Smallmouth Bass Streams Fly Fishing Report - April 22, 2026

The North Fork and South Fork of the Shenandoah River are clear and fishable.  Water levels are lower than we normally have at this time of year so wade carefully.  Take the time to stand on the bank and make a plan as to where you should be standing and where you should be fishing. Anglers often make the mistake of standing in water that should have been fished first. Floating would be best on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River.  

Hot Flies for this week:

• Murray's Magnum Darter size 4
• Murray's Magnum Hog Sucker size 4
• Murray's Marauder, Brown size 6
• Murray's Heavy Hellgrammite, Brown size 4
• Whitlock Near Nuff Sculpin size 6

We are using Murray's Fluorocarbon 6ft 2X leaders if we need to get our flies down deeper but a Murray's Bright Butt 9ft 2X leader would work as well. Fish these on a 9ft 7-weight fly rod.  

Complete Ready to Fish Fly Rod & Reel Outfits

• St. Croix Imperial 9ft 7-weight 4pc fly rod with case and 15-year warranty, fly reel, line and backing for $553.90
• St. Croix Connect 9ft 7-weight 4pc fly rod with case and 5-year warranty, fly reel, line and backing for $453.90
• Orvis Clearwater 9ft 7-weight 4pc fly rod with case and 25-year warranty, fly reel, line and backing for $456.90