Smallmouth Bass Streams Fly Fishing Report - August 19, 2026

The North Fork and South Fork of the Shenandoah River are looking a little better this week.  Most areas received .6 to 2 inches of rain over the weekend. The North Fork has a little discolored/murky water from New Market to Edinburg from the feeder stream run-off. It will clear out quickly and is not causing problems. We had several anglers that did well on the North Fork yesterday, mostly with poppers. The South Fork flows have improved and we did well with poppers earlier this week.  The water temperatures are running in the high 70's to low 80's.

Best Areas to Fish: shady banks, around grass beds and downed trees, along cobblestone bottoms where natural crayfish are found

Best Flies for this Week:

• Bombshell Popper in chartreuse and olive
• Shenandoah Blue Popper size 4 or 6 (remove the weed guard)
• Shenandoah Chartreuse Chugger size 4 or 6
• Clouser Crayfish, Olive size 6
• Shenk's White Streamer size 8
• Rubber Leg Nymph, Brown size 8
• Damsel Olive Nymph size 10

Don't hesitate to fish a popper/dropper rig if you are comfortable with it.

Fish all of these on a Murray's Bright Butt 9ft 3X or Murray's Bass Bug Leader 9ft 3X.

🎣 Book Your Guided Smallmouth Bass Trip 

Late August and September are prime time on the Shenandoah — don't miss out. Limited dates available for Full and Half Day guided wading trips.

• Full Day Wading Trip — $475 for 1–2 anglers (+$50 per additional angler)
• Half Day Wading Trip — $350 for 1–2 anglers (+$50 per additional angler)

Spots fill fast — contact us today to reserve your date!  ph 540-984-4212