Book by festival director gives tips for area anglers

"Fly Fishing Virginia, A No Nonsense Guide to Top Waters," a recently-released book by Virginia Fly Fishing Festival director Beau Beasley, includes information about the South River.

"Looking back, my fondest childhood memories are of the times I spent fishing with my daddy," Beasley indicates in his book introduction and acknowledgements. "We are fortunate to have many waterways in Virginia, and the community of Waynesboro is fortunate to have the South River running right through its downtown area."

The South River was one of the first urban trout fisheries in Virginia. Feeder creeks flow into the river, which in turn eventually combines with North River to form the South Fork of the Shenandoah.

Citing recent fish kills in the Shenandoah as cause for alarm, conservation groups like the Shenandoah Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited have worked with concerned citizens to clean up industrial pollution and dumping and improve water quality for the natural trout stream. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries stocks the river with rainbows and brown trout a few times a year and there are bass, bluegill and even carp in the South River.

"Trout prefer cooler temperatures, so they are not likely to reproduce here as is," said Beasley.

In his book, Beasley lends some wisdom with a list of equipment, types of fish available in various Virginia streams, and information on when fishing is best in the South River. He also ranks the waterways from a scale of one to ten, according to accessibility, variety of fish and location. He gives the South River a seven in ranking.

Anglers can fish the South River from the bank, by kayak or boat or in the water, with waders. There are areas in the South River that require fishermen to use chest waders with its depth. Fishing equipment varies according to method, personal preference and the fish an angler is trying to catch.

Laws and limits for fishing in the area are available from the Virginia Department of Game and Fisheries. Interested anglers should check out their Web site at http://www.dgif.state.va.us.

For those who might need a little extra help, professional guides are the experts on the water. Beasely has a list of guides for fresh and saltwater in his resource section of the book, including many in this area, such as Mountain Trout Outfitters in Charlottesville.

"I tried to show how fly fishing in Virginia appeals to everyone in different ways because it is so much fun," Beasley said of his book. "Some like fly fishing because of the scenery, some like it because it adds to the sport of angling, others like fly tying. I am so pleased to be able to highlight the many water ways in Virginia and to facilitate it as a sport and a fun activity for everyone."

Beasley's book, "Fly Fishing Virginia, A No Nonsense Guide to Top Waters," is available at Stone Soup Books, 908 W. Main St., Waynesboro. For more information, call them at 943-0084 or check out their Web site at http://www.stonesoupbooks.net.

Beasley and his family live in Winchester, where he is a 22-year veteran of Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. He serves as a truck lieutenant and has fished the wasters of Virginia since his early childhood.