Hello, welcome to the June edition of our newsletter!
While recent rains have helped somewhat, our local watersheds are still running well below their average flows for the year. On the New River, smallmouth bass have headed to their summer holding areas which include riffles, rapids, and shorelines with moving water. Wade fishing on the Smith River during afternoon sulphur hatches has been productive. Please note that following this week’s trips our private trout water will close for the summer and not open again until September. Check out our website for more information.
Fishing Reports
Upper New River (above Claytor Lake)
The New is flowing around 1200 cfs above the lake at Allisonia. The water is low and gin clear, so long casts are critical to success. The smallmouth action has been steady, providing anglers with good numbers of fish.
Lower New River (below Claytor Lake)
The New is running below average for this time of year at around 1850 cfs in Radford. With the appearance of summer damsels, blue poppers have the smallies skyrocketing. Subsurface, crayfish patterns have also been working.
Smith River
The Smith River continues to produce. Flows have increased slightly to 150cfs, but wade fishing is still the ticket. Sulphur duns and parachutes in size 14-18 worked well last week. Peak hatch times are near the 3pm hour with spinner falls at dusk. The town section of Bassett has also been rewarding. Try using attractor nymphs fished on light tippet.
We are now offering half-day trips on a 2 mile section of the Smith River with private wading access. This section has the most prolific bug life in the river. Inquire today about this exclusive wade-only trip before the summer is over!! Reserve yours today.
Private Trout Water:
We are not taking any more bookings for our trophy trout water this summer; however, fall dates are available.
Hosted Trip:
Our next group trip will be to Swain’s Cay Lodge.
