Had a chance to get out on Virginia’s Pamunkey River over the weekend.

We knocked out close to 23 miles over the weekend and had a grand time.

Pamunkey River, Virginia

The weather cooperated for the most part. We did have a bit of rain and a temperature drop on Friday. I was more concerned on the possibility of the water rising, but that didn’t happen.

The Pamunkey is one of Virginia’s scenic rivers and there was no disappointment there. We did see a lot of critters. Most notably was a massively big beaver who did not appreciate our presence. We did hear some turkeys off into the distance. I wonder if they knew that next week started the spring hunting season?

The fishing was awesome. I was concerned about the post cold front condition. The water was a bit dirty, but never being on the Pamunkey before, it might just be normal? It took a bit of time, but we figured out the bass were schooling up in the creeks that dotted the river. We were able to hang out at those creeks and catch a fish on nearly every cast.

Of course, we released everything we caught! Stopping to clean a fish, and then toss it in a cooler with the rest of your food and cold beverages does not fit into the plan. It is just easier to catch and release.

I like to keep track of the different species of what I caught. On this trip, we reeled in largemouth, smallmouth, spotted bass, crappie, a catfish, and a shad. Yes, it was quite a haul. I was having really good luck with pink and chartreuse beetle spins.

We did have one issue, at Nelson bridge, debris had blocked the entire width of the river. We started by hauling some of our gear up the bank, then toting it through the woods for about half a mile to the next good spot. We quickly decided this was not a good option.

Our next idea was to just drag the canoe over the debris. We stripped down to our shorts, prepping to get wet. Fortunately, we found one spot where we could get out on the logs and pull the canoe across the debris. Easy enough. We then loaded our gear stashed on the bank a bit up river.

Overall, yes, this was a good trip and I would try it again. The available camping areas are sparse to nonexistent as most of everything is private property. Just need to plan what you want to do.

Had problems with those little black flies. Next time, I want to have one of those head nets. I managed by keeping my rain coat hood up. Doing so helped a bit, but those things were irritating. Wonder what full on summer weather does to the bug population?