Luring in fishermen

State wildlife officials voted Tuesday to open a four-mile portion of the South River to trout fishing near Waynesboro, a stretch biologists said will become a premiere fishing attraction in Virginia.

The vote capped three years of stocking and an intensive outreach program in which more than 40 property owners agreed to allow fishermen in the water and in some cases allow access to the river through their properties.

To be open for fishing in 2011, the new stretch of South River will produce whopping 20-inch fish, and more of them, than the current most popular spring creek in the state, Mossy Creek in Mount Solon, said Larry Mohn, regional fisheries manager with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries office in Verona. Adults range to as long as 24 inches.

“If we start producing some 20-plus fish, and word gets out, we’ll be pulling people from all over the place,” Mohn said. “It’s good, clean water, and it’s consistently cold.”

The three-mile trout fishery on Mossy Creek currently outpaces all other Virginia trout streams combined and attracts about 2,500 fisherman each year. Over time, the South River fishery could be twice as long, with better water, bigger fish and easier access, Mohn said.

He and Urbie Nash, of Trout Unlimited, expect the new fishing spot to dwarf Mossy Creek.

“There will be some huge fish in this thing,” Nash said.

Mohn and Nash joined forces to survey and stock the river, gain approval from neighbors and secure funding for parking lots and trail access.

The economic return could be $100 for every $1 spent, Mohn said. Setting aside the time investment, he estimated trout fingerling stocking costs about $5,000 over three years.

A study published last year by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission found that mountain trout anglers spend $650 to $790 annually on fishing trips, plus equipment costs.

A 2008 study in of the Driftless Area in the midwestern United States estimated anglers spend $200 to $400 per trip, with an average of nine to 22 trips per year.

The cost-benefit ratio is “pretty spectacular,” Mohn said.

“It’s a high average-spend,” said Len Poulin, who organizes the annual Virginia Fly Fishing Festival in Waynesboro.

“People travel from all over the world to visit those locations,” he said, estimating weekend trips at $4,000 to $8,000 per angler.

“It’s a great thing for the community and for the river,” Nash said.

Anglers still will need their annual fishing license and a free permit for the South River. That permit will be available at Stone Soup Books on West Main Street in Waynesboro and Dominion Outdoors in Stuarts Draft.

Anglers will be permitted to take two fish a day at 16 inches or larger, using single-hook artificial lures only. Anglers will be asked to access the river only at parking areas, which are to be built with a grant from Dominion Virginia Power.

The section begins at the South Oak Lane Bridge in Waynesboro and bends past Lyndhurst and Shalom roads in Augusta County. Most of that portion runs on property owned by Waynesboro Nurseries. Owners at the nursery worked with wildlife officials on the project, Nash said.

A guide map and specific regulations will be provided by the state and available in The News Virginian next year.

‘Tremendous’ springs

Mohn said he has been stocking the South River with 6- to 8-inch trout.

The riverbed is not fully supporting reproduction, so stocking will continue, but the growth rate has been impressive, he said.

He and Nash discovered more springs than previously known while surveying the river.
The key for trout growth is water temperature that doesn’t rise above 70 degrees, Mohn said. The South River temperature in Stuarts Draft is about 82 degrees, but “tremendous” springs near Lyndhurst pump in cold water that lowers the temperature to about 68 degrees, he said.

He said water quality could be improved in the agricultural area of Stuarts Draft, but that the newly opened portion is pristine.

“If you float that section, you feel like you’re pretty remote in the middle of nowhere,” he said.

Luring tourists

South River advocates see the new fishing attraction as part of a broader revitalization effort for Waynesboro.

Already, the Virginia Fly Fishing Festival has brought attention to the river. Proponents made a splash last year with announcement of a state-of-the-art trout hatchery to be tied into a Center for Coldwaters Restoration at The Mill at South River in Waynesboro.

The $5 million development has slowed somewhat as organizers pursue funding and work to establish the endeavor as a nonprofit, Poulin said.
The center promises to create 50 to 75 jobs and educational components, backers said.

Organizers also have suggested consolidation of state environmental agencies at the site.

“It really is the first step toward getting us there,” Poulin said of the new fishery.

Nash and Mohn said the new fishery should attract 2,500 fishermen or more.

At Dominion Outdoors, archery and fishing associate Seth Sprouse said local anglers will definitely take interest.

“It will definitely bring a draw and some extra revenue to the area,” he said. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

The fishing expansion could also boost Waynesboro on the annual Outdoor Life ranking of recreation destinations, said Senior Editor John Taranto. Waynesboro ranked at No. 200 in the magazine this year based on socio-economic data and outdoor ratings based on proximity to public land and quantity of species to be hunted.

Taranto said trout fishing draws anglers from urban areas.

“Trout live in very beautiful areas,” he said. “They have very good taste in the surroundings that they choose … intrepid outdoorsmen will seek trout in those beautiful areas.”

Knowing only the basics of the South River plan, Sprouse said it will likely give Mossy Creek “a run for its money.” Having fished Mossy Creek before, Sprouse said easier access will benefit the South River.

Located between Mount Solon and Bridgewater near Natural Chimneys Regional Park, Mossy Creek drew a glowing description from Chesapeake Angler Magazine in 2006.

The magazine declared Mossy Creek the state’s best-known spring creek for “good reason.”

“The trout are so big that the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) won’t stock Mossy with anything less than seven inches long because anything smaller only serves as a snack for the brutish brown trout that call this river home,” the magazine proclaimed.

Speaking to the magazine, Mohn said there was no other fishing spot in the state with the flow and water quality of Mossy Creek.

Until now.