The dirt road goes on forever, but eventually takes a sharp cut to the right up a steep hill followed by an equally the steep slide down to the canoe launch at the edge of Hearthstone Lake.
The parking area is wide and broad with a formal turnaround at the end. The lake itself is reasonably accessible to people who want to fish from the shore. The left-hand side is steep but passable and the rest of the perimeter of the lake is amenable to foot traffic. However, the best way to fish this lake is from a boat.
According to Hart, in addition to the trout stocked here during the season, the lake also has a good and robust population of largemouth bass. If you get excited about the prospect of the fishing the feeder stream, Little River, that fills the lake, dissuade yourself from that idea. Hart already tried that and the stream does not support any wild trout.
Hearthstone Lake Fishing Bottom Line: Another good place to float a kayak or canoe in pursuit of the largemouth bass once trout season is finished. Although there is a trail that goes up Little River, the road dead ends at the lake.
Getting There: From I-81, head west on US 33. Turn left on VA 613 (Cloverhill Rd) and follow that to VA 731 (Fulton School). Turn right on VA 731. Turn right on VA 257 (Biery Branch Rd). Follow VA 257 to Tilghman Road. Turn left and follow it until you see the sign for the lake.
Secrets Revealed? No. This is a very public location that is documented in the following places:
Virginia VDGIF
Flyfisher’s Guide to Virginia
Tell a friend about this article by clicking on this link
View south from the launch
Shoreline
Northern end shallows
Northern end looking at eastern shore
Nice parking area
View up the corner
Unless stated otherwise, this article was authored by Steve Moore