Virginia's New River Valley Smallmouth

A Smallie Town U.S.A. Destination

Virginia’s New River Valley is a top regional fishing destination for quite a few species and like many other regional inland fisheries has had to recover from the impacts of Hurricane Helene that ravaged the region last September.

It is the only river in America that originates in the Appalachians but does not empty into the Atlantic. It is claimed to be the oldest river in America and the second oldest in the entire world. (Pic A)

The New River is certainly a premiere Smallie Town U.S.A. destination offering some of the best Smallie Chasing in the entire country. The New River spans some 360 miles in total and is part of the Ohio River Watershed known for quality smallmouth. Ohio comes from the Seneca word “Ohi:yo” or “Good River”. The New River was home to the Cherokee, Shawnee and Iroquois all living along its banks. As the frontier expanded in Virginia the New became as vital to new settlers as a transportation mean as it had long the native tribes.

A key difference between the New River and its sister river systems in the Ohio River Watershed and others was that the river flows northward and against the normal flow of rivers throughout the region. This made the river critical and essential for supplying the Ohio River Valley and parts beyond.

The river’s mid river ledges are one of the most popular areas for anglers fishing the New River along with rocky banks and river riffles that are abundant throughout the fishery. It is not uncommon to see kayak anglers, wade anglers, fly fisherman and even a jon boat out on the New River the same day. The New River also has a reputation for its slew of class rapids throughout its length including the whitewater class of the New River Gorge in West Virginia.

The diverse water habitat of the New River watershed contributes to its population density of big Smallmouth far and away outpacing rivers with even greater name recognition like the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania.

The New River has the honor of providing state records for not only Smallmouth Bass (8.1) but also hybrid Striped bass (13) , Walleye (15.15) and the lauded Musky (45.8). All of these fish species are prolific in the New River.

In fact when I travel west and meet and speak with anglers most have been prone to associate the New River with some of the best Musky fishing in the east. While I would agree, I also have to make sure that they hear a number of Smallmouth stories as well so that the river gets its due for its bronzebacks.

The New River doesn’t really attract a wide range of notoriety for its Smallmouth outside our region really in large part because it is not a heavily scheduled fishery for the rising number of tournament fishing events and trails that get the most media attention.

In comparison to some of the other major Smallmouth river fisheries like St. Lawrence River, Snake River, Columbia River Susquehanna River, Black River or Mississippi (La Crosse/ Red Wing) River its not a fishery that sets up for major bass boating events given its inland nature so in terms of the broader fishing tournament community it is still a relative unknown.

You are not going to find Bassmaster or Major League Fishing scheduling boating events on the New River of course and this in part leads to many not really seeing what the New River can produce in terms of big Smallmouth. That said there is talk that the Bassmaster Kayak Series is considering scheduling the New River in 2026 for one of their major events they schedule across the country each year. The national kayak tournament Hobie Bass Open Series (now defunct) visited the New River a few years ago however they only fished the West Virginia portion of the river and not some of the best fishing sections the New River has to offer in Virginia.

The NOAA monitors the New River at various locations to provide anglers with insight as to the not only the conditions of the river in terms of water levels but also any wind or storm advisories in effect.

New River at Mouth of Wilson

New River at Glen Lyn

New River at Galax

New River at Hinton

New River at Radford

The Smallie Chaser River Bassin community held a number of events on the New River last season and found that the catch rates and sizes for Smallmouth especially larger Smallmouth in the citation range of over 20 inches to be more prolific than other regional river systems. Tournaments only provide a snapshot of fish quality and density but they are a vital part of the overall picture. Examining the surveys and other metrics must also be considered as we evaluate any river systems for fish quality and density as well as age class.

In 2021 a New River survey was conducted. The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources estimated that it takes a New River Smallmouth almost twelve years to reach a citation size of 20 inches and they estimate that river Smallmouth mortality rates was about 40% per year. Much of the sampling done for the New River has been completed on the Upper New River however in areas like Fries and Allisonia.

This is important to note because the sections of the New River are very different from one another especially in terms of river composition, forage and water depth and quality.

