Jackson River Fishing Report December 2025

With the lack of rain Virginia has seen over the past few months, we have been relying on the Jackson River tailwater heavily over the past few months. Hopefully, with the forecasted precipitation, some of the other trout rivers will start fishing better. For now, let's focus on my favorite trout river in Virginia.

The Jackson has had a consistant 161 cfs flow coming out of Gathright Dam for months. The brown trout fishing has been fantastic as they prepare to spawn. The males are very colorful and have been eating well everyday. We saw the first couple of redds on November 20th, and the spawn should peak by the middle of December. If you go out fishing, make sure to avoid these areas the best you can.

For the rest of the winter, small flies will be the name of the game. Midges and BWO patterns should work well. I usually fish one of these in combination with a slightly larger attractor pattern. On overcast days, there is always the chance to fish a dry fly to rising fish, especially in slow back eddies.

If you have never had the chance to fish for trophy wild brown trout in Virginia, book a float trip with us this winter!