By Ben Lucas
Ashe County’s abundant trout waters may get most of the attention from area anglers; however, the county’s smallmouth bass rivers should not be overlooked! Pound for pound, smallmouth bass (aka bronze backs, brown bass, smallies) are arguably the hardest fighting freshwater fish in North America.
Ashe County is fortunate to have miles of fantastic smallmouth bass water with abundant populations of the fish. The New River is known, among smallmouth enthusiasts, as being one of the best rivers in the country. This unique ancient river system starts as two forks, the North and South Fork, which flow in a northerly direction through Ashe County and converge at the Ashe and Alleghany County line near Virginia. At that point, the New River doubles in size and continues its journey into Virginia, then West Virginia, eventually forming the Kanawha River where the New and Gauley rivers converge. The Kanawha flows into the Ohio, then the Mississippi and ultimately empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
Both the South and North Forks have good numbers of smallmouth and as you continue downstream, anglers will notice increased quality (size) of these awesome fish as well. Bigger water=more habitat=more forage=bigger fish! Both forks of the river are easy to float in a canoe or kayak, with more outfitters and public boat launches (i.e., New River State Park) being located on the South Fork. Numerous public roads parallel certain sections of the river and offer wade fishing access. Remember, always wear your personal floatation device and respect private property!
Smallmouth can be caught every month of the year but are primarily targeted in the warmer months. Starting in late winter, smallmouth enter their prespawn stage and fish begin migrating from deeper wintering holes towards their spawning grounds. They also start feeding heavily this time of year. Conventional spinning anglers should try natural colored tube jigs, rigged weedless and fished slowly on the bottom. Tube jigs are dynamite this time of year as they mimic a slowly moving crawfish, a staple in the smallmouth diet. Other great lures this time of year include jerk baits, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits. Remember, the colder the water, the slower your presentation needs to be. Fly anglers should try crawfish patterns fished slow on the bottom with a sink tip line or split shot to get the fly down. Smallmouth will be active leading up to the spawn, often slowing down during the spawn and then firing back up during the post spawn period. Not all fish spawn at the same time so, although some fish may be sluggish after the spawn, there’s still plenty of hungry fish to be caught. During the summer, a wide variety of lures entice smallmouth with topwater lures being the most entertaining. Buzzbaits, Pop-Rs, Zara Spooks and Whopper Ploppers work great. Long rodders can’t go wrong with popping bugs, especially if there’s a good cicada hatch late in the summer. Soft plastic stick baits, wacky rigged or Texas rigged with a 1/8 oz tungsten bullet head weight, do the trick. Nose hooked soft plastic jerkbaits and 3” Zoom grubs on an 1/8 oz jig head also work great this time of year. Minnow imitating streamers and crawfish patterns are great choices for fly anglers. Smallmouth remain active through the fall and then start to slow down as water temps drop into the 30s and 50s, at which point anglers should focus on wintertime patterns. For more information or to book a guided smallmouth fishing trip, contact Ben Lucas at 540-520-9629 or visit www.RockOnCharters.net.
Ben Lucas is a river smallmouth and musky addict that lives in Ashe County and guides trips for Rock on Charters LLC. Rock on Charters specializes in float trips for smallmouth, musky and walleye on the New and James rivers in the NC High Country and SW VA. Ben is also on staff with Blue Ridge Conservancy.