For most Virginia anglers, walleye are a fish caught in Canada. For a select few, nothing could be fa rther from the truth.
Virginia actually has a long track record with walleye, in fact one river even has it’s own genetically unique native species. But for the vast majority of state waters that hold walleye, they are there by the grace of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources stockings and management.
I caught up recently with VDWR District Biologist George Palmer, who oversees Region 2, a 20-county area from Roanoke to Lynchburg that includes Smith Mountain Lake, Kerr Reservoir, Philpott and Carvin’s Cove.
Palmer currently serves as the committee chair of the Walleye Committee that meets each year to discuss plans, how to obtain brood stock, issues, shortfalls, regulations, etc. as well as create a Walleye Fishing Forecast that includes the amount of fish stocked in Virginia and where and how they are doing according to the attending biologist.
He told me walleye have been stocked in Virginia since the 1930s. In fact walleye were stocked in Claytor Lake in 1939 when it was created.
More recently, in the last decade, Palmer notes up until 2000, walleyes were stocked sporadically in Virginia as biologists requested them, with no specific overall plan.
“The request was put in and the order was filled by an out of state hatchery. In 2000, DWR Fisheries Manager Ed Steinkoenig decided DWR was stocking but not creating fishable populations. A committee was formed to examine and investigate the best management practices the DWR could use to create viable walleye fisheries. A report plan was drawn up,” Palmer explained.
Basically Palmer told me Virginia DWR recognizes two kinds of walleye fisheries: 1) Priority waters and 2) Diversity waters.
A Priority water is a fishery that offers walleye as a featured species and is managed so that anglers can consistently catch them.
Priority waters include Philpott, South Holston Reservoir, Flanagan Reservoir, Lake Brittle, Lake Orange, the Shenandoah River, the Rivanna River, Burke Lake, Lake Whitehurst, Lake Chesdin, Leesville Lake/Staunton River, Hungry Mother Lake, North Fork Pound Reservoir and the New River.
A Diversity water is a fishery that provides an angler the opportunity to catch a walleye or saugeye. Diversity waters include Lake Anna, Little Creek Reservoir and Lake Gaston.
Annually, there are about 1 million fingerlings that are stocked in Priority Waters first, Diversity Waters second.
Saugeye have been added since 2014. This is a cross between a walleye and a sauger that proves hardier in warmer fisheries.
“What we have found is that saugeyes work better in certain systems; they survive better, grow better and are easier to catch. Lake Brittle and Lake Burke are places where this is true. They are not stocked in waters with native walleye populations like the New River nor in areas used for brood stock,” Palmer.
Brood stock is now generated in-state at the Vic Thomas, Brookneal Fish Hatchery on the Staunton River as well as Buller Fish Hatchery which gets it’s stock from the New River and South Holston Reservoir.
As far as the best fisheries and where to find walleye/saugeye in them, Palmer told W2 walleye in the Staunton and New River make huge spawning runs in March and April. According to the 2021 DWR Walleye Fishing Forecast, walleye and saugeye fishing has really taken off in the Staunton, especially from Leesville dam to Altavista. Quality Walleye are now consistently being caught and sampled all the way to Brookneal.
Another benefit of the stockings into Leesville and the Staunton River is a boost in the walleye fishery at Kerr Reservoir. While they’re still hard to target in this 50,000 acre reservoir, the opportunity to catch a walleye is improving each year.
Anglers catch most walleye in the upper New River around Ivanhoe, Foster Falls, and Allisonia using crankbaits, jigs and live minnows in February, March and early April.
Walleye also run up the South Fork of the Holston. Anglers congregate near the community of Alvarado from February through April to catch walleyes on the spring spawning run here.
Currently walleye can be found in the Shenandoah River from Warren Dam in Front Royal downstream beyond the Virginia/West Virginia state line. Although they are not as numerous in the Shenandoah as they are in other rivers they are increasing in number and can reach lengths exceeding 25 inches.
Anglers fishing for walleye on the Shenandoah River should focus their efforts in the deeper pools during the daylight hours. Walleye will move out of the deeper pools into shallow bedrock ledge areas to feed during night hours. There are typically high numbers present between Warren Dam and Morgan’s Ford Access from January through March.
During other times of the year the reservoirs and lakes offer good walleye/saugeye fishing. For big fish, South Holston Reservoir is best with a very fast growth rate from fingerling to 18” in about a year-and-a-half to two years. Burke, Brittle, Orange, Chesdin, Philpott and Hungry Mother are decent, but anglers have to put in the time to find the fish in them.
Northern and central Virginia anglers hoping to catch decent walleye should look no further than Lake Orange. This 124-acre DRW managed lake occasionally produces walleye over five pounds. Electrofishing catch rates were 17 fish/hour in 2020, which increased from the nine fish/hour in 2019. Spring 2020 surveys resulted in 29% of walleye being harvestable with a 14.6” average.
Tidewater anglers should target walleye and saugeye in Little Creek Reservoir. According to the District Biologist, one of the keys to fishing on Little Creek Reservoir for walley and saugeye is to concentrate on the deeper edges in and around the numerous points that line the shoreline.
Some of the best action has come from anglers that slow-troll their baits in the 17 to 20 foot depth range within the western half of the reservoir. Trolled nightcrawlers can be a very productive pattern for anglers to try during the warmer weather months.
Dedicated anglers will catch their fair share of Little Creek ‘eyes surprisingly during the summer months if they are able to keep their baits in the deep strike zone. Anglers jigging blade baits along with Rapala Jigging Raps can catch some quality fish from deep water during the cold-water months as well as during the summer.
That’s the history of walleye and saugeye in Virginia. The state record walleye is 15-15 caught from the New River. The state record saugeye is open with a minimum weight of six pounds. Pick a fishery and get out there this month and see if you can catch a state record saugeye. We’ll be happy to cover your story!
