BLACKSBURG—Fee fishing ponds in Virginia offer easy catches—for dinner, or just for family fun.

Virginians from all walks of life flock to fee fishing ponds because casting into a stocked pond virtually guarantees a keeper.

“We want to instill a love of fishing in kids, and since it’s almost a guaranteed catch, that’s easy to do,” said Mark Henderson, co-owner of Mill Creek Trout Farm in Montgomery County. The Blacksburg aquaculture business was run by his grandfather, Rudolph “Teet” Henderson, until the early 1980s. Henderson and his wife, Laura Neff-Henderson, re-opened the business last year.

“People want their kids to actually be able to catch their first fish,” said Jimmy Graves, co-owner of Graves’ Mountain Lodge in Madison County, which has operated a fee fishing pond since the 1970s.

The nearby Rose River offers trout fishing as well but requires a state fishing license. Virginians who fish in private ponds don’t need a license.

Graves’ Mountain Lodge co-owner and Jimmy Graves’ wife, Rachel Graves, said people get frustrated when they don’t catch anything in the river and then pay to fish in the lodge’s pond where bites are more plentiful. “Our ponds are well-stocked, and the fish bite.”

At Skyline Trout Farm in Rappahannock County, owner Kaye Johnson noted that her grandchildren began fishing on the property “as soon as they were old enough to hold a rod.” In 2013 grandson Aaron, 23, convinced Johnson and her husband, Tom Johnson, to re-open the trout farm, which he manages.

All three pond operators agreed that a good family experience and the opportunity for children to catch fish are major draws. The other is the opportunity to eat fresh trout.
“We have a lot of repeat customers who come out to catch their Sunday dinner,” Henderson said.

Tom Johnson cited one customer “who comes every two weeks, catches two trout and takes them home and smokes them.”

Media: Contact Henderson at 540-315-1084, Rachel Graves at 540-923-4231 or Kaye Johnson at 540-987-9438.