Smallmouth Bass Streams Fly Fishing Report - November 5, 2020

Smallmouth Bass Streams Fly Fishing Report - November 5, 2020

Here are the basic ways I fish my five favorite winter flies. I strip the Magnum Hog Sucker from the deep gravel bars into the deep pools. I crawl the Madtom/Sculpin (black) across the bottom of the river in the deep pools below the heavy riffles. I strip the Magnum Darter across the cobblestone rocks at the lower end of the deep pools. I swim the Murray's Heavy Black Hellgrammite across the deep pockets in the deep riffles. I fish the Tungsten Cone Head Marauder, Olive where the mouths of feeder streams cut deep pools into the rivers.

The close to 70 degree days is prolonging the bass fishing.  We are not catching as many as in the summer but still doing well.  The water temperature has been running around 55-60 degrees the last few days.

The North Fork of the Shenandoah River is low, clear, and fishable. The South Fork is clearing nicely from the heavy rains last week.  The flow is higher than normal so I think you will do best by floating instead of wading. It will take a few more days for the flow to be back to normal wading conditions. 

  Ft. CFS
North Fork at Mount Jackson 2.76 118
North Fork at Strasburg 1.97 163
South Fork at Luray 3.87 1550
Back to blog