Early May River Report, Smith River Fly Fishing

Early May River Report

with prime availability this weekend May 9th and 10th

The Smith River is firing on all cylinders right now. Synchronized hatches, ideal water temperatures, and aggressive trout feeding in all the right lanes have created one of the best windows of the entire season.

This is the brief, electric stretch every Virginia fly angler waits for — when the river rewards good casts, smart mends, and attentive presentations with heavy nets and memorable fish. Resident trout have moved into prime feeding positions and are responding aggressively to a wide range of flies. Whether you fish dries, nymphs, or streamers, the river is rewarding drag free drifts in positive water.

This is the “Goldilocks” period for the Smith — cool, stable flows paired with active insect life. It

doesn’t last forever, and prime weekends in May are almost always booked solid months ahead. We still have availability for Saturday, May 9th and Sunday, May 10th. We’ve seen an influx of dry fly opportunities over the past week, with rising fish only becoming more and more consistent. Just this past weekend we were able to sight up several fish feeding in the top of the water column, actively moving for bugs on top. A moment so pure we just took a moment to watch and enjoy the feeding activity, however it also opened up a great moment to teach and for clients to see how these fish station up and selectively feed. We were able to watch two natural/real flies flutter across the surface film and get absolutely hammered as soon as they cleared the rock and entered that fishes’ feeding window.

It showed roughly how far they are willing to travel to eat, how long they look at the fly before eating, and how they eat it (rise forms). Inherently with the heightened metabolism and fish moving more and more, the streamer play can be just as viable! Over the weekend I couldn't help myself but to jump in on the action and dance a streamer over a few fish heads trying to find one looking for a high caloric snack, a few dances in we were tight to a healthy fish! Dry droppers are also a viable option when still playing in our “lower” water setting, keep it light and keep it tight! And of course, as always the powerhouse bobber rig has still been a hot play out there allowing seamless adjustments of depth going for deep pools to softer runs and anything in between. Such a great time of year to be on the water! 

Recent Trip Recaps

Just yesterday, a father and daughter came out and spent their day building fundamental skills from a wading perspective. We spent our morning identifying positive water to target and how to best approach it. Typically that first few attempts with the long rod should probably just be called “Line Management” and not "Fly Fishing”, because a majority of tips and instruction lends itself to managing the line and being able to hit the correct line then feed line throughout that drift maintaining a drag free presentation. Once we laid the foundation and had several practice reps they took off from there landing several fish in our half day wade season, evening finishing our time together with a nice healthy brown!

We then paired that with an evening float with another great fishy friend coming into fish and gaining more experience with the fly rods. We had met and done some casting instruction, ironing out a few basics, getting a feel with the rod, and casting technique. We then looked to apply those skills to our time on the water. Just due to the nature of the season this can be a great time for beginners to get out and fish as the fish are feeding more consistently and slightly more forgiving at times. We lined up several really good plays together from the boat with him hitting the line up front and then myself walking to boat down with him through the line. By far one of my favorite plays and a large advantage of using the boat is just that, the ability to work together and cover water. Throughout our day we found several fish feeding and sealed the deal on quite a few! Once again it was great to see skills build from start to finish on this short half day float, towards the end of the day I was rowing a little technical section and illustrated where the positive water would be, but was more focused on keeping the boat off the line and eddying out to the side. As I am more concerned with the line I am working, Joe has put it all together on his own; Casting into the right line, Mending, Feeding line into the drift, and Bang! Sealing the deal with a proper hookset the way I had been instructing and netting the fish off on the soft water side of the boat! Such a great time on the water spent with great company, building skills and creating more and more memories!

Rare Openings This Weekend – May 9 & 10

With Mother’s Day right around the corner, this is also a fantastic chance to gift an unforgettable experience on the water. Lunch provided on full day trips!

These dates are limited and will not last. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to get on the Smith while it’s at its best, this is it.

The fish are active. The conditions are dialed in. Let’s get you in the net.

Contact us to reserve your trip for May 9 or 10 and be a part of prime Smith River Fly Fishing.

276-732-0517

luckystripsflyco@gmail.com

Or book via our website

From there moving into the remainder of May we have a few reservations in the works dependent on a few scheduling logistics on my end and are beginning to look into June and July where we will have both weekday and weekend availability! Here's to the open summer season in which we’d love to get out and fish with you all! Smallmouth trips will begin during that period as well, heading into June and July.

Tight lines — we hope to see you on the water this weekend. 🎣