As I write this, the New River is on the rise thanks to heavy rains in southwest Virginia and western North Carolina, and it seems to have come at a natural break in the season. By the time the river recedes, I expect we'll be moving quickly into summer fishing. Spring fishing brings with it regular curveballs that keep you on your toes, but summer brings some of the best and most consistent fishing of the year.
That said, mid-spring has been an exciting time to be on the water chasing smallmouth on the fly this year. Minimal rain and warm temps in May made topwater fishing very viable some days, much earlier than we typically get such action. Many big smallmouth were taken on or near the surface.
As we move into summer, that trend will only get stronger, and we'll be focusing on smallmouth floats until October. As usual, we will continue to run some wild trout trips, as our mid-/late-summer fishing can be fantastic in the mountains!
I should also mention that we just launched our Smallmouth & Wine Lodging Package in cooperation with Iron Heart Winery in the heart of the New River Valley. So, if you like wine (or if your significant other likes wine) and smallmouth fishing, you owe it to yourself to check it out. It's a great base camp on one of the country's richest smallmouth fisheries, and a unique offering showcasing the best of what southwest Virginia has to offer. We'll only be booking a few of these packages this year, so don't wait around!
I still have some dates available this summer. If you'd like to get on the river and learn the ins and outs of smallmouth on the fly, target a truly large smallmouth, or just enjoy a day of fishing in a beautiful setting, don't hesitate to get in touch!
