I recently moved to Charlottesville, VA and have been introduced to fly fishing for smallmouth. I’ve fished mainly on the Rivanna river here in town, but my results have not been as good as I was hoping they would be. It is always good to get out on the water, though. If anyone has any experience in the area, or tips I’d be very appreciative.
I’m mainly using poppers, and streamers. I’ve fished in morning and evening, in riffles/pools, as well as in slow deeper water. I’ve had limited success, and have tried just about all the tricks I know.
They will take nymphs especially this time of year but woolly buggers,crayfish, muddler minnows, streamers of various types, white Puke flies …lot and lots of things. Try Olive or black woolly buggers for starters. That seems to work best most of the time. What you want to look for is bubble lines on the surface and fish that. Look for pocket water too and fish the seams along the fast water. In this heat, they will be looking for well oxygenated water. Poppers are fun but I don’t find them as productive sub surface. Try popping in eddies along fast current seems. I get a lot of splashy hits but not a whole lot of hook ups. Also watch for bait fish schools. If you see them popping out of the water, throw a streamer through them. I like to use a white marabou muddler for this. When you see the bait fish jumping out of the water, that usually means there are smallies trying to get a few. Also fish the rocky areas and cover. They like to hide in there. They are ambush predators.
Look for the rocks in the water. Give particular attention to the rocks on the downstream side of rapids where the water begins to slow down. Any types of dropoffs or ledges should be good also.
Every smallmouth I caught in my lif was in a white and griz combo wet fly, like a wooly bugger or just plain white and black banded streamer.
Your Results May Vary.
Not familiar with the Rivana.
Couple of suggestions–get a DeLorme map book of Va. It will be your friend.
Check out Scottsville area–on the James. Rockfish river looks good also-never fished it but “looks” good. That is not too far from you either.
Over the years I have found popping bugs to be good on that river (James). From size 2 down to a 4. Will need a 6 wt for the 2’s. I don’t use any with rubber legs. Never had any luck with them for smallmouth. Don’t worry about presentation. Cast to the rocks. Bounce the popper off the rocks. Not good for the paint job, but it works. Good suggestions above about looking for rocks and fishing around them especially in the fast water. As soon as the popper hits in front of a rock, move it. Sometimes a good “pop” will get an immediate strike. I don’t usually pay too much attention the the slow water unless there are a lot of rocks showing.
I also use a light brown woolybugger, weighted, that has worked for me. Matches the color of the crayfish in the area. No bead head-haven’t done much on those.
I use flurocarbon leader for both popping bugs and the woolybuggers.
I think there is an “outfitter” in your area. I don’t know if he works out of a fly shop or whether he is an independent. Check those guys out. You will most likely get some ideas on where to go from them.
Attend the flyfishing festival in Waynesboro next year, I think in June. Quite a few classes and info on fishing for smallies in the area. Several people on this board attend.
You have a lot of good fishing areas within 25 miles of you. Warm water everywhere. Trout to the northwest around Sugarhollow as well as quite a few small streams along the Blue Ridge. Now all you have to do is find you a good spot.
For all of you that fish crayfish patterns or wooly buggers to simulate crayfish, how do you effectively fish them in moving water? I can’t figure out a way to “fish” them to actually make them look like a crawling or for that matter a fleeing crayfish.
I have wasted a good deal of my life chasing smallies with a fly rod and wouldn’t have it any other way. My favorite way to fish is topwater - poppers or sliders. That said, I have caught the most smallies on a chartreuse wooley bugger. I tie it big: 1/0 mustad 3366, two marabou for the tail, large ice chenille and 10-12 wraps of 0.030 lead wire. I used to tie them on size 4 streamer hooks but I find I get many more solid hook ups with the wider hook gap (same shank length) of the 1/0 mustad 3366. Another deadly fly is the Holschlag Hackle Fly - a crayfish pattern. It is best fished bounced on the bottom using the “crayfish hop”. I use fluorocarbon tippet. Everything said about rocks by the previous posters is excellent advice. Books by Harry Murray and Tim Holschlag are a good place to start learning! Have fun!
Mato is referring to this fly from the I.C. James collection. The eyes are really important, and using fluoro red thread doesn’t hurt - minnows born ‘last spring’ are all eyes, gills, and white. I agree with all the previous comments re. rocks, crayfish, eddies, etc. Smallies will always be near structure and will avoid the really fast water unless there is a ‘current breaker’ because they are shaped for slower water, sneeking and then pouncing. I like a brown over yellow Clouser - that even works best in my favourite lake even though the forage are gray over silver/white. I will also add that IMO smallies like moving prey, dead drift (even with poppers) has not worked nearly as well for me.
Regarding water temp, three weeks ago the bass in ‘my’ lake were plentiful when the water was 72-74 at the surface. Now that it is near 80 they have gone deeper and fly rodding only collects the smaller ones. They seem most comfortable in the 68-72 range. I guess I could look up what the biologists say on this.
