In the Town of Iron Gate, Virginia the Jackson River and the Cowpasture come together to form the James River. The James River holds smallmouth bass from this point to Richmond, Virginia. The James is said to be the best place to fish for smallmouth bass in Virginia. The James River has produced numerous citation smallmouth bass over the past few years on topwater flies. Smallmouth bass aren’t the only game in town. This river holds a good number of musky. Although musky are not easy to catch, the right state of mind and a little luck will give an angler the chance to tangle with this beast.

The Staunton River is an underrated river that doesn’t get much press. This river is one of the most diverse in Virginia. The Staunton features smallmouth, largemouth, walleye, white bass, and stripers, just to name a few. In the spring, stripers make an annual journey to Brookneal, Virginia to spawn. This event usually starts around the first of April and runs through mid to late May, depending on water temperatures. The spring is a great time to catch a mixture of species on the fly. You never know what you’ll catch on this great river.

The Jackson River is located near Covington, Virginia. This river is the premier tailwater trout fishery below Gathright Dam. From Gathright Dam downstream to Covington, there are 18 miles of prime trout habitat. Rainbows and brown trout are the main target species of this river. The average size fish on the Jackson is between 10 and 13 inches, typically rainbows, but there are much larger fish to be had. The browns can be well above 20 inches. A good hatch of insects or large streamers will get the brown trout’s attention. The Jackson is a large trout river by Virginia standards. Floating the Jackson from a drift boat will offer anglers the best opportunity to cover this unique river.

The Maury River is fairly short by most standards. From the confluence of the Calfpasture and the Little Calfpasture Rivers, it’s approximately 30 miles to its confluence with the James River. En route, it brushes the charming cities of Lexington and Buena Vista. The Maury being a smaller river can get too low to float in the Summer months depending on how much rain we are getting. The Maury is a fantastic smallmouth bass river and our favorite time to target it is May through July.

The Smith River near Bassett and Martinsville, Virginia is one of the state’s most unique trout fisheries. The cold water released from Philpott Dam provides 31 miles of quality trout water and offers excellent fishing opportunities throughout the year. Brown trout on the Smith River are wild fish, the state also stocks rainbow trout. Our favorite time frame for the Smith is December through May.

The river begins at the confluence of the North and South River near Port Republic. It flows 97 miles to meet the North Fork at the town of Front Royal. The South Fork is a smaller river around 100 feet in width and is made up of bedrock ledges, cobblestone, and boulders. It inhabits a diverse amount of species and is a strong Smallmouth fishery. While it holds a smaller quantity of larger fish, it makes up for it in sheer numbers of fish. Fifty to seventy fish days are possible with shots at Carp and Musky. It is a fantastic river to introduce young anglers and those looking for a fun day of catching!

The Roanoke River flows 410 miles through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Starting at the eastern edge of the Appalachian mountains it flows through the Piedmont to the Albemarle sound. With the beginning of the spring striped bass start to move into this tidal river system and upriver for their annual spawn migration. the last stop for them is Weldon NC where the river has a good current and rocks that the striped bass use to ambush prey. Besides the striped bass, shad, largemouth bass, and gar are also caught. the season starts in late April through early May.