How to best take advantage for Virginia's free fishing days this June

Advice for novice anglers

ROANOKE, Va. – If you’ve ever wondered about why so many people spend their time fishing, but never understood the attraction, the state of Virginia wants to give you the chance to find out for free.

June 1, 2 and 3 of 2018 have been designated as Free Fishing Days in Virginia.  On these days you are not required to buy a license in order to fish with a rod and reel.  Granted – you’ll still need to buy bait or lures – but the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries won’t require you to buy a license.  This goes for both freshwater and saltwater fishing.

If you don’t know where to fish, or what kind of fish you might catch, the department has a great website to point you in the right direction.

Click here for more information.

If you find that overwhelming, you might use the following rules for landing a whopper.

Local rivers such as the James and New rivers, are great for smallmouth bass, catfish, and panfish such as red eyes, sunfish and bluegill.  Both also hold good populations of muskellunge or muskie, but if you’re a first time angler – you may not be ready for one of these toothy beasts, which some call freshwater barracuda.

Streams and even some of the smaller rivers, such as the Roanoke, hold trout, most of which are stocked by the state.  These fish are harder to catch during the summer, as they require colder water temperatures and highly oxygenated water to survive.  It’s probably best to save your trout fishing for spring and fall.

If lakes are your preference, the region offers fantastic largemouth bass fishing in nearby areas such as Smith Mountain Lake, Phillpott Lake, Leesville Reservoir, Claytor Lake and many other smaller lakes and ponds.  The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has a page that lists many of the best lakes in Virginia.  Click here if you would like to access it.

Which Fishing Gear to Use?

There are more kinds of gear for fishing than could ever be discussed here.  But there’s still a lot to be said for a plain old rod and reel with a hook on the end and a worm on the hook.  There aren’t many fish that won’t bite if you offer them the common night crawler. 

If worms aren’t your thing, you might consider using an artificial lure.  It’s a pretty simple proposition:  Throw the lure out and reel it in. 

Most lures will move through or on top of the water imitating something a fish would want to eat.  The trick is finding the right lure at the right time and fishing it the right way. 

That’s not so easy.  If it was, we’d call it “catching” and not "fishing."

On the other hand, if you happen to reel in a nice one on one of the Free Fishing Days – it’s a good bet you’ll be willing to pay for that license, so you can go back and try it again. 


About the Author:

John Carlin co-anchors the 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts on WSLS 10.