Lying lightly on the land, spans two miles of Virginia’s finest trout fishery.

Flowing from its headwaters in Highland County, Virginia to where it meets the Cowpasture River to form the James, the Jackson River is one of the most pristine, scenic and in some stretches, untouched rivers on the east coast and certainly one of the finest wild trout fisheries in Virginia.

The Jackson River Club, conveniently located just 10 miles from the Homestead Resort, is a picturesque property, an outdoorsmen’s dream. Abundant wildlife including deer, bear, grouse and turkey flourish in and around the club’s 750 acres which adjoin several thousand acres of the George Washington National Forest.

This forest preserve is a protected natural environment providing a tremendous resource for fishing, hiking and other outdoor activities. The river and regional climate provide an excellent habitat for wild rainbow and brown trout to thrive. The upper tailwater section of the Jackson averages 285 CFS and 58 degrees Fahrenheit, providing a unique fly fishing experience similar to that found in the western United States.

Anglers can expect quality dry fly fishing during the spring, summer, and fall hatches as well as excellent nymph fishing year round. Don’t be afraid to tie on a streamer and chase the 20-inch-plus brown trout that lurk in the deeper pools.

The river’s limestone formations and springs provide habitats for rainbow and brown trout as well as rock and smallmouth bass and pan fish. The freshwater invertebrates are numerous and hatches are common, thankful in part to the many springs that empty into the river.

These springs and the cold water released from the bottom of the upstream dam at Lake Moomaw keep the river filled and cool, making it eminently fishable throughout the hot summer days. Deep pools, long riffles, and numerous eddies offer many possibilities for fly anglers of all abilities.

Developed by Jackson River Mountain Properties, LLC, Field Sport Concepts’ affiliate McKee Carson designed the master plan for the property which stretches along almost two miles of the Jackson River and encompasses lowland meadows surrounded by a mix of upland hardwood forest with stands of mixed oak and hickory trees together with tulip poplars. Utilizing conservation measures sensitive to all aspects of the land, McKee Carson located homesites considering viewsheds, solar orientation, topography and forest-field-river accessibility. Natural systems inventories were also taken to assure the proposed interventions were ‘lying lightly on the land’.

Photography © Jackson River Mountain Properties
except for last picture by McKee Carson