Linville Creek Fishing Guides
A Shenandoah Valley limestone creek at Broadway, running cool and clear over ledge and gravel into the North Fork, with wild brown trout up high and smallmouth in the lower water.
Guides on the Linville Creek
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About the Linville Creek
Linville Creek drains about forty-six square miles of Rockingham County and enters the North Fork of the Shenandoah River at Broadway. The gauge sits in town. This is limestone valley country, and the creek carries the signature of that geology in everything it does: the water runs clearer than a freestone stream of the same size, it holds its temperature better through a hot week, and it stays fishable in a dry August when mountain streams nearby have gone to a trickle.
The bed is a mix of limestone ledge, gravel and cobble, with undercut banks where the creek has worked against the valley soil. The valley is farmed, so much of the creek runs through pasture and cropland with intermittent wooded buffer. That means access questions matter here and permission is worth asking for rather than assuming. Where the buffer is intact the creek is genuinely pretty water.
The fishery changes as the creek descends. The upper reaches hold trout, with brown trout the main wild fish and rainbows present as well, and the limestone influence keeps summer water temperatures tolerable further down than a freestone stream would manage. The lower creek toward the North Fork is smallmouth and rock bass water, and those two are the fish most anglers come for. Bluegill and redbreast sunfish are abundant, fallfish and white sucker are everywhere, and channel catfish occupy the deeper pools near the mouth.
The creek is small enough to be a wading proposition throughout. It clouds quickly after summer thunderstorms because of the agricultural ground it drains, and clears within a day or so.
Broadway is the obvious base, and Harrisonburg is fifteen minutes south with full services and the North Fork close by.
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Access
Broadway - the gauge location and the main access town on the creek.
Harrisonburg - the nearest city, with lodging, fuel, tackle and guides.
North Fork Shenandoah River - the receiving river at Broadway, with public access.
Timberville - a neighboring town on the North Fork just downstream.
George Washington National Forest - public land on the ridges west of the valley.
Rockingham County roads - several bridge crossings give bank access.
Shenandoah River State Park - the larger public river access downstream in the valley.
Seasons
Spring: high, colored water early, then the best trout and smallmouth fishing as it settles.
Summer: low and clear, with the limestone keeping the upper creek cooler than nearby freestone water.
Fall: excellent conditions, cooling water and active brown trout before the spawn.
Winter: cold and very clear, with fish holding in the deeper ledge pools.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Linville Creek?
As of Oct 18, 5:45 pm, the USGS gauge LINVILLE CREEK AT BROADWAY, VA reads 27 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Linville Creek?
Anglers target Bluegill, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Fallfish, Rainbow Trout, Redbreast Sunfish, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Sucker on the Linville Creek in Virginia.
Where can you access the Linville Creek?
Broadway - the gauge location and the main access town on the creek. Harrisonburg - the nearest city, with lodging, fuel, tackle and guides. North Fork Shenandoah River - the receiving river at Broadway, with public access. Timberville - a neighboring town on the North Fork just downstream. George Washington National Forest - public land on the ridges west of the valley. Rockingham County roads - several bridge crossings give bank access. Shenandoah River State Park - the larger public river access downstream in the valley.
When is the best time to fish the Linville Creek?
Spring: high, colored water early, then the best trout and smallmouth fishing as it settles. Summer: low and clear, with the limestone keeping the upper creek cooler than nearby freestone water. Fall: excellent conditions, cooling water and active brown trout before the spawn. Winter: cold and very clear, with fish holding in the deeper ledge pools.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Linville Creek?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Virginia agency site: https://dwr.virginia.gov/fishing/regulations/