Smallmouth River Systems- The Week Ahead Update
May 12- Week Ahead- Shenandoah, Upper Potomac, Maury, Upper James, Rapidan, Rivanna, New River
The river systems throughout the region are recovering this weekend from many high water situations of the last two weeks as most rivers have declined in water depth at recognized gauges this weekend.
This weekend we experienced the Northern Lights night sky show which has been awesome. This year has been a rather crazy one given we have had a solar eclipse and now the auroras of the Northern Lights visible in parts of the Mid Atlantic and South.
What impact all this has had on the spawn this season is anyone’s guess because we really do not really have a grasp on it. Some rivers have the spawn underway while others seem to be lagging. This could be a direct result of the rain high water which brought cold water down from parts north along with localized rain run off after severe storms hit the region but the rivers are clearing up generally this weekend.
Any avid Smallie Chaser will tell you that finding cleaner water this time of year is critical in targeting quality Smallmouth but often times the fish are triggered by far more than just the water temps and will move up even into dirtier or stained water if needs be.
The Shenandoah River has been in the news as of late due to reports of fish kills in the Grove Hill section of the South Fork. Some are attempting to draw correlations between last years historic low levels in the river systems and now this years return to normalized water levels as a potential spark for the bacteria that has infected many Smallmouth. Truth is we still don’t really know..
The river has settled back in the last week and at the confluences the gauge is just under two feet at 1.89 running about 1130 cubic feet per second (CFS) for Saturday with the river temperature between 61 and 64 degrees along the watershed.
The river had begun to clear a bit the other day especially the Main Stem but still has some minor stain to it mostly due to the rain sustained mid week throughout the fishery.
More rain may be in the days ahead which will bump the river levels a bit but while the river remains in the normal range the river is easily navigated though some upper sections will be skinny for says ahead and will require dog walking for kayak bass anglers.
Afternoon showers are in the forecast and highs in the mid 60's today is a considerable drop from where we were earlier in the week where the region saw 80's. Rainfall thus far this year has been normal as opposed to last years near drought seemingly in terms of rainfall and its effect on long periods of low river levels in the Shenandoah. The Shenandoah can be very susceptible to very skinny conditions throughout the watershed and the Smallies probably in this river move likely more so than most because of this fact,
Spring has certainly sprung on the river and the Smallmouth have been behaving accordingly with many quality Smallies being taken and just earlier this week the river saw a sustained top water bite return as the temps and conditions set it up perfectly. With the clouds and showers moving in this weekend the bite will certainly shift but the river always tends to have a crank bite and with the water level rising a little bit the Smallies will pounce those mini spinnerbait class options or the old tried a true beetle spin.
The downriver watershed of the Shenandoah in the Main Stem northeast of Front Royal traveling to West Virginia has seen considerable cleaner water and quality chasing thus far this spring. many parts of this stretch of the river are less pressured than the South Fork as well.
The Shenandoah ultimately meets the Upper Potomac River at Harpers Ferry and chasing in this area is already off to a better start this year than last year. From the confluence the Upper Potomac is really divided here into almost two very different fisheries whether you consider the pools and deeper water of the upriver or the more shallower in many respects of the Piedmont Section flowing down river towards Washington D.C. These areas often set up very different from one another and have additional influences other than the Shenandoah that come into play. The Piedmont as many creeks as well as tribs like the Monocacy River which is probably the most under rated river system in the region for quality Smallmouth these days.
The Harpers Ferry to Point of Rocks is a very popular section of the Upper Potomac providing quality chasing as the river begins to drop in its descent to the lower reaches of the watershed. This creates many small pools and pockets that you can get into that will hold smallies as the rock substrate of the river composition levels down as the river falls especially as you make the turn at Lander towards Point of Rocks. This section sets up to be a high quality finesse fishing scenario as it can get pressured sue to the close proximity of ramps and access from the Maryland side. This area tends to perform very well when the river is staged about no more than four and half feet. Above that seemingly these stretches shut down.
