Shenandoah River

On the  Shenandoah River it is not uncommon for anglers to catch 60-80-100+ bass in a day. Along with the incredible numbers of smallmouth, there are also Florida strain largemouth, musky, carp, catfish, and various other gamefish.

Anglers can typically fish the Shenandoah River year round. Peak smallmouth bass fishing occurs April through September and good musky fishing can be found through the fall and winter months. We target the large carp once water temps hit the 50’s in the spring time and sight fish for them well into fall.

The Shenandoah is a relatively ‘lazy’ river with very few big rapids. Most of the river is slow flowing with small ledge riffles and runs.

It is safe to run the entire length of the Shenandoah River in a canoe or raft. Water levels can get very low in the summer time making navigation with drift boats difficult. Power boats can access areas above dams on the Shenandoah. Access points and float descriptions can be found on the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries website.

Written in the original “50 Places to Fly Fish Before You Die”, the Shenandoah should be on everyone’s list to fish for bass, carp, or musky. If you aren’t a ‘do-it-yourself’ kind of angler, give us a call as we have 7 boats in our guide fleet and we are on the Shenandoah EVERY day during the warm season.

Come experience some of the best fly fishing Virginia has to offer!