Baileys Pond in Albemarle County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Baileys Pond sits within Albemarle County in Virginia. The bank is 374 feet above sea level. At 2 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Albemarle County list. Pantops sits 1.9 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Richmond sits 64 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Baileys Pond

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Albemarle County include bluegill, Roanoke darter and fantail darter. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Baileys Pond that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 35°F and July at about 77°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Conditions shift steadily rather than sharply. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. That shapes the year on Baileys Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. Mapping records toilets within half a mile. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Edgehill Farm Pond Number Two, 3.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Baileys Pond, the notice at the access point is the final word.