Checking Boxes with Memorable Moments on the Smith River

Spring Fishing Report on the Smith River, Bassett Virginia

Matt here with another fishing report here on the Smith River in Bassett Virginia. Fly Fishing the Smith River has been excellent the past 4-5 weeks, as we have begun to receive consistently warm temperatures bringing everything back to life! The trees are blooming, bugs are popping and even better, the fish are responding! We have been fortunate to have put together some extraordinary days out there on the water with some extraordinary people, and share some remarkable experiences that I know I will not be forgetting any time soon. This Spring Fly Fishing Report for the Smith River in Bassett Virginia will highlight recent activity notable moments from trips we have been blessed to facilitate and be a part of.

As mentioned we are in the full swing of Spring fishing now and really are seeing the seasonal shift in holding waters and responsiveness of these fish. It was a brutally cold winter, especially there towards the end, and fishing conditions followed we’re a little on the tougher side. However we managed and made adjustments to keep the program rolling, but it sure is nice to have clients throwing in that juicy line saying wow, that should hold a fish and BAM, indeed it held such fish! We have had several called shots paired with clean drifts that yielded some fun takes! There has been an uptick in participation out of our resident brown population, after this cold winter it had appeared most had became slightly dormant but are back on full display. We are seeing fish push back into moving water and hanging just off of current seams in textbook locations, it has made for great fishing! 

More so in this article I wanted to highlight some memorable moments from some Spring trips, of course its borderline impossible to get every one of them packed into one article, and I hope there were many more individual moments that have resonated from past trips that those that were apart of them will take will remember for a life time. Little things like having a Coke on the bank with a father and  6 year old son after the son caught his first fish on the fly or shooting a tight line through some rapids with a customary yippee or wahoo. 

Sparked from a recent trip, I was in the penalty box untangling/retying a rig up front while my guy in the back had seen a fish rise an easy 70 ft out, I hear him continually pulling line out thinking to myself (A) no shot this guy slides these bugs down to this fish with an acceptable presentation , or (B) seals the deal from that far out and puts the fish in the net. One triple surgeons knot later he’s tight to a wild brown skating that bad boy back to the boat laughing it up!! Such a textbook eat making due with conditions and working hard from the rear seat! Later in that same round we sealed the deal on what we were set out to do; Dry Dropper. We had grabbed plenty on the powerhouse nymph rig and he wanted to check a box with a different look, that indeed he did as well! Just a joyous as some of those eats he promoted through clean drifts in positive water, was sharing the day with his girlfriend up front and helping facilitate a couple “firsts” on the fly rod with her. From the whole run around in the first pool covering the basics and foundations that we can build on throughout the trip, to by the end of the day she was able to recognize her own mistakes or any potential errors. A lot of progress was made in one day from a few missed eats to start the day to netting a handful of fish before lunch, to extending drifts and cleaning up line management, ultimately tallying up quite the day for any angler regardless of skill level! Super cool to be apart of their experience and help facilitate checking some of those boxes with them! 

I have been fortunate to be a part of several father son trips this Spring. Another recent one with a high school football player and his father, super cool to share the background of sports with others and attest to how it relates to fly fishing and life lessons that can come from both sports and fly fishing. Another first day on the fly for each of them, with both tagging fish throughout the day, I wont throw any names on this one but the son up front took it to the house that day and really laid it to them out there! Picking up and refining skills from start to finish, such a fun day with a great group of people. Similar to sharing the experience with a past father son trip looking for another experience to add to their Race Weekend while in town visiting the local Martinsville Speedway. Another one of our local draws to the community is our speedway, it was so cool to show them the river and the ecosystem it can provide, tagging several fish throughout our morning float. This group had the right idea with there weekend maximizing their time seeing many of our local sights, experience the infamous Martinsville Race and staying in the Cabins up top on the lake at Fairystone State Park.

