Fall is here, and that means think “small”. Small as in smallmouth bass. Fall is the perfect time to catch the most dynamic freshwater fish of all. Smallies are active, they’re in fishable waters, not deep, and they are hungry; and Virginia is blessed with great smallmouth rivers, both large and small. With shorter days and cooler nights, temperatures are perfect, both in the air and in the water, and when fish sense that winter is approaching, they put on the feed bag. It’s now or never for packing in the food. One of the most nourishing sources of food, especially for larger female smallmouth who are developing egg sacs, is a juicy crawfish. Crawfish stay close to the bank and that’s prime fishing territory. Anglers pitching jigs or plastic grubs near the banks are likely to encounter lots of battles with the airborne smallmouth. A pig’ n jig is an ideal bait.
But there are still lots of protein rich insects in the air – dragonflies and damselflies, so a top water bait is a great weapon of choice. Tiny Torps and Pop Rs are proven lures for spin fishermen while bass bug poppers and damselfly imitations score well for flyrodders. Smallmouth are widespread throughout Virginia, but some top-notch fishing lies in relatively urban areas – like Downtown Richmond and Lynchburg on the James River and the Rivanna River near Charlottesville. The upper Potomac is also a great choice for the DC crowd. The New River, not at all convenient for most of Virginia’s population, is perhaps the best of all our smallmouth rivers.
Great fishing also occurs on some of the smaller rivers like the Maury River, the Rockfish, the North Anna, the Rapidan and the Tye.
One of the very best smallmouth waters in Virginia is not a river. It’s a lake. Lake Moomaw to be exact. The smallmouth in Moomaw are like footballs. You don’t catch dinks there; they are all fat and sassy from inhaling shad. Your chance of connecting with a 4-pound plus smallmouth are better there than in any other body of water in Virginia. And now is the time. It’s fall, think small. Think smallmouth bass.