BirdTroutOpen the map When to fish Spurlock Creek, Virginia
May, June and July — those are the months with the most insects recorded from the Virginia mountains, 22 in May, 26 in June and 22 in July. Virginia DWR classifies it as Class III, managed as wild — that is the season and creel row to look up. This site reads the water as cold from VDWR's management tier for it, which is an inference from how the fishery is managed and not a temperature VDWR publishes, and no gauge on it reports temperature, so the calendar below is the hatch record rather than a thermometer.
What's likely in September
27 insects peak in September in the Virginia mountains. By month, not week.
Start with these — the patterns that match most of what is out now:
Mayflies
Blue-Winged Olive #16–22, White Fly #12–14, Isonychia / Slate Drake #10–14, Little Yellow May #16–18, Mahogany Dun #16–18, and 1 more
Tie onParachute Adams dry · Pheasant Tail Nymph nymph · RS2 emerger
Caddis
October Caddis #8–10, Green Rock Worm / Green Weenie #10–14
Tie onPrince Nymph nymph · Stimulator dry · Walt's Worm nymph
Terrestrials
Cinnamon Flying Ant #16–20, Cricket #10–14, Black Ant #14–20, Grasshopper #8–12, Leafhopper #18–22, and 1 more
Tie onFoam Beetle terrestrial · Black Foam Ant terrestrial · Parachute Ant terrestrial
Crayfish, scuds and baitfish
Crayfish #4–8, Minnows + Dace #2–10, Scud #12–18, Sculpin #2–8, Sowbug #14–18
Tie onZonker streamer · Hare's Ear Nymph nymph · Walt's Worm nymph
Worms, leeches and the rest
Water Boatman #14–18, Cranefly #6–10, Aquatic Worm #10–16, Damselfly #10–14, Dragonfly #4–10, and 2 more
Tie onWoolly Bugger (Olive) streamer · Walt's Worm nymph · Woolly Bugger (Black) streamer
The hatch calendar
Insects peaking each month. Midges, scuds and sculpins are left out: they peak every month, so counting them would flatten the bars.
Every insect recorded here, by month (56)
| Insect | Months | Hook | Active at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Black Stonefly | January–April | #16–18 | 34–46 °F |
| Little Brown Stonefly | February–April | #12–16 | 38–50 °F |
| Blue-Winged Olive | March–May and September–November | #16–22 | 38–58 °F |
| Quill Gordon | March–April | #12–14 | 42–52 °F |
| Blackfly | April–June | #18–22 | 40–65 °F |
| Blue Quill | April–May | #16–18 | 44–56 °F |
| Cranefly | April–June and September–October | #6–10 | 40–65 °F |
| Grannom | April–May | #14–16 | 48–58 °F |
| Green Rock Worm / Green Weenie | April–June and September–October | #10–14 | 45–68 °F |
| Hendrickson | April–May | #12–14 | 45–58 °F |
| Little Black Caddis | April–May | #16–20 | 46–58 °F |
| Alderfly | May–June | #10–14 | 52–66 °F |
| Caterpillar | May–September | #8–14 | 55–75 °F |
| Crayfish | May–October | #4–8 | 55–78 °F |
| Giant Black Stonefly (Salmonfly) | May–June | #4–6 | 50–62 °F |
| Green Drake | May–June | #8–12 | 52–64 °F |
| Green Sedge | May–August | #12–16 | 48–64 °F |
| Inchworm | May–June | #12–16 | 50–68 °F |
| Large Blue-Winged Olive | May–June | #14–16 | 50–64 °F |
| Light Cahill | May–July | #12–16 | 55–68 °F |
| Little Sulphur | May–July | #16–20 | 50–62 °F |
| March Brown | May–June | #10–12 | 50–62 °F |
| Periodical Cicada | May–June | #4–8 | 55–78 °F |
| Spotted / Tan Caddis | May–August | #14–18 | 55–70 °F |
| Sulphur | May–July | #14–18 | 52–68 °F |
| Black Ant | June–September | #14–20 | 55–80 °F |
| Golden Stonefly | June–July | #6–10 | 55–68 °F |
| Isonychia / Slate Drake | June–September | #10–14 | 55–70 °F |
| June Bug / Beetle | June–July | #10–14 | 58–75 °F |
| Leafhopper | June–September | #18–22 | 58–75 °F |
| Little Sister Caddis | June–August | #16–20 | 60–74 °F |
| Little Yellow May | June–September | #16–18 | 58–70 °F |
| Little Yellow Sally | June–August | #14–16 | 55–68 °F |
| Yellow Drake | June–August | #10–12 | 58–70 °F |
| Annual Cicada | July–August | #6–10 | 60–78 °F |
| Cream Cahill | July–August | #14–16 | 62–74 °F |
| Golden Drake | July–August | #10–12 | 60–72 °F |
| Grasshopper | July–September | #8–12 | 60–80 °F |
| Japanese Beetle | July–August | #12–16 | 60–80 °F |
| Trico | July–September | #20–24 | 58–72 °F |
| Cinnamon Flying Ant | August–September | #16–20 | 58–78 °F |
| Cricket | August–October | #10–14 | 55–75 °F |
| White Fly | August–September | #12–14 | 62–74 °F |
| Mahogany Dun | September–October | #16–18 | 45–58 °F |
| October Caddis | September–October | #8–10 | 45–58 °F |
| Water Boatman | September–November | #14–18 | 45–65 °F |
| Aquatic Worm | all year | #10–16 | 35–70 °F |
| Damselfly | all year | #10–14 | 55–78 °F |
| Dragonfly | all year | #4–10 | 55–78 °F |
| Hellgrammite | all year | #2–8 | 55–78 °F |
| Leech | all year | #2–10 | 35–75 °F |
| Midge | all year | #18–24 | 33–75 °F |
| Minnows + Dace | all year | #2–10 | 35–78 °F |
| Scud | all year | #12–18 | 33–70 °F |
| Sculpin | all year | #2–8 | 33–72 °F |
| Sowbug | all year | #14–18 | 33–70 °F |
The season
Virginia publishes no season on this reach in the file this site reads. Virginia DWR classifies it as Class III, managed as wild, and that is the row to look up in the digest — the season and creel rules follow the classification rather than the river. What the state designates on this water → Virginia regulations →
Water temperature through the year
No gauge on this river reports water temperature. VDWR publishes no temperature classification for it either — the Cold band is inferred from VDWR's management tier for the fishery, which is a judgement about the trout and not a measurement of the water.
More about Spurlock Creek
Spurlock Creek — live water temperature, regulations and access
- Is Spurlock Creek good for brook trout?
- Is Spurlock Creek good for brown trout?
- Spurlock Creek fishing report
- Spurlock Creek fishing regulations