The father son trips are such a blast to get out and build memories between the two, both the father and the son. One trip where me and the father had spoke about how cool it would be to help facilitate that first fish on the fly for his son, a young buck, at 6 years old! After hearing his father speak of some of his excursions out here on the Smith and the passion of fly fishing he has developed it has begun to bleed into that next generation, as the young man came in hot and fired up for a day on the water with the dudes. We knew it was going to be a challenge on several fronts but one we were both up for! One goal, get the kid on a fish! The dad had been prepping his son for the trip, getting him out in the yard or on local waters back home, casting and moving the long fly rod around just to get a feel prior to the trip. The young gun showed up with some functional skills and ability to open that loop and let the flies fully develop and taper out into his cast, with very minimal tangles throughout the day all things considered. We had one solid take right at the start of our day and just missed sealing the deal but all in all great practice for what the remainder of the day could hold. Also helped ensure confidence that this is possible. You could tell he sparked up a little bit as he was able to feel something on the end of his line and see that fish flash! He continued to work hard for us, giving it his absolute best. We lined him up for a shot on a pod of feeding fish around the bend, I had laid out a gameplan and approach for us heading into this pod, he was on board and highly attentive.

It surely didn’t take many casts, but the one key difference was his ability on this last cast to check all the boxes in a timely manner, big open cast, flies tapered out well, followed with an immediate mend, then fed two big pulls from the reel which led to his flies sliding down into the danger zone nice a drag free moving even with the current. We cued the Jaws theme song and BAM, bobber down flies kicked off to the right and he was locked into an energized fish! From there we managed the chaos the opportunity provided with “reel, reel, strip, strip” Little man stayed composed and kept the rod at a positive angle the whole fight, got the reel working in the right direction and bagged that fish in the net. Truly an amazing experience!! Both Dad and I belted out in joy for the kid, I think we may have startled him even more from our celebrations of his achievement. Thus solidifying what I have been able to now fortunately seen over time and how the fish are the goal but often are secondary and typically there is a greater meaning to being out there and I am very grateful in my opportunity to facilitate and share this experience with others. Again there have been so many memorable moments from this spring season with multiple memories coming out of each trip, but these past rounds of father son trips have been very cool to be a part of!

Alongside the father-son duos I’ve hosted, I’ve been fortunate to witness the bond between lifelong friends. Despite the differing paces of their lives, they still find common ground on the river. For some, the water is where they met, and their history is written in fly line. For others, a shared curiosity for the chase eventually drew them into the pursuit of fish on the fly.

Either way, the river remains the anchor. For some of these duos travelling and fishing is part of their repertoire and something they look to do annually, bi-annually or any chance they can find into compatible schedules, I enjoy hearing all of the places they have been and memories made featuring stories of memorable water, other guides, and any of the oddities that arise on the way. It only deepens the honor and gratitude I have in showcasing my home waters of the Smith River to them. It’s a privilege to see our local waterway take its place in an angler’s portfolio of memories ,adding one more chapter to their stories written on the water. Case in point with a duo of guys that came in from two separate points on the map, from Richmond out to Tennessee finding the Smith as a common meeting point and a “near” half way. One angler very familiar with the fly fishing game and the other still actively developing. Again another terrific opportunity the Smith took hold to checking some boxes of a few firsts but ultimately imprinting memories they nor I will forget! Ironing out fundamentals throughout the day and putting a “boat load” of fish in the net! A fun duo cracking jokes the whole way and speaking on life memories across their travels and areas they have seen, blessed to have been a part of adding the Smith to that list!

Again the list goes on and on and I couldn't appreciate the support any more from everyone who has come out and given me a chance this Spring. We have a few remaining weekend dates in May and then we are into the open season of Summer with weekday and weekend availability throughout June and July. Along with our Smallmouth trips on the New River becoming more and more prevalent!

Available Dates:

May: 9th, 10th, 24th, 30th, 31st

June: 1-8, 10-18, 26-30th

As always, I greatly appreciate the support and time reading the articles, if there are any other topics you’d like to hear, please reach out and let me know. I would love to best assist those reading! 

Matt Tuggle, Lucky Strips Fly Co.

276-732-0517

luckystripsflyco@gmail.com

www.luckystripsflyco.com