Fly Fishing Virginia
A No Nonsense Guide to Top Waters
Beau Beasley
Foreword by King Montgomery
Picturesque North Creek. Photo by Beau Beasley.
Fly Fishing Virginia
A No Nonsense Guide to Top Waters
ISBN-10 1-892469-16-2
ISBN-13 978-1-892469-16-8
ISBN-13 978-1-61881-022-9 (ebook)
© 2007 Beau Beasley
Published by:
No Nonsense Fly Fishing Guidebooks
P.O. Box 91858
Tucson, AZ 85752-1858
(520) 547-2462
2 3 4 5 6 12 11 10 09
Printed in China
Editors: Howard Fisher, Caroline Pederson
Maps, Illustrations, Design & Production: Pete Chadwell, Dynamic Arts; Doug Goewey
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. You may reproduce segments of this book when using brief excerpts in critical reviews and articles, with appropriate credit.
About the Cover
Front—Tom Brown fishing the lower Jackson River. Photo by Beau Beasley.
Back—Although Beau Beasley will fish for nearly anything that swims, this day he settled for a nice rainbow trout. Photo by Larry Coburn.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my wonderful wife Leila McLaurin Beasley, the most important and best catch of my life. Your encouragement and editing are what brought about this book.
Acknowledgments
When I set out to write Fly Fishing Virginia, I thought it would be a simple project. I quickly learned that I would not be able to write this book alone. Along the way I had a lot of encouragement and assistance. First, I owe the most thanks to my wonderful wife Leila who edited every word of this book and read and reread the manuscript many times.
I am also greatly indebted to my good friend and mentor King Montgomery, who helped out a great deal with photography and has always encouraged my writing. Thanks also to C. Boyd Pfeiffer and Lefty Kreh for their words of advice about how to write a book. Lee Walker and Larry Mohn with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries also gave me some great advice about what to cover. Most Virginians have no idea how hard this agency works for its sportsmen.
Many thanks to the folks at Fly Fish America, who gave me my first national writing platform. To the many guides and shop owners who assisted me, space constraints prevent me from listing each of you individually—but you know who you are, and I thank you. And I would be remiss if I did not mention the hard work of Howard Fisher, Doug Goewey, and the other fine folks at No Nonsense Fly Fishing Guidebooks, and map creator, photographer and designer Pete Chadwell of Dynamic Arts.
I would also especially like to recognize John Ross, Paul Kearney, Dan Genest and Captain Cory Routh for their technical assistance and advice. Last but not least, I wish to thank John Loss, a firefighter’s firefighter, who knew that I would write this book before I did. Thanks, John. You have no idea how much you really helped.
My introduction to fishing came from my father, the hardest-working man I’ve ever known. Although he routinely worked long hours and often traveled several hundred miles away from our humble home in South Hill, Virginia, in pursuit of work, he made time to take me fishing. I still remember him loading me and my little brother Jason and all of our gear into his old blue pickup truck. My loving mother, a newspaper reporter at the time, knew how important this family time was and sometimes joined us on our fishing excursions.
Years before I became a fly fisherman, I remember my father casting to resident bluegill and the occasional bass in a nearby farm pond. Looking back, my fondest childhood memories are of the times I spent fishing with my Daddy.
It is my sincere hope that you enjoy using this book as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. I also hope that if given the opportunity, you take your own children fishing with you. Those memories may last a lifetime.
—Beau Beasley
The author on the Rose River. Photo by Tim Esau.
About the Author
Beau Beasley is just as likely to chase smallies on the New River as he is to track brook trout in the cold mountain streams of the Old Dominion. His father introduced him to farm pond fishing as a child, but he’s equally happy to pursue stripers in the Chesapeake Bay or follow the early spring shad migrations across Virginia, fly rod in hand.
Beau began writing in the mid 1990s and has been published in Fly Fisherman, Fly Rod & Reel, American Angler, Mid-Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide, Virginia Wildlife, Flyfisher, Fly Tyer, Chesapeake Angler, Richmond Magazine, Virginia Living, and Virginia Sportsman. He is a contributing editor for Fly Fish America and the Mid-Atlantic field editor for Eastern Fly Fishing.
In addition to writing, Beau is the director of the annual Virginia Fly Fishing Festival and is a 25-year veteran career captain with Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department assigned to Engine Company 427. His first book, Fly Fishing Virginia: A No Nonsense Guide to Top Waters, was released in May 2007 and is in bookstores throughout the country. He lives with his wife and children in Warrenton, Virginia.
Beau is also the author of the acclaimed Fly Fishing the Mid-Atlantic, a 2011 title also published by No Nonsense Fly Fishing Guidebooks.
To learn more about Beau or his books, visit his Web site at www.beaubeasley.com, or contact your local fly shop.
Table of Contents
