Experience and Knowledge
It's important to know when you're out on the water that you're in good hands. Chris is a USCG certified Captain, trained in First Aid and experienced with the water here in Hampton Roads. With over 25 years of fly fishing experience and having been published on the topic - you can rest assured that you've chosen the right guide to both find the fish and to help teach or answer any questions you might have about fishing.
The Vessels
VB Backwater uses a Hell's Bay Guide, 18' 4" long and a 79" breadth for comfort, but designed to float in only 4-1/2". That's not a typo. Hold your fingers together and look at your hand. From the outside of your palm to the outside of your thumb is roughly 4.5". When we say we can get to skinny water, we mean it.
We run our near- and off-shore "Psycho Fly" trips from a 26' Cape Fisherman; the flagship of the Jones Brothers Boatworks' lineup. It's equipped with both a full size cobia tower and a bow casting platform, giving the angler a safe and advantageous place to sight-fish big water like never before.
Hell's Bay Guide
Hell's Bay Boatworks doesn't compromise, and that's why we've chosen to invest in an amazing skiff for our clients to use. If you've never been on a Hell's Bay before, you're in for a treat.
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Jones Brothers 26CF
In conversations around a mid-Atlantic marina, you'll often hear, "Donnie makes a great boat." This is the boat they're talking about. Heavy and comfortable, the 26' Cape Fisherman will impress you for it's incredible capabilities.
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Our Fishing Destinations
Because fish have tails, and Virginia has weather, we have several locations in the Hampton Roads area that we'll fish depending on factors that we can talk about. Oftentimes I won't know where we'll fish until a day or two prior, but I will always discuss this with clients in advance so they can do any research they'd like.
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Beyond our local waters, I am intimately familiar with fly-fishing locations across Virginia. If you're interested in a custom trip for smallmouth, trout, or seasonal shad; I'm happy to help give you some pointers, let you know the guide to speak with, or set up a guided adventure!
The Captain
Captain Chris
Chris loves fishing, and prefers the fly rod when it makes sense, but the passion that brought him to guiding is actually his desire to teach.