Smallmouth Bass Streams Fly Fishing Report - June 4, 2025

Its's a great time to be on the Shenandoah River for smallmouth bass fly fishing. The young sunfish and bluegills are hatching out now and they are providing easy meals for the bass. They seek protection in the 2-3foot deep water right along the river banks. The bass swing into these shallows for easy meals and I catch many of these bass by casting a Murray's Magnum Bluegill size 4 tight to these banks and stripping it out. Recommended flies this week: Magnum Bluegill Streamer, Magnum Chartreuse Streamer, Murray's Olive Marauder size 6, Murray's Heavy Hellgrammite (Black) size 4.  

The North Fork of the Shenandoah River is in great shape from Mount Jackson to Strasburg. There is plenty of access for either wading or floating. There are several dams on the North Fork that are not legal or safe to go around so plan accordingly. Several anglers have been putting in at Chapman's Landing (2 miles north of Edinburg), floating downstream and fishing the deeper water. There is a dam downstream so plan to paddle back upstream to take out at Chapman's Landing. The Lupton access at Seven Bends State Park in Woodstock is great for wading.

The South Fork of the Shenandoah River is at great water levels for floating. Grab your kayak or john boat and take the time to explore some different areas. The flow is still a little high for wading so if you plan to wade, just be extra careful. I expect by the weekend the flow will be okay for wading. There are many boat ramps from Luray to Front Royal and all of these can be found in my book Fly Fishing the Shenandoah River for Smallmouth Bass. 

We have a few openings in our Full Day Fly Fishing School on June 20 and June 21. Each day starts at 9am at our fly shop with a classroom presentation and then continues with on-the-stream instruction until about 5pm. Fly Rod and Reel outfits are provided. This is a great opportunity to learn more about fly fishing, hone your skills and just get out on the river with other anglers. Class sizes are small.