Hughes River
Fishing and stocking
Brook trout and rainbow trout water, stocked 16 times in 2026, spread January to May, heaviest in May.
Madison County · Virginia · see it on the national map
The year here
stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details
What swims here
Rainbow trout
Brook trout
Stocking record 2026
Agency feed checked today.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 15 | Rainbow trout | catchable | completed | |
| Jan 15 | Brook trout | catchable | completed | |
| Mar 4 | Rainbow trout | catchable | completed | |
| Mar 4 | Brook trout | catchable | completed | |
| Mar 27 | Rainbow trout | catchable | completed | |
| Mar 27 | Brook trout | catchable | completed | |
| Apr 14 | Rainbow trout | catchable | completed | |
| Apr 14 | Brook trout | catchable | completed | |
| Apr 21 | Rainbow trout | catchable | completed | |
| Apr 21 | Brook trout | catchable | completed | |
| May 7 | Rainbow trout | catchable | completed | |
| May 7 | Brook trout | catchable | completed | |
| May 13 | Rainbow trout | catchable | completed | |
| May 13 | Brook trout | catchable | completed | |
| May 20 | Rainbow trout | catchable | completed | |
| May 20 | Brook trout | catchable | completed |
When to fish Hughes River
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 9:50-11:50 am and 10:12 pm-12:12 am | 4:06-5:06 am and 4:23-5:23 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:36 am-12:36 pm | 5:13-6:13 am and 4:48-5:48 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).
What the record actually says
- Last stocked May 20
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · Virginia fishing forecast
Gear for this water
It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.
For the trout (rainbow trout stocked 8 times here in 2026, moving water)
| Light spinning rod | 5 to 6.5 ft light or ultralight; short rods cast under branches |
| Inline spinners | 1/16 to 1/8 oz silver or gold; swing them across the current seams |
| Drifted bait | single salmon egg or half a crawler under light split shot, rolled along the bottom |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| South River | 19 mi | May 11 |
| Cub Run | 23 mi | Apr 30 |
| Swift Run | 27 mi | May 11 |
| Happy Creek | 29 mi | May 19 |
| North Fork Shenandoah River | 29 mi | Apr 28 |
Follow Virginia stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule