New River in Virginia

[AJM]

Leaving Thursday for a long weekend on the New River in Virgina. Thought I would see if anyone on here has been and what they would tell a guy that is new to it. Thanks.

[Cobra190]

Beautiful place. I've never fished it but ran the white water on rafting tours a few times. Are you on a float/fishing trip or on your own? They say the smallmaouth and trout fishing are awesome!!

[Bass Jr. Executive]

I did a float fishing trip last fall and had a blast. After trying various baits for the first part of the day and concentrating on slack water with minor to fair success, I finally figured out that the best thing to do was to put a grub on a jig head, using a spinning outfit, and let the bait drift along, a cast out from, and parallel to the boat in the swifter moving water. I was getting bit on just about every cast for the rest of the day. Look for hits especially where the current meets up with a back current and as the curent takes the jig behind a rock.

I will definitely be going back, its beautiful there and it was fun for me to take a fishing trip without rigging up the big boat and heading out on big water. I will also take nothing more than 2 spinning outfits, jig heads, curly tail grubs(natural colors), maybe some tubes, a few small topwaters and a couple small carankbaits.

As for line, you dont want to lose fish but on the other hand, you want to be able to break off when you get hung up. I'd probably use an abraision resistant mono of 10 lbs, but if I had 8 or 12 that would be OK.

Mine was a fall trip, but I think the above works in the spring as well. Good Luck.

[AJM]

Thanks, I'm going with a friend that has been going to this same spot for over 10 years. We will be floating on our own, and doing some wading in a few spots. I'm a light tackle nut, so spinning gear with no heavier than 8# is already geared up. I hear that right now the flow is great and the color is better, hopefully the bite is good too.

[AJM]

Had a good weekend out there. The weather was not in our favor from when we left Lexington, until we got back. Even out there IF it was Sunny, we were casting into 30 MPH gusts of wind, rollin out of the Mountains.

The fish were not really turned on, the bite was very slow and almost non-existant on plastics of any kind. Caught a few on a tube, but that was it.

Almost all fish came from a topwater, it suprised me just as much as it did everyone else. I threw it all day on Saturday. 100% of the time. had good numbers with some quality size. Also had an awesome double, one Smallie on each hook (19" and 15").

Great place. Loved it. Can't wait to go back when the fish are more turned on and the weather is nicer.