I had fished for musky with Auston from Virginia Trophy Guides and he got me into my first musky on my first trip. He's an incredibly knowledgeable guide, a hard worker, and fun to be around. So when I heard his presentation on smallmouth fly fishing in the New River, I had to book him again for this new adventure, this time with my friend Andy.
We launched at Riverview Park in Radford, the swallows diving and swooping along the river's surface, capturing bugs in the cool April Fool's morning air.
We were throwing 6-8" gamechangers and it wasn't long before I landed my first ever smallie on the fly.
What followed, was a pleasant float down the New River, catching large smallies all along the route. I even was able to catch a legit citation 25 incher!Andy and I traded off catching fish.Pilings from an old bridge with the new Route 11 bridge in the background...Auston would change flies based on the water color (depth), the bottom structure, and other voodoo. Here are some of the tried and switched out flies. An uncharacteristic peach-colored gamechanger worked for me most of the day. Andy and I both had success with olive too.Here's Andy with a beautifully striped beast!Man, what a great day with Auston and Virginia Trophy Guides. Can wait to try out the summer fishing on the New.
Peace!
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