Blue Ridge Fishing Adventures is Virginia’s premier fly fishing guide service, led by owner and head guide Zach Brantley, based in Rockbridge Baths near historic Lexington, Virginia. Zach’s love of angling grew from fishing Colorado’s trout rivers before he relocated to Virginia and spent years scouting the state’s best waters to build a guide business he’s passionate about sharing with clients.
The business offers full-day float trips, full and half-day walk-and-wade fly fishing excursions, and beginner lessons, with trips personally tailored to each client’s needs and experience level; conventional spinning gear trips are also available. Float trips cover 7-10 miles of historic waterways with access to unpressured water beyond what’s reachable on foot, chasing smallmouth bass on the James, South Fork of the Shenandoah, or New River, or trout on the Jackson or Smith River. Wading trips put anglers directly in the river, best suited to Virginia’s trout stocking season between October and June, dissecting riffles, runs, and pools one step at a time across the state’s 3,500 miles of trout streams.
Virginia’s cold water fisheries offer native Brook Trout in high mountain streams, wild Rainbow and Brown Trout in large tailwaters, and over 800 miles of stocked trout streams, while warmer months bring strong Smallmouth Bass fishing alongside Largemouth Bass, Rock Bass, Carp, Fallfish, Catfish, Sunfish, and even Muskie in the same waters. Blue Ridge Fishing Adventures operates under a special use permit from the USDA Forest Service across the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, giving clients access other guides in the area may not have.
Pricing runs $350 for a half-day wading trip (1 angler) or $450 for 2 anglers, $450 for a full-day wading trip (1 angler) or $550 for 2 anglers, and $500 for a full-day float trip (1 angler) or $600 for 2 anglers. Trips for more than two anglers are available by contacting the business directly for pricing. Gift certificates are available and non-refundable but transferable between parties.
For anglers looking to fly fish Virginia’s trout streams or smallmouth bass rivers near Lexington, Blue Ridge Fishing Adventures offers a well-rounded, permit-backed guide service with float, wading, and lesson options across five major rivers.