“Between 2014 and 2020, Smallmouth Bass electrofishing catch in the New River downstream from Fries Dam ranged from a low of 39 (2014) to a high of 69 (2020) bass per hour of electrofishing. Above average Smallmouth Bass spawns occurred in this section of river in 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2019, an average spawn in 2011, and below average spawns in 2013, 2015, and 2017. As a result of the average and below average spawns in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017, larger size Smallmouth Bass numbers are reduced in this section of river. The good news is that the above average spawns in 2012 and 2014 are creating good fishing for 14 to 16 inch Smallmouth Bass. The record spawn in 2019 will provide good numbers of 7 to 10 inch Smallmouth Bass in 2021 and 2022 and larger Smallmouth Bass in 2023 and beyond.” (VDWR)

What have witnessed in the New River the past few years is a significant number of bigger Smallmouth especially in terms of length. The river last year produced a significant amount of 19 inch Smallmouth over numerous event trails and series scheduling kayak bass fishing events on the river. It is not uncommon for anglers to catch multiple citation Smallmouth in the New River during bite windows. (Pic 1)

The number of 19’s found in the New River the last two years should prove to be very promising for the number of citation Smallmouth available in the river system in 2025-26 from those quality spawning populations over a decade ago. (Pic 2)

While the New River is known for quality numbers in the summer time, the river also produces in during the Spring during its pre spawn period where Smallmouth tend to be more roamers throughout the fishery. The Smallie Chaser River Bassin community has recorded over two dozen citation Smallmouth over the last year from the New River covering some sixty miles of the river system.

Today as the community approaches its annual March event on the New River the river is experiencing high water once again following the series of snow and rain systems that have hit the region since January,

It is not uncommon for the river to fluctuate with extremes in the early Spring however, often times the Claytor Dam which is a gravity dam in Pulaski County, Va plays a critical factor in the water levels of the New River below Radford, Va. The dam can actually back up the New River for over twenty miles.

Smallmouth have been known to roam from down river from the Claytor Dam through the arsenal section of the Radford, Va during the Spring after the long winter periods before moving further down river for the summer months. There is a shift in the gradient as the river flows through the Radford area (Pic B) like Arsenal Falls below and then moves down river through Belspring and Parrott on the western side of the New River and on towards McCoys Falls on the Montgomery County/Giles County line which is a Class II ,III rapid and then onto Eggleston, Va further down river.

The top forage species outside of the dominate New River Crayfish are sunfish, darters and minnows. You will see bluegill, green sunfish, redbreast sunfish and even pumpkinseed. Rock bass are another dominant specie in many sections. As far as minnows go the dominant seem to be silver and bluntnose but there are also spottail and the darters have a wide variety in their class that range from the Roanoke Darter to the Sharpnose or Greenside darters.

Popular fishing set ups vary depending upon targeted specie of course but crayfish imitators including tubes and jigs are one of the most popular along with finesse hellgramite presentations. Its not uncommon to come across anglers throwing spinnerbaits and chatterbaits all along the New River as well as you make your way down river.

River floats abound in this section of the New River that hold a significant population of Smallmouth Bass and there are various access points whether launching from Whitehorne Boat Ramp in Radford or accessing the New River via the roadways on both sides of the river.

The New River Water Trail is a great place to start exploring some river float trips on the New River below Eggleston for example and can take you all the way into West Virginia with numerous access points for floats that have great fishing opportunities.

https://www.newriverwatertrail.com/NRWT/day-trip-map/

One of our favorite place to stay is the New River Junction Campground near Dry Branch on the Blacksburg, Va (east) side of the New River near McCoy Mountain.Jake does a great job there offering both camping, rv and cabins right on the banks of the New River. The campground did take on significant water and damage last September with the flooding from Hurricane Helene so be sure to contact Jake to verify the 2025 season dates available on site.

https://newriverjunction.com/

Radford and Blacksburg , home to Virginia Tech offer plenty of attractions when you come to the New River to fish below Claytor Dam. The Radford Visitors Center is located on West Main Street in town. The Whitethorne Boat Ramp in Radford is probably the most popular access point for visitors looking to fish the New River. The boat ramp has a very large lot for parking as well. Many guides also go out of the Whitethorne as well if you are looking to explore the New River with a guide.

https://www.visitradford.com/161/Radford-Visitors-Center

Resources:

You Tube:

Smallie Chaser River Bassin:

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmallieChaserChannel

J.L. Scott Fishing

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/@J.L.ScottFishing

TourneyX: Clubs (Virginia) Tournament Fishing App

https://tourneyx.com/app/category/va---smallie-chaser-river-bassin

Community DISCORD: Free To Join (Smallmouth)

https://discord.gg/KtpkAJchUP

Pic 1 (Kevin Waddell, Va)

Pic 2 (Todd Cox, Va)

Pic A&B (VDWR)