The Harpers Ferry area is bouncing back from the floods back in 2018 that basically devastated its grass habitat. This video demonstrates what Harpers Ferry once was:
And more recently will give you an idea of the level of habitat devastation that went down six years ago on the river:
The river flipped from being a grassy habitat to being 80% rock as the fundamental composition ultimately driving smallies out the section to other parts of the watershed but now we are seeing a return as well as more grass showing back up.
Ironically the high water that ripped the Harpers Ferry section churned and remove the sediment and drove it down river depositing along the way through the Piedmont section. Many contend this could be why such think grass is becoming the norm on the Virginia side of the Piedmont section where the rivers bend. Areas like the Old Dam #2 to Pennyfield. Fully expect the grass to continue to develop and expand along the Virginia side of the river as long as we do not get major flooding again or sustained high water events into early summer.
The Maury River located entirely in Rockbridge County, Va is another very under rated regional river system that is a trib of the Upper James River and in recent years has been developing a very good baseline of quality smallmouth along with densely populated in some section rock bass and of course yellowbreasts along the river’s flow down to Glasgow, Va and its confluence with the James River. The river is down compared to most river systems right now and is coming in at two feet in most sections which allows for easier chasing. This river can spring up and bite you when the water rises and in fact can rise very quickly compared to others. Smallies are being taken on spinnerbaits and top water now along the Maury.
The water has been falling since mid week last and at Buena Vista is coming in at 2.2 feet this weekend. Two weeks ago there were areas where the river was over eight feet. Discharge has dropped considerable to around 300 from almost 8,000 cubic feet per second weeks ago during the high water. Fog besets this river in the early mornings and the river should see temps in the 70’s coming up but this river gets gets crazy wind pattern routinely through its gorge that can gust to 12-15mph which should always be prepared for.
The Upper James River from the confluence with the Jackson and Cowpasture down to Glasgow has performed quite well this spring already with multiple citation smallmouth reported by guides and individual anglers as the river is settling back in as well after some high water events that pushed the water up over the banks of many sections back in April.
Buchanan is home to Twin River Outfitters on the Upper James Water Trail and is often either a debarkation hub or a take out for many chasing smallies in the James River. Countless floats either begin or end in Buchanan. The bite has turned back on the past fee weeks after cold fronts and high water wreaked havoc on the river just when it looked like the bite was going to explode. When the top water bite kicks in this area of the James River all the way to Lynchburg is absolute fire. Spinnerbaits are always very effective in these parts along with crankbait fishing and with the river now like the Maury falling to two feet possibilities are endless but one thing is for certain these levels can make it a little harder to catch those biggins as they will get spooked far more easier at these levels. Longer casts into the eddys and pockets as well as those seams to the current flow will be essential this week if the river stays down in this range.
The Rapidan River does not get alot of mentioning but it should. It is building a solid smallie population with numbers in the past few classes and the closer you get to the confluence with the Rappahannock River the better in terms of quality. Many may be familar with Ely’s Ford area but far too many have yet to explore this river as much as they should. Many will learn how the Rapidan is all about trout but in a lot of respects while true it is also mostly speaking to the western portions of the watershed. This river is 88 miles and the “Rapp” largest tributary.
Currently flowing at just 655 cubic feet per second it is flowing at roughly 38% of normal rates. The river is considerable down but can also mean opportunity for the finesse chaser willing to wade fish or dog walk the kayak a bit in some areas to get into some great smallie action. The Ruckersville area is the deepest water gauge wise this weekend. The river also boasts two reservoirs with one being the Rapidan Dam and the other South River. Success for me on this river has almost entirely been micro baits and finesse baits. Baits like the micro spinnerbaits on the market and smaller hair jigs or ned rigs but watch those profiles. Bait fish and forage tend to be smaller at least my experience so smaller profiles seem the way to go. 1.5 cranks-squarebills are also very effective on the Rapidan.
The Rivanna River is probably one that has alluded most readers. It is the largest trib of the Upper James River believe or not and probably the least known outside it own proximity. You are not going to find many tournaments on this one. It empties in the James at Columbia (“Point of Forks”) after running all the way from the Blue Ridge. It covers some 766 square miles through central Virginia and most of the river is completely forested on its banks. Weather this weekend will likely hit the low 70’s for the river systems and discharge flow is very nominal so floats will take longer. The river always seemingly feels cooler than the temps outside in large part due to the coverage of the trees and its meandering. Much like the Shenandoah people will refer to the forks. Once again the North Fork and South Fork descriptors just like the Shenandoah. Size has always been the issue in the Rivanna and not quantity. There has always been a sizable population of smallies in the eight to twelve inch class and only recently has some catches included some fifteens so the river may be in for some better quality size days ahead.
