River Report 10/16/23

Musky Fishing is in full swing! the James River and new river are low, but it is making for some really good fly fishing for musky. we’ve had some good action on recent guide trips, with most of the fish landed coming away from the boat. if you are looking to target musky right now, we would highly suggest sizing down on the fly selection and leaning more on intermediate lines. natural color flies are working really well right now, with limited flash if possible. you’ll find that it’s really difficult to get most of these fish to eat at the boat, as most are turning away as soon as they’re within a rods length. make sure your figure eights are deeper, and you’re working the presentation away from the boat.

smallmouth bass fishing has slowed down drastically, but while numbers days are behind us it’s more about targeting the larger fish. the baitfish bite is on right now. target them during the warmest part of the day. intermediate lines and swim flies are key right now.

brown trout are pre-spawn on the smith river right now. fishing streamers is your best bet at a more sizable brown trout. intermediate lines coupled with circus peanuts, sex dungeons, or any staple articulated fly is the best recipe.

we definitely need rain for each of our rivers, but nonetheless they’re all fishing great. If you’re looking to book a guide trip for musky on either the James River or new river, we’ve got plenty of dates available through mid march. josh also has dates for brown trout on the smith river, if you’re looking to book a trip before they go into spawn.