Finding the Best Smallies in Virginia
By Beau Beasley


At right: The author with a nice smallie. Photo by L. E. Rhodes

June is one of the best times of the year for fly angler across the Old Dominion. I love this time of year since the sun comes up early and goes down later in the day. This affords me maximum fishing time and I particularly like the evening bite. By late April and mid-May the smallies are through spawning and begin to prowl the rivers in search of food. Let’s take a brief look at some of the best places to catch smallie in our fine state.

The Rappahannock is a great river that runs directly into the Chesapeake Bay and though it is thought of as perhaps the best shad river in Virginia along with the James it’s also a great place for smallies. I love wading this river near Fredericksburg but you need to be careful, as this river is known to sweep folks down stream. Felt soled shoes and careful wading are the order of the day here. Don’t forget the upper Rappahannock near Remington. This has a great series of rock gardens than can be easily waded and is home to some nice bass.

The James is perhaps the best known smallie river in the state. The James River runs nearly 400 miles through farmland and fields and past the state capitol. It is one of the longest rivers in the country to be contained in a single state. I have found the best approach to the James is to float it with a guide, or by using your own boat. I like the launch in Scottsville, but there are plenty of others. The Virginia Department of Game and Fish has a good map of the James and it shows a lot of boat ramps and canoe access points as well.

The Maury, located near Lexington Virginia is a beautiful river full of not only bass, but also trout. This river is full of large rocks which the smallies love, and provide that rare opportunity in Virginia where the fly angler is nearly as likely to land a rainbow trout as he is a smallie. Easily accessed off or Route 39, the Goshen Pass area of the river, is rich in Civil War history and has a monument to Matthew Fontaine Maury. Maury was a professor at Lexington’s Virginia Military Institute and distinguished himself as an oceanographer and served in the Confederate Navy.

The New River is one of my favorites, and is perhaps Virginia’s best kept secrets when it comes to great smallie water. I have fished the New River on more than one occasion with Mike Smith of Greasy Creek Outfitters, and I never seem to go fishing with Mike that we don’t land at least one fish near the 20-inch mark. The New winds it’s way north from the border with North Carolina and zig-zags north until it crosses into West Virginia. This river is a must fish location for those that want to see one of Virginia’s best pieces of water which grows large smallies with regularity.

The Shenandoah is a river I never get tired of fishing. I have most likely spent more days on this river than any other in the state. I have had days where everything seemed to go right. I caught one nice smallie after another and have landed my share of big bluegill as well. This is popper heaven in June and just can’t be beat for a numbers fishery. It was not uncommon at all
for fly anglers to go out in a single day and land 50-75 fish.

The Shenandoah has taken quite a few hits in the last few years. Pollution, erosion, over development and a series of fish kills have many Virginian’s wonder what we can do to help this beleaguered river. Want to help but don’t know what to do? Then make plans now to attend the first annual Shenandoah River Rodeo planned for July 19th from 5.00 PM-9.00 PM.

This is a must attend event where you can meet the best of the best fly fishing and light tackle guides in the state. There will be food, live music and lots of fun for the whole family. The best part is, all the proceeds go to the Shenandoah River Keeper’s Fund.

For more information contact Jeff Kelby (www.fishinginvirginia.net) at (540) 837-1478 or email him at jeff@fishinginvirginia.net

Beau Beasley is the author of Fly Fishing Virginia: A No Nonsense Guide to Top Waters. He is the fly fishing columnist for Chesapeake Angler Magazine. Beau can be reached at www.beaubeasley.com