Over on the New River the transitions have happened much faster than most rivers. Smallies in the New tend to be conditioned to the colder water temps due to the the influences of of dams that can force colder water from deeper up into the river systems especially in spring. This is often why you may see Smallmouth spawn sooner than the James River and Shenandoah for example. The water level today is under three feet which can be an optimal level for wade fishing as well as kayaking especially in the stretches above Radford or along the ledges that liter the river above and below McCoy Falls. Weather wise the temps have been falling and now the overnights are in the 40’s this weekend which isnt the best scenario. Cloiuds and scattered rain the next few days are in the mix as the daily highs should get back to the 70’s for much the Virginia sections of the New River.
The New is still producing by far the largest number of citation size smallies thus far this spring taking into account guide reports and individual anglers as well as the Virginia Angler Recognition Program submissions thus far. The smallies are still roaming and can be found in and around the ledges and action has picked up in the lower section above Claytor as smallies push downriver. Flows from McCoy Falls area are hovering between lows of 1.7K to 3.75K throughout the day where as at Glen Lyn the flows have been crossing the 4K cfs levels. and should hit 4.3K Sunday afternoon. At Radford gauge the weekend flow looks to be at 3.4K. The water level couipled with the fact that the New gets a ton of wind can definitely influence the patterns for targeting smallies especially with reports of spawning. The Jig remains the dominate smallie catcher most days until the top water bite picks up but the cloudy and overcast conditions with 10 mph winds likely shuts down the top water presentations in lieu of more bottom centric presentations. Crawdads are appearing a bit more but are not out in droves just yet but not uncommon to come across a big one or two. They are not going to like any drop in water temps being sustained though.
Reference Resource:
https://dgifwebtest.gooutdoorsvirginia.com/wp-content/uploads/smallmouth-bass-rivers-report.pdf
Facebook Groups:
Smallmouth Army:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1322144201945490
Smallie Chaser River Bassin:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/885248796934955
Smallie Chaser River Bassin is listed on the TourneyX fishing app.
Sometimes utilizing baits that few others are throwing can be the best tactic to increase your catch rates on pressured bodies of water.
Probably no more pressured rivers many in our region and yet changing things up throwing innovative baits or modifications of existing baits is often just what you need to get bit.
Some of the best for chasing Smallmouth are actually BFS and new JDM (Japanaese Domestic Market) baits that are small and compact with tighter actions in the water.
We have started to modify existing manufactured baits with great success. It now goes far beyond the simple trailer add-ons and such we have seen the last few years because mods actually change the very action of a bait to suit the needs of the angler.
One of the biggest things to modify is water displacement if throwing top water baits as well as increased flash characteristics if throwing finesse baits. Working seam lines is often the norm come summer. We may want a bait that stays up in the water column that normally doesn’t and we change our line for bouyancy to change rate of falls or we want to get a bait down where the smallies are with some added flash or shine they have not seen before.
Sometimes its simply can be a change out of blades or colorations of blades on Spinnerbaits or the style of blade all together to create a different action or noise.
Modifications should be something every angler considers especially when they know they are fishing highly pressured areas or known “smallie holes” and especially pools in river systems that many are aware of and fish consistently as seasons change.
This is where our new Premium Subscription comes in. In the Newsletter and Discord we will focus more on baits and bait presentations along with the best modifications BUT subscribers will also be sent a bait box every month with baits discussed, presented, modified or just READY TO CATCH smallies right out of the box from top producers in Japan and custom producers here at home and some within our own region producing incredible custom baits.
We will kick start a new referral program as well so the more you share the community the more rewards and baits you will probably never see at your regional big box tackle shop you will have access to.
So this summer Show Them something they have never seen before!!
The one thing every angler should examine is "enticement". A simple modification may be all you need to entice that bass especially during spawn to summer to strike!!