The South River, Waynesboro, Virginia

Gently flowing back and forth across pasture land before entering the town of Waynesboro, the South River flows through the center of town and is home to a variety of game fish. Although one might not be too surprised to find good numbers of smallmouth bass and bluegill in this urban setting, most anglers are shocked to learn that the river holds a fair number of rainbows and browns. The South River is one of only two urban trout fisheries in Virginia and is stocked periodically by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

During the Virginia Fly Fishing Festival, expert presenters actually use the South River to demonstrate everything from safe wading to nymph fishing. Attendees may take a class and then head straight to the river to try out the new techniques they just picked up. Although catch-and-release fishing is the central thrust of the festival, don’t be too surprised to see a kayak or pontoon boat on the water over the course of the weekend.

Good South River access points include easy walking distance from any of the bridge crossings in town or directly from the festival grounds. Effective patterns to use here include white, chartreuse, and blue #6 Walt’s Poppers; and tan or black #16-#20 Dusty’s Deviants. You may purchase these patterns—and many others—at the festival and shake hands with the very fly designers who created them. Other good patterns include the BH Prince Nymph, various crayfish patterns, and BH Wooly Buggers.

Rod lengths and weights can vary in size from 7-foot 4-weights to 9-foot 6-weights. The order of the day here is weight-forward floating line; there are some deep areas, however, so split shot or sink tips can be used. Tippets are usually 7¯9 feet in length and work well in sixes 3x-6x depending on the pattern you’ve chosen to cast.

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