Fishing Report, Week of October 1, 2019

Fall is here and the smallmouth bite continues to be strong. Water levels continue to drop and the clarity is great. Top water bug fishing continues to be strong and lasting longer than expected. Smallmouth are being caught on top water kreelex, boogle bugs, and a variety of double barrel poppers. Don't forget to extend your leader system to improve your chances of a hook-up. 9' 10' even 12' leaders are sometimes needed as fish can be very spooky with the low clear water. Fish can be found on structure, in moving water including riffles and tail-outs. Don't forget to spend time fishing the back water eddies and foam lines as well. We're having good success fishing a size 4 tequeely with or without an indicator. Kreelex and clawdads will also produce quality fish subsurface when the top water bite slows. Dead drifting these flies is a very effective method especially during hot Fall days when the fish are less active. As we get further into fall the water temperature will start to drop. As the water temp drops and the top water bite slows we'll start transitioning to sinking lines and streamers.

Also, with Fall comes cooler nights which means cooler water temps. This means we have once again started fishing for musky. If you would like the opportunity to catch Virginia's apex freshwater predator fish, give us a call. The low clear water is allowing us to sight fish these incredible fish.  Give us a call to book your smallmouth or Musky today. 

Fall is officially here and many people are calling to book their mountain brook trout trip. Water levels in our mountain streams are extremely low so booking availability is determined based off of current stream conditions. Currently a large portion of our mountain streams are not fishable however some mountain streams are and quality fish can still be caught however please use care when handling the fish. The combination of lower water levels and higher water temperatures stress the fish. Remember, keep the fish wet, handle them the minimum amount of time necessary and return them to the water close to the place they were caught.  If you chose to fish for brook trout during the fall months we suggest using Elk Hair Caddis, Sulphers, Caddis Simulator patterns, etc. Also, most terrestrial patterns such as ants and beetles are a good choice. If you are interested in Virginia trout fishing give us a call to book your next trip.