Big Tumbling Creek (Washington County)

The lower section of Big Tumbling Creek is a Catchable Trout Stocking Steam.  It is a Category A stock stream.  This means that the river is stocked in each of the following periods:  October through December (2 Stocking), January through May 15 (6 stockings). 

The upper section is part of the Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area and is a fee fishing area.  The area consists of approximately 7 miles of Big Tumbling Creek and its two major tributaries, Briar Cove Creek and Laurel Bed Creek.  The fee fishing program operates from the first Saturday in April through September.  A daily permit ($6.50) is required in addition to a valid Virginia freshwater fishing license. After the fee fishing season, these areas revert to designated stocked trout waters and a trout license is required instead of the daily permit. The creel limit at these areas is six fish per day.

Description:

Regulations:

Big Tumbling Creek is a large, steep gradient stream with numerous small waterfalls and large, deep rocky pools. The two tributaries are much smaller with a more moderate gradient. Laurel Bed Lake is no longer part of the fee fishing program and does not require the daily permit. However, the lake continues to be managed for trout as well as for flow augmentation for Big Tumbling Creek. Trout are stocked daily (except Sunday) throughout the fee period in the streams, and fishing begins at 6 a.m. daily, except for opening day. Camping is available at the area and VDGIF owns and manages the surrounding land.  To get to Big Tumbling from Saltville turn left off of Rt. 107 onto Rt. 91 (1/4 Mille); then right onto Rt. 634; bear left onto Rt. 613 and proceed 3.5 miles then turn right onto Rt. 747 to the area.

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Conserving, protecting and restoring coldwater fisheries and their watersheds