BirdTroutOpen the map Is the Jackson River good for rainbow trout?
Yes, with a caveat. VDWR's trout-water designation on the Jackson River names rainbow trout as a species it is managed for, and the river's measured July mean of 69.9 °F runs above the 55–65 °F this fish prefers but below the 75 °F it stops feeding at — so the cold stretches carry it and the warm ones are marginal in high summer. Across 4 gauged stretches the July mean runs 59.2–75.4 °F, so the answer changes with where you stand on it. Fish of 7–14 inches are what Virginia reports as typical.
What the state's records say
- Species
- Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
- In Virginia
- introduced
- Record here
- named in VDWR's trout-water designation for this reach — a management record, not a catch record
- Holds in
- 55–65 °F, stops feeding above 75 °F
- Typical
- 7–14 inches
- Spawns
- Spring — March into May — on gravel, which is what separates it from the two autumn spawners above.
Introduced. Wild populations sit in the steeper, faster mountain water, and stocked fish carry most of the put-and-take season.
Is the water cold enough
Measured, not modelled: 4 gauged stretches of this river average 69.9 °F in July (59.2–75.4 °F across them), against the 55–65 °F this fish holds in and the 75 °F it stops feeding at.
| Gauge | Now | July mean |
|---|---|---|
| Bacova | 60.8 °F | 75.4 °F |
| Bl Gathright Dam Nr Hot Spgs | 57.9 °F | 59.2 °F |
| Falling Spring | 56.8 °F | 63.1 °F |
| Jackson Riv at Filtration Plant at Covington | 59.5 °F | 67.4 °F |
What you may keep
Virginia DWR classifies this water as Class II, Class V, Class VI. The management tier on those reaches is stocked holdover, wild. Species Virginia DWR records in the classified water: brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout. This is a designation of the fishery and not the season and creel rules.
VDWR trout waters and stocking → Virginia season and creel rules →
What to fish for it
- Little Black Stonefly — January–April, #16–18
- Little Brown Stonefly — February–April, #12–16
- Blue-Winged Olive — March–May and September–November, #16–22
- Quill Gordon — March–April, #12–14
- Blackfly — April–June, #18–22
- Blue Quill — April–May, #16–18
- Cranefly — April–June and September–October, #6–10
- Grannom — April–May, #14–16
The insects recorded from this river's region, earliest first. The full calendar →
More about Jackson River
Jackson River — live water temperature, regulations and access
- Is the Jackson River good for brook trout?
- Is the Jackson River good for brown trout?
- When to fish the Jackson River, Virginia
- How to get to the Jackson River, Virginia
- Jackson River fishing report
- Jackson River fishing regulations