Fellas,

Could any of you give me a few directions on where I could wade for some nice smallies in the Rivanna River near UVA (Charlottesville)? I just got back to school from Richmond area and I'm itching to catch smallies like I did in the James. I tried Darden Towe Park today, because the local fly shop said it would be a good spot (couldn't be farther from the truth; seemed like he didn't want to give out his spots). The river was silted, muddy, and had tons of slack water. A lot of the spots went above stomach height with very low visibility.

I can promise you, you don't have to worry about me "spot burning" or fishing the place dry. I'm only gonna get to wet wade the few free weekends I get to fish and once the colder months hit, I'll be more focused on midterms and finals. I also only brought a fly rod with me to school, so minimal foliage would be appreciated.

Feel free to pm me if you don't want your spot being publicly known. No one else will know your place exists.

Thanks in advance for the help!

-Al

I sent you a PM.

I lived in Charlottesville for a few years and Darden Towe was my go-to spot. Had it recently rained when you were there? I ask because it's usually quite a bit clearer than you indicated (though I never found any ideal, crystal clear fly spots in Charlottesville). I should also say that when I lived in Charlottesville I was a poor student without a lot of free time, so I didn't aggressively investigate all the local possibilities.

I also just moved to Richmond and am interested in fly fishing the James for smallies. I've googled around and have seen people reference a few spots (Pony Pasture, Huguenot Flatwater) - which do you prefer and how do you actually access these places? I work downtown and have yet to see a walkway that takes you down to the shallow, wadeable spots.