Fishing McLean Gut in Accomack County, Virginia

• Overview

  McLean Gut is one of the Accomack County listings for Virginia. It sits in open plain country. Ground here is low by Virginia standards. Supplies mean a trip to Exmore, 6 miles off. The big place round here is East Hampton, 47 miles distant. More in the same country: Boggs Gut just 0.8 miles, Curratuck Creek 0.9 miles off, Hancock Gut just 3.7 miles, Taylor Creek 4 miles off and Scarborough Gut just 4.5 miles. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on McLean Gut

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Salt or brackish and tidal: fish the flow, rest at slack, and watch the mud on a falling tide. Salt and fresh mix here, and the mixing line is worth finding. Oyster and old piling give the only hard structure in sight. Across Accomack County, recorded fish include alewife, blueback herring, American shad and striped bass. Fish McLean Gut to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 78°F and January at 38°F. Winter is the comfortable season here rather than the difficult one. Shade and hour of day matter more than month. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. Plan any trip to McLean Gut around it. After a storm, the water clears from the edges inwards.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Mapping shows a jetty some half a mile off. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Should this one be busy, Boggs Gut is 0.8 miles off. What applies at McLean Gut may have changed since it was mapped.