RIVER REPORT 12/07/22

The James River and New River are finally settling into their winter form, with musky settling into those winter holes and out of transitional water. The musky fishing is heating up on both rivers, and with another jolt of rain the water will jump back up a bit. We’d suspect it’ll be a couple days before the James River crests and the fishing will be excellent! We’ve done well on both large and smaller musky flies, especially ones that create a significant amount of disturbance. 

The Jackson River and Smith River are fishing better. The Jackson River remains low, with minimal release from the dam. The Smith is releasing at more reasonable levels, and the fishing has been better as a result. Most of the Brown Trout are done with their spawn, and now we settle into consistent light presentation nymph fishing, and streamer fishing.