beetle #16-20, Steeves’ Crystal Butt Hopper #8-10, Steeves’ Disc O’ Beetle #14, Steeves’ UFO #10. Nymphs & Streamers:BH Goldilox #6-10, BH Hare’s Ear #14-20, BH Prince Nymph #14-20, Bruce’s Little Bow #6, Coburn’s Cress Bug #14-20, Coburn’s Inchworm #12-14, Egg #6-20, Finn’s Golden Retriever #6-10, Green Weenie #14-16, Matuka #4-10, Mickey Finn #6-10, MC2 Crayfish #4-6, Muddler Minnow #6-10, Pheasant Tail #14-20, River Witch #6, Scud #10-18, Sculpin #4-8, Woolly Bugger #6-10.
When to Fish
Fishing is best here from March to November. It’s a good idea to avoid Accotink Creek in July and August due to low water flows.
Season & Limits
Open all year. A delayed–harvest area exists here for nearly two miles. From October 1 through the following May 31, only artificial lures may be used, and all fish must be released. From June through September, general trout regulations apply. A trout license is required to fish here.
Nearby Fly Fishing
Holmes Run is a local alternative.
Accommodations & Services
There are abundant services nearby in Annandale.
Rating
Though certainly not what one might call picturesque trout fishing, Accotink’s location makes it accessible to those who need a fishing fix but can’t make the trek to more remote waters. Accotink Creek rates an easy 6.
Catch brown trout just minutes from bumper-to-bumper traffic. Photo by King Montgomery.
Back Creek
Back Creek, tucked away in the far western reaches of the state, is home to beautiful rainbows and browns—and some of the most breathtaking scenery imaginable. This outlying area was the military training ground of a young colonel in the Virginia Militia named George Washington. Then only in his early 20s, Washington, tasked with devising a way to protect vulnerable settlers from the American Indians of Virginia and Ohio, came up with the idea of stringing forts along the outer edges of the state in a defensive position. This approach worked and provided security for the local civilian population.
It was here that Washington also witnessed brutal close quarters combat fighting alongside the British Army. In a battle near the Monongahela National Forest, Washington witnessed something that he would remember all his life: Indians scored a military victory over the British and forced them and the Virginia Militia to a draw. It was here, then, that Washington first realized that the British Army was not the unbeatable force that he, a loyal British subject, had always believed it to be. He would recall this incident years later as Commander of the Colonial Army when he fought against the British instead of alongside them.
In 1985, Dominion, a Richmond-based energy company, built a dam across Back Creek because the company needed water for a reservoir. Although the reservoir is closed to the public due to fluctuating water levels, the area below the reservoir is fed cool clear water which, in essence, makes this portion of Back Creek a great tailwater fishery. Back Creek was almost totally redesigned by Dominion biologists who worked with contractors and added deep channels, improved riparian buffer zones, and generally stabilized the banks wherever possible. You’ll still see some wire mesh along the shoreline, just at the water’s edge, holding the banks in place. After the repairs and improvements, the VDGIF stocked the creek with fingerlings and opened the water to public fishing—even though it runs across Dominion property.
Anglers who fish Back Creek need to do so in the Special Regulation Section, which is located south of the Lower Reservoir. Other parts of Route 600 are off limits and should be avoided. The two ponds directly below the reservoir are also open to the public and have a healthy population of bass and bluegill.
When I was at Back Creek, I saw several boating anglers on these ponds and they seemed to be having a great time. Although the ponds are large, they aren’t overhung with trees, so you can easily cast from shore. This assumes, of course, that for some reason you don’t want to catch trout on Back Creek. After all, like Washington, anglers must choose their battles wisely.
Don’t be misled by its name: Back Creek is as big as a river in many places. Photo by Beau Beasley.
Back Creek is a wonderful trout stream easily accessible from Route 600. Photo by Beau Beasley.
A nice trail bordering Back Creek. Photo by Beau Beasley.
Types of Fish
Chances are you will only land rainbows here, but occasionally you will land a brown. Local anglers also report that McConaughy rainbows migrate out of Lake Moomaw into Back Creek to spawn.
Known Hatches
Back Creek supports the same hatches as most other mountain streams in the region. Anglers will find Winter Stoneflies, Blue Quills, Blue Wing Olives, Hendricksons, March Browns, Little Yellow Stoneflies, Sulfurs, Quill Gordons, Caddis, Cahills, inchworms, and terrestrials hatching throughout the year. Keep in mind that a mountain stream this large will also support a good population of baitfish like sculpins and black-nose dace as well.
Equipment to Use
Rods:4-7 weight, 8-9 feet in length. The larger rods will help with casting streamers.
Reels:Standard mechanical, though a large fish could show you your backing given the strong current.
Lines:Weight-forward floating lines matched to the rod. Sink tips could also be used.
Leaders:4X-6X leaders, 9 feet in length.
Wading:Although hip waders can be used in much of Back Creek, I would recommend chest waders