Last Smallie Trip of the Year

Henry, James and I get started with Pyramid Cliffs in the background

One more smallie trip of the year beckoned and Henry wanted to swing streamers on his new TFO 8wt prior to our trip next week to the Salmon River so James, Henry and I converged at Newport, VA and slid into the cool(ing) water.   

Henry Casts a nice loop

The air was 61 degrees and the water was running higher (1.3 ') than our last trip to this stretch.   We swung streamers and small tubes to the bronzebacks who were more reserved than previous trips to this prime smallmouth stretch.    
 

We were well armed for the fish

As I look back, its apparent that the prime-time to fish this water is July and August and that after Labor Day I should return my attention to little blue lines and mountain trout.  We probably caught 75 smallies between the three of us, consistent action, but not nearly the non-stop frenzy of August. That said we had a great time, each caught our share and enjoyed our time on the water.

James Glides into an Ansel Adams scene

Fish on for Henry

Damp but happy James dries off after and underwater recon of the this fishy stretch

Small but feisty Henry Shows off his catch

James surveys a thousand places to fish

Fish-on -- This is my kind of calculus -- James captures Henry under the curve of his happy long rod

my 10'6" 5wt Switch bends with the fight of this smallie...Note: Keep-em in the current and they feel bigger!

I love this photo -- Henry alone on the River surveys a seam

 

Who is looking at Who  -- until next Summer

Perfect afternoon on the South Fork

Paul seems almost as fish crazed as I am about our recent smallmouth success, so it wasn't any surprise that we found a recent afternoon to drive back to Stanley, VA for another fish through the amazingly productive stretch between Newport and Alma.   

We set hard time limits for the outing and knew just the sections we wanted to fish.    Left to do it again, we'd choose to fish even more at the end of the stretch and less so the stiller water on the top and middle thirds.   The colors on the river today were amazing, the low sun twinkling diamonds off the rapids, the puffy white clouds periodically casting a shadows from the otherwise perfectly blue sky. 

A panorama shot of the Newport put-in rapid.  We caught 6 standing at the top of the rapid (far right) and fishing down into the seams

We saw bald eagles swoop and tree-hop in front of us and Ospreys smash-dive from 30m into the water to talon their silvery quarry.  There were times when schools of smallies would flash to our right and left, black-brown shadows skittering over rock tables and shelves.  We didn't bring to hand any monsters, but still went over a 100 smallies in 5 hours of fishing, a respectable if not crazy catch rate.   The smallies were hitting more slowly than our last trip, but they were still in the same spots.   

Paul: just above the Newport rapid trying his first casts of the day

 Paul used a 6-7 wt flicking a small silver tube into likely seams and pools and letting it settle to the bottom.   For his hookups, more often than not, the bronzebacks would very gently take his tube and a subtle change would alert him to set the set the hook.  This was very productive for him and brought him fish in and around many different types of the abundant structure.   I also used this technique, but more frequently swung my favorite streamers into the current and then let them sink just off the shoulders and then stripped them back.   I had many hits with this technique, but only 4 to Paul's 5 in total. We had a hard time leaving the river at 1730, but we did just the same, content to have had another great time and live to fish another day.

Looking upstream at the Newport Rapid from just below the prime catch area

Paul: fish on in standard 3-4 foot water -- this is the water we'll pass over next time ....there are fish here its just not as picture perfect as the boulder strewn runs further down.

I used a Cabelas 8'6" 6 wt to throw small tubes and while the rod is serviceable, there's no joy in casting it, I'll keep it as a backup rod.

Paul in prime water, the entire flow of the south fork is between Paul and I ripping food to fish in hidden feeding stations just out of the current.    This is among my favorite places on the river reminiscent of the Salmon River where you can swing streamers.   Bronzebacks in the current feel twice their size.

Looking back up 'catfish run', the second of the first two great runs on the this stretch.   You can clearly see the main flow and the deep seam just to the right of the main flow.   This area is filthy with fish

The last third of the Newport to Alma stretch looks just like this and is the next area we really need to hit hard.  It's gorgeous and because we spend too much time in the top 2/3 we're always rushed through this section.   The water here is gorgeous.

