Cacapon River, WV

[NCVirginian]

Anyone ever try for smallies on the Cacapon River in WVA? My brother recently acquired some property that has a substantial border on the Cacapon and we're planning on heading up there at the end of April. I was thinking of throwing some stuff at the smallmouth that hang out in the river, and was hoping for any advice that some on here might have.

Thanks in advance.

[saltydancindave]

Anyone ever try for smallies on the Cacapon River in WVA? My brother recently acquired some property that has a substantial border on the Cacapon and we're planning on heading up there at the end of April. I was thinking of throwing some stuff at the smallmouth that hang out in the river, and was hoping for any advice that some on here might have.

Thanks in advance.

Haven't fished the Cacapon in probably over 20 years, back when it was one of the top 10 cleanest rivers in America. Used to be fantastic fly fishing in summer & fall where some friends had a hunting camp adjacent to a big farm the river flowed thru. Spring fishing was more trout oriented down in Virginia on forks of the Cacapon , as bass season usually was a little later & closer to the Potomac confluenece. Fish any Harry Murray & Ed Shenk streamers until crickets & grasshopper season. The white miller hatch in late summer wasn't quite as prolific as on Potomac or Shenandoah, but before all the septic system overflows during flooding you could see smallies down to 20 feet deep coming up during hatches.

[NCVirginian]

Haven't fished the Cacapon in probably over 20 years, back when it was one of the top 10 cleanest rivers in America. Used to be fantastic fly fishing in summer & fall where some friends had a hunting camp adjacent to a big farm the river flowed thru. Spring fishing was more trout oriented down in Virginia on forks of the Cacapon , as bass season usually was a little later & closer to the Potomac confluenece. Fish any Harry Murray & Ed Shenk streamers until crickets & grasshopper season. The white miller hatch in late summer wasn't quite as prolific as on Potomac or Shenandoah, but before all the septic system overflows during flooding you could see smallies down to 20 feet deep coming up during hatches.

The last time I was up there (December) the water was pretty high due to run-off, so you couldn't see the bottom. However, his land borders that of one of his college roommates and we'd been up there some years ago. The water was crystal clear then, so I'm kind of hoping that's going to be the case when we head up there in April. I'll definitely tie up some streamers and take a handful of bugs with me in case the hoppers are out.

Thanks for the tips.

[NCVirginian]

We're going to be just a few miles downstream from Capon Bridge, does that change any of your advice?

[saltydancindave]

Had to look at a map & that's farther south than we used to fish for smallies. Guessing there's plenty of new homes along that stretch of the river, but flies probably won't be any different. Add hellgrammites & Clouser crayfish to get deep as it's probably way too early for topwater poppers unless there's panfish in the shallows. Most fishing was closer to the Potomac, but above the dam at the end of the river before it went into the Potomac. The hunting camp was some 2000 acres & the neighbors farm was another 1000 or so as it was very pristine farther downstream from Capon Bridge. Back then didn't fish trout all that much & don't remember where the imaginary separation line was, as there are creeks around the area where on 1 cast there'd be a trout (mostly DNR stocked on a printed timetable schedule) another cast a bass, bluegill or pike, but where you might be could be closer to a coldwater trout fishery where smaller bead head pheasant tails, GRHE, prince nymphs, etc. should produce; but probably not for bass.

[saltydancindave]

Forgot to mention most bass fishing was out of a canoe, the shallow upstream wet wading waters were more for trout.

[NCVirginian]

Forgot to mention most bass fishing was out of a canoe, the shallow upstream wet wading waters were more for trout.

I think we're going to be using kayaks mostly, but there might be some wading. It's hard to really know until we get up there as I haven't seen what the bottom structure or depth is really like.

[saltydancindave]

I think we're going to be using kayaks mostly, but there might be some wading. It's hard to really know until we get up there as I haven't seen what the bottom structure or depth is really like.

Where we fished it was mostly rock bottom with silt & some slippery algae. Deep pockets holes around "Indian fish "V" walls like in the Potomac & Shenandoah & farther downstream above the river's mouth as the big dam made for mostly deeper water boat fly fishing only due to a heavy brush/tree canopy. Fisherman from Baltimore used to come up to dip net spawning carp out of all feeder streams into the Potomac during higher runoffs . Shenk's sculpin & Murray's strymph were good fly fishing even if this holiday weekend was usually a good start for trout season since there would not be many out on the water.