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I’m not sure how I found this book. I was browsing on some websites and probably saw an obscure reference to it. Anyway, I popped over to Amazon and browsed the table of contents. As soon as I realized this was a treasure trove of locations on the level of Harry Stone’s book (Virginia Trout Streams) or Gelso and Coburn’s Guide to Maryland Trout Fishing, I knew I had to get it.
David Hart has assembled over 500 pages of detailed guidance on all the water in Virginia for both bass and trout, as well as the top waters in West Virginia. Most important, this book was updated in 2006. I immediately homed in on Region 5 – Northern Virginia – and quickly discovered a few lakes that I did not know of and will schedule for a visit. For example, I did not know that the Beaverdam Reservoir was nearby and open for fishing. Not that it looks that great from the picture shown on the link, but it is close! While he has a good list of the lakes, the pearls in this book are the coverage of the streams. Each location has a map and directions on how to get to it.
The book is structured into regions, each with a section on warmwater rivers, trout streams, and StillWaters. What I found particularly useful was the comprehensive listings of accommodations, restaurants, fly shops, and hospitals at the end of each section. While this information can be found online, having it in the book is convenient, especially if plans change while you’re at the water’s edge. The book also covers hatch charts for each type of water, with more detailed charts for specific streams in the region.
Now that I am done with Coburn’s book, I’ll move my focus back to Virginia next season and start working through the endless list of water covered in this book. Assuming I do not get distracted and find myself on the road north to Pennsylvania, Why? We all know fishing has to be better if you drive 3 hours to get there.
I was thrilled to discover that this book is part of a series that covers a wide range of areas. This means there’s a lifetime of fishing opportunities waiting to be explored. With all these books at my disposal, I’ll never have to revisit the same place twice!
Unless stated otherwise, this article was authored by Steve Moore