Top Trophy (Citation)Smallmouth Fisheries in Virginia
Most of us are conditioned to believe that the quality of Smallmouth are better to our south in large part because of the multitude of professional events we are exposed to annually on river systems like the Tennessee River and the like and places like Pickwick, Wheeler/Wilson, Table Rock, Cherokee, Dale Hollow, Texoma and Cumberland. Over the years we have been conditioned that the best Smallmouth fishing is located in these fisheries along with northern destinations like Lake Champlain and St. Lawrence and even regional bias like the Susquehanna River as it gets more and more exposure on kayak bass fishing circuits.
However, fishing for Smallmouth in places like Virginia has been growing the last few years with more and more interest in large part due to the catch rates and recovery of many of Virginia fisheries for Smallmouth. Virginia rivers and creeks dominate but there are also opportunities in Virginia lakes, reservoirs and impoundments for Smallmouth fishing as well. The current record for a Smallmouth Bass caught in Virginia that was certified was 8.1 pounds from the New River in 2003.
Note** recognized record for Smallmouth Bass specie is 11-pound-15 ounce from Dale Hollow (KY/TN) registered in 1955 is still the recognized record for Smallmouth**
While the New River ( thought to be of the five oldest rivers in the world by some geologists) is a well known Smallmouth factory as it traverses North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia over 360 miles offering many sections for anglers in recent years other regional river systems are witnessing growing smallie populations as well. The river begins with its formation at the confluence of the South Fork New River and the North Fork New River near Boone , North Carolina and flowing through Alleghany County into southwestern Virginia near the town of Galax where it continues to flow before being impounded numerous times on its journey with the most well known being Claytor Dam forming Claytor Lake.
The river continues its journey through Virginia towns like Radford and counties like Pulaski and Montgomery and heading to Walker Mountain before moving through Giles County and entering into West Virginia. West Virginia will be host to the first Hobie B.O.S. (Bass Open Series) and first national kayak bass fishing trail event (225 anglers) ever on these sections of the New River which is part of the Ohio River watershed system. If you are interested in fishing for smallies one of the best series you should consider regional is Yakers for Smallies which can be found on Facebook. Many of its members routinely fish the New River throughout the season!
New River is of course not the only major Smallmouth river system in Virginia and in fact in 2022 did not rank in the top spot overall for reported citation trophy size Smallmouth.
In Virginia a citation Smallmouth must be either 20 inches in length for a length citation or 5 pounds for a weight citation.
The data used to determine the top trophy fisheries for either Smallmouth or Largemouth in Virginia is a combination of factors employed by the state biologists that monitor the state fisheries but one of the major factors is the actual reporting and submission of catches by anglers themselves.
Virginia uses what is called the (OVARP) voluntary system or Online Virginia Angler Recognition Program to recognize angler submission that meet the criteria for citations. In terms of these submission to the state for consideration you can also visit here:
https://license.gooutdoorsvirginia.com/AnglerRecognition/Home
Data collected throughout Virginia is compiled and the state determines the top trophy destinations for species but keep in kind because this is a voluntary system the state is dependent upon anglers to provide their catch information to the state so they can use the data to generate accurate reporting. Obviously, some anglers have challenged results in terms of the designated top five fisheries but the state can only use the data they have on hand submitted by the fishing community. Many anglers have been reluctant to share their catches or have not sought a citation certificate all together for their catch in order to prevent revealing what body of water the catch came from. This is a cultural problem that has existed for quite some time in many parts of the country that often times gets reinforced with each passing generation unfortunately.
In 2022, Virginia registered over 100 citation (submitted) throughout Virginia with the following top five fisheries with number:
James River (30)
New River (27)
Roanoke River (22)
Smith Mountain Lake (14)
Staunton River (14)
Virginia smallies are more like southern smallies than theri northern counterparts that you find in the northeast where smallies tend to live much longer in terms of life span than southern smallies. Seemingly, southern smallies grow faster with faster cycles of growth but do not live nearly as long as the northern smallie which is said to live up to 20 years. Another aspect that gets observed quite easily by anglers that fish both north and south of the Mason Dixon is that southern smallies tend to prefer shallower areas whereas northern ones have no problem with suspending in deep water in northern reservoirs and sometimes in over 30 feet of water.
I see this first hand when I fish places like the Shenandoah and Upper Potomac along the Maryland/Virginia border then fish at perennial Maryland smallie factory Jennings Randolph in western Maryland where smallies will always be in deep water throughout the season after spawning.
Speaking of the Shenandoah River it is clearly on the rebound after some rather horrific environmental conditions that impacted the river in years past as well as the Upper Potomac that has withstood countless flood stage events the last decade that has directly impact spawning classes.
Two river systems to keep an eye out on in 2023 are the Rappahannock and the Maury Rivers. Do not be surprised if one or both make the 2023 list of top trophy fisheries for Smallmouth this year as the fishing on these systems has gotten better and better each sequential year with larger and larger fish being caught than ever before in the last decade.
The Maury (formerly “North River”) is a 42 mile trib of the Upper James River sitting in the top spot for 2022 flowing entirely in Rockbridge County, Va from Goshen to Glasgow. This river system historically has been impacted directly by massive flood stage events which back in late 1960’s literally destroyed railroad service to the town of Lexington forever.
Anglers can check out Fish Virginia First highlighting fishing in Rockbridge County but if you are looking for a guide to kayak the Maury River look no further than Maury River Smallmouth ( Jamie Childress) which has guide, rental and shuttle services:
mauryriversmallmouth.com
If you plan to fish Maury in 2023 and are looking for a guide be sure to contact Jamie and let me know as well. I went to college in Lexington and Maury has always been one of my favorite special places to fish since the early 90’s when I got my first smallies from the Maury! You have options on the Upper, Middle and Lower Sections of the Maury for fishing and kayak fishing floats this season but always check out the flow rates and the fact some section have higher class rapids that must be navigated so know your skill level and plan accordingly.
Maury is not the only option in terms of Rockbridge County because the Upper James also rolls through as well where the Maury flows into. The James will roll all the way to Richmond, Virginia where it enters the city from the west and then below the fall lines of the city becomes the more well known tidal fishery of the James River where most of the professional elite largemouth bass fishing tournament circuits schedule yearly events and where multiple Bassmaster Classics were held in the 1980’s.