Smith River - 11 & 12 Apr 08

[al k]

On Friday April 11, 2008 I linked up with a fellow from Pittsylvania County for an afternoon of fishing on my favorite Virginia trout stream. This fellow had not been fly fishing for several years but took to it like a fellow who had abstained from riding a bicycle since he was a kid - once he got the kinks worked out the old rhythm fell back into place and he did just fine.

We entered the water at the recently built canoe ramp at the downstream end of the Special Regulations Section and started working our lines out as soon as we passed under the Hwy 666 bridge. I did note the Special Regulations and Didymo signs I duct taped to the bridge abutments less then two weeks ago were once again missing. Torn edges of the tape were still visible on one abutment so it is doubtful they just peeled off due to weather conditions.

We were soon into fish. The first catch of the day was made by yours truly. It was a nine inch brown trout that has become typical of the Smith, well marked and very feisty, but lacking in size. Nevertheless they are still a delight to catch.


My fishing partner was soon catching fish as well. There had been a recent stocking and many of the rainbows had run up stream into the Special Regulation Section where they should be safe from harvest. These fish are not as colorful or as elusive as the browns but they do put a good bend in your rod and put a smile on the fisherman's face.


This section of the river is wide enough for two fisherman to walk side by side with one taking the left bank and the other casting to the right. Both share casts right up the middle. Folks that fish this section with me also hear about "Al's Rule" which states that once a fisherman catches two fish in a row it is time to switch sides. We switched sides fairly often this day.


We got into pods of small browns. I think we both caught 3-4 of these little rascals in a row at two separate locations.


About two thirds of our nearly 30 fish were rainbows - all looked healthy and were in the 10-12 inch range. Kudos to the VDGIF hatchery system for producing a fine bunch of fish this year.


You know the river is fishing well when we produced doubles on two fine looking brown trout.


Highlight of the afternoon came when I observed two young fellows wet wading and fishing with bait. As soon as I was certain of my facts I pulled out my cell phone which has the VDGIF Dispatch Center (804) 367-1258 on speed dial. I talked with the dispatcher who took the information, plus my name and telephone number. In less then five minutes my cell phone vibrated and I had a Conservation Police Officer on the other end. He asked for a description of the situation and said that although he was about an hour and a half away he would respond. By this time one of the violators had gone back to his house but I chatted up the other who told me he was fishing for supper. We skirted around him and avoided stepping on his night crawler container. Just before leaving the river at our predetermined "get out point" I called the CPO back and gave him a further description. The CPO said he was about 15 minutes from the scene. We saw the CPO vehicle turn into the road leading up by the houses as we were pulling off our wading gear. So there you have it - We all complain but you have to be willing to get involved. Was a time I would just shake my head and mutter under my breath or worse yet make a big vocal complaint to no one in particular - but no more. These folks are stealing from all of us.

The following day found me at the Friends of Philpott Environmental Expo where SRTU manned a table and talked up the river to folks who stopped by to watch what could be created with a little thread, feathers and yarn.


I fished a short section of the lower river after the Expo but did not do as well as the day before. No skunk, but the cold front which pushed through the area seemed to have them off their feed. I talked with a couple of friends who fished on Sunday who reported moderate success in the Special Regs Section. They also mentioned seeing a Conservation Police Officer in action as he ticketed several fellows fishing with bait and possessing fish under the 16 inch minimum. Things are looking up!