Richard Formato

Richard Formato is an avid catch-and-release fly-fisherman from Wytheville, Va. When not on the water, he operates a small business there. Formato loves to fly-fish in his native Southwest Virginia because of the great water and wonderful people. He also loves to fish the flats and shallows of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic whenever work and weather permit. He is on the Department of Conservation and Recreation's board of directors and is a trustee of the Shenandoah National Forest and Skyline Drive.

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• Notes from the Charlotte Fly Show
• A chance meeting
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• Talk fly-fishing

On Oct. 19 I received an e-mail from Scott Martin, director of Commerce and Leisure Services for Franklin County. He informed me that the Pigg River in Waid Park received its first trout stocking on that day.

That was the good news.

But only 500 fish were stocked, which he thought was a little on the short side, considering the length of fishable water (1.5 miles) and limited trout fishing nearby because Maggodee is Creek no longer stocked.

Also nearby is Rocky Mount, a large-enough population center, whose residents put heavy fishing pressure on the Pigg.

It seems to me that double that amount of stocking would have been more appropriate.

Scott also wrote, “Just to drive you nuts, I am headed off to Idaho this week for a drift trip down the Salmon.” Am I jealous? Who, me? You bet I am.

So instead of Idaho, I headed to Waid Park last Sunday for a return trip to the Pigg. It’s best to leave your vehicle inside the park gates because there are wide places along the road near the trail down to the river.

One word of caution. The park opens at 8:30 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m., at which time the gate is closed. So make sure you park outside the gate if you intend to stay on the stream late.

Sunday was one of those August days in October, with an ambient temperature of 80 degrees. After a pleasant walk down the ridge I arrived at streamside and the first thing that struck my eye was a 6 foot high levee of sand and riverjacks left behind by the recent flood. Next to it were the remains of a new bridge, 8-inch steel girders, corrugated conduits, concrete footers and all, lying on its back, a testimony to the power of water unleashed. I was expecting some drastic changes to the riverbed, but there was surprisingly little.

Where the road fords the river, however, had washed out fairly deep and was a tempting place to start fishing. I have never had any luck streamlashing fords and Sunday was no exception, even with water temperature there was a pleasant 56 degrees.

Wading from the ford downstream I fished about a mile to within sight of the park entrance. The stocked fish were small, with only one rainbow more than a foot long. There were some good runs and deep holes downstream near the soccer field, but most of my hits were upstream just below the ford. Streamers didn’t work all that well, so I switched to a Flashback Hare’s Ear with moderate success, and did even better on a bedraggled #16 Prince Nymph. This year, the Prince has proven to be my most reliable fly regardless of the stream I fished.

I'd say the entire length of the Pigg inside Waid Park has been heavily fished. I had to work hard to hook fish, and the hits I got were gentle tugs, as if the fish had previously felt a hook and were playing it cautious. I probably won’t be back here until the next stocking takes place.

To reach Waid Park, take Virginia 40 west from Rocky Mount, and turn right at the traffic light next to Minute Market. That is Virginia 640, also known as Six Mile Road, where you’ll encounter the park sign on your left, and you turn in there. The first trail on your right past the dumpster area is the best way down to the river. It’s about a 15 minute walk to a gravel road with an arrow sign pointing to the left. Follow it down to the river bank where the stocked area begins.