Jackson River Wild Browns & ’Bows

Starting off as a tiny freestone stream in the Allegheny Highlands of northwest Virginia, the Jackson River spills through three counties, eventually becoming a tailwater trout fishery before joining the headwaters of the James River. Along the way, the Jackson drains much of the million-acre George Washington National Forest, providing so many different opportunities that during the course of a day it’s possible to catch native brook trout on attractor drys, cast streamers to large lake-run browns, and make delicate presentations to wild rainbows sipping tiny midges. The Jackson offers these opportunities freely—fly fishers need only learn when and where to find them.

River Access

Access to the Jackson is most abundant in the upper freestone reaches of the river before it reaches Lake Moomaw. The tailwater section immediately below Lake Moomaw and Gathright Dam has a short stretch of public water, but the Jackson then flows for several miles through private property with few walk-and-wade fishing opportunities. This section of river is the site of an ongoing battle between anglers and landowners and should be avoided.

Downstream, between the state-provided Johnson Springs and Petticoat Junction public accesses, is the core of the Jackson River wild-trout fishery. Although most of the riverside property here is also privately owned, you can float in a canoe or pontoon boat from one public access point to the next and catch wild rainbows—and some browns—in a scenic wilderness setting. The dispute over who actually owns the river bottom continues statewide, but landowners between these public boat ramps rarely complain about floating anglers leaving their boats to wade, as long as they stay within the river channel.

The Jackson is a relatively large trout river for the South, often 100 feet across with large riffles separated by long, flat pools, excellent for dry-fly fishing. The 19-mile tailwater stretch downstream of Gathright Dam provides superb fly fishing throughout the year. Including the freestone reaches above Lake Moomaw, the river has more than 30 miles of some of the finest trout fishing in the South.

Creating a Tailwater

The Army Corps of Engineers was granted congressional authorization for the dam in 1946, and work on the project began in the 1950s. However, many people opposed the construction of the dam and the associated loss of several miles of free-flowing river. As part of a resulting mitigation agreement, the Corps invested $10 million in a 260-foot mixing tower that takes water from nine different lake levels to keep the water discharge below the dam at an ideal temperature for trout and aquatic insects in the river below. Gathright Dam is a flood-control structure, not a hydroelectricity generator, so there are no turbines or the constantly fluctuating water levels associated with them.

Lake Moomaw (2,500 acres) was filled in 1981, and the first rainbow trout—including some Kamloops strain rainbows—were stocked below the dam in 1989. The stocking program was discontinued in 1993, and though many people expected the trout fishery to deteriorate, natural reproduction is successfully maintaining the trout population. Recent studies show trout populations similar to the years when nearly 100,000 trout were pumped into the river annually. Anglers can instantly recognize the wild, streamborn rainbows by their deep red stripes and often white-tipped fins. The brown trout are also wild but there are fewer of them, especially upriver closer to the dam.

Walk and Wade

The best and most popular access for wading anglers is immediately below Gathright Dam. The roughly quarter-mile-long section requires a free fishing permit available at the Army Corps of Engineers visitor center, and there are picnic tables and restrooms adjacent to the parking area.

Although most trout caught in this area are rainbows in the 6- to 10-inch range, there are some large, angler-savvy trout. Catching fish consistently requires realistic presentations with #18 and smaller midge imitations. Blackfly larvae are also abundant, which contributes to the effectiveness of most small black patterns. If you see fish rising, dead-drift a #20-26 black midge larva under a #18-22 Hi-Vis Griffith’s Gnat with 6X or 7X tippet. If trout aren’t feeding on midges, try rolling a dark #18-20 Serendipity or other reasonable blackfly larva imitation along the bottom, or hang it directly downstream on a tight line.

The largest trout below the dam are less inclined to rise to a small fly, as their diet consists mostly of larger forage items including alewives drawn down from the lake. If you are looking for trout in the 20-inch-plus range, use #2-4 olive/white Matukas or Clouser Minnows at first light or late evening, and focus on the deep abyss directly below the dam outlet. There is no boat ramp in this area, and I don’t recommend starting a float here because the river immediately downstream is heavily posted and has been the subject of several court cases involving property rights and fishing access issues

Floating the Jackson

The most scenic and productive fishing for wild trout is between the Johnson Springs and Petticoat Junction public accesses, and the best way to fish this water is with a canoe or pontoon boat. Larger boats have difficulty passing over some of the skinny areas in low water. There are currently no shuttle services available, so plan accordingly.

Johnson Springs has a small boat ramp and a 75-yard stretch of public wading water downriver. The float from Johnson Springs downstream 6 miles to Smith Bridge may be the Jackson’s best drift for wild rainbow trout. The aquatic insect life in the wild-trout area between Johnson Springs and Petticoat Junction is similar to many rivers in the Southeast. Blue-winged Olives, Quill Gordons, March Browns, Hendricksons, Gray Drakes, Tricos, and Sulphurs are important mayflies but do not discount caddis, sow bugs, scuds, and especially midges.

Most of the hatches occur during spring and early summer. Although the hatches are sometimes sporadic, there are some dependable techniques that catch fish consistently. Midge imitations—#18-22 pupa imitations such as the RS2, Brassie, WD-40, or Blood Midge—on or just below the surface routinely catch fish for me. Use a small pinch-on foam indicator, use a dry fly as an indicator, or grease the leader butt section to help you detect strikes.

Blue-winged Olives (BWOs) hatch from early March through April and again in October. The BWOs are tiny, so use #20 or smaller dry flies for rising trout. If you see BWOs hatching but few fish rising, fish a soft-hackle nymph or Pheasant Tail without an indicator. Let the nymph sink toward the bottom as it drifts through the run or riffle, and slowly raise your rod tip at the end of each drift, allowing the fly to rise to the surface like an emerging insect. This takes considerable practice, but often evokes aggressive takes. Use shorter-than-normal drifts to produce the greatest number of these presentations.

Dead-drift nymphing also provides consistent action. Pheasant Tails tied on #16-18 curved caddis hooks, #12-18 Hare’s-ear Nymphs, and #18 Brassies work like a charm. Use a two-nymph rig with a black #20 midge larva or a #18 gray or chocolate WD-40 as the second fly.