Thanks for looking and drop me a note if you're looking to get out on the river. 

MM

278

Meaty Bronzeback -- the first of many!

The South Fork of the Shenandoah between Stanley and Alma was our target this weekend as Paul and I looked to repeat the successful float we'd had on this stretch of the river a month ago with Fritz, Jacob and James.

The South Fork is hidden under the morning mist in the river valley

We dropped off Paul's van at the Alma takeout, loaded his tube in my van and we're gearing up at the Newport Boat ramp by 0745. With the benefit of the canoe I was loaded for bear with 4 rods, two spinning, two long determined to figure out what they were looking for and feed them a steady diet.

The Newport put-in w the sun rising over the ridge line

We half joked about a 200 fish day as we waded into the first rifle below the canoe launch. The water was about 3 inches lower than the last trip here and seemed perfect. Our plan was to really work this first extended riffle then make out way quickly through the 1/4 mile lake but after taking a modest half dozen or so fish from the riffle, try as we might, we were not able to move through the lake quickly.

Paul with his first smallmouth of the day

It's not like we were catching lots of fish, the bite was slow and steady, we were just having a hard not not trying each nook cranny, bolder and slot. We broke for some lunch and a barley-inspired beverage at 1130 and talked about having had a good day but not a great day numbers wise..."that's about to change" I offered, more hopeful than certain, as we entered the rock garden and rapids ahead and OH was I right. 
 

Golden Retrievers are still doing their magic

 

"Take care of the fish, and the fishing will take care of itself." 

 About this time Paul switched over to his fly rod and decided to use 1.5 inch mini-tubes in flecked silver with a 1/32 oz jig head inside. These were KILLERS. I fished mine on like a streamer he fished his more like a standard tube bait and both methods were deadly, his perhaps a little more effective than mine.  We trained ourselves to find the smallies' feeding stations in the pooling water just on the shoulders of the fast water.   Holy cow, it was like the smallies were at Golden Corral on payday.  

Big smiles on both their mugs

I mostly fished either beside or behind Paul and there were multiple times when he'd (no kidding) catch 6 smallies in 8 casts and 10 smallies in 12 casts!  AMAZING. 

Just like that our day went from good to epic  Just before caught his 100th fish he hooked into a huge fish in a pool that he was running the table on, he'd probably caught 10 fish in this slot to my 5 30 feet away...then it hit,  and we knew it was big.  It was very similar to a hooked salmon that decides towhead down stream so when Paul's fly line narrowed down to old backing he plopped in his tube and followed moby as he headed downstream through a rapid. Paul finally got his feet under him after a 50 yard fish-tube-pull and began to work moby into some slack water. At this point moby martial led kernel of a brain and decided to go to ground. Paul glimpsed him enough to decide that he was a monster catfish.  Moby-cat then found a piece of submerged metal grating and broke Paul off to end the excitement. This fish screamed the reel and took off like a torpedo, Paul and I have little doubt that he was one of those 25-30" cats that prowl the depths. I stayed right in my spot through this adventure and found a high enough casting platform to cast into Paul's fish hole and took 6-8 good sized bronzebacks from the same spot!  

 

Paul works a seam

 

standard Shenandoah bronzeback

Paul caught fish 100 a minute or two later and we both took a minute to appreciate an amazing day.  I was about 25 bass behind Paul at this point and caught my 100th about 2 hours later.  

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Paul Fish tight on

Armed with those silver mini tubes and an eye for the right water it was just one of those days. We had other adventures, lost paddles, shipwrecked families floundering in the rapids, sinking orcas and muscle bound dudes with girlfriends, but to hear about those stories you'll have to join on the next adventure. 

 The float ended when we were worn out. The fish were still boring but the sun had set behind the trees. We'd been on the water for 11.5 hours!  Every part of us was sore except for our spirits.  Paul had caught / brought to hand 158 fish and I BTH 118. Amazing. 

 

This was Paul's 100th smallmouth

Bristle-tooth(ed)

 

Go Nats -- beat mets!