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I had pointed the truck at the Staunton Reservoir and was rumbling along, feeling pretty good, when I rolled up on the bridge over the North River. I couldn't believe what I was seeing! I hit the brakes and pulled off to walk back and stare at the sad scene in front of me.
You would assume that below the reservoir, there would be plenty of water in the North River to feed all of the downstream demands created by both agriculture and recreation. There was absolutely nothing in the streambed. It was totally bone dry. The implications of this raced through my mind.
While the North River gorge is stocked trout water, it also has places that hold smallmouth. Hopefully, the fish retreated to the deeper holes and the stagnant water has held enough oxygen to allow them to survive the drought of 2010. This may also be why we have not seen the gorge pop up on the fall stocking plan. There simply has not been enough water pushed into the dry bed to make stocking worthwhile.
Pay attention to the gage readings as we head farther into the winter, and certainly into the spring, before you drive all the way out here to fish. I think we can rely on watching the stocking schedule to determine when it's worthwhile. The fisheries folks will not insert fish where they cannot survive for a reasonable period of time.
Getting There:
Take S.R. 42 to the south end of Bridgewater, turn right just after the bridge, onto S.R. 727. Go west 3.3 miles to a “T” intersection with S.R. 613. Follow S.R. 727 to the left and go another 2.6 miles to the intersection with S.R. 730. Turn left onto S.R. 730 to Stokesville. At Stokesville, turn west onto S.R. 718 and continue one mile to the intersection with Forest Development Roads 95 and 101. Turn left onto FDR 95, follow past Todd Lake Campground; road is gravel from this point. Continue another 4.6 miles to the intersection with FDR 95B. Turn left and drive to campground.
View Larger Map
Secrets Revealed? No. This is a very public location that is documented in the following places:
Virginia VDGIF
Flyfisher's Guide to Virginia
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Remember to refer to my rating explanations - these are based on what I look for - so RED for Physical Fitness translates to easy physically - you do not need to be in shape to fish this section. I prefer terrain that is tough to get into and out of.
Purchase Switchfisher's books using the links to Amazon below for:
- Wade Fishing the Rapidan River of Virginia (more info)
- Wade and Shoreline Fishing the Potomac River for Smallmouth Bass
(more info)
- Trout and Smallmouth Fishing on the North Branch of the Potomac
(more info)
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Date Fished: 9/14/2010
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