October Smallmouth Float

[Matt Geiman]

My friends and I are planning an overnight float trip on the Potomac, Shenandoah, or Rappahannock later this September or early October. It turns out some of them are only available  October 13-14th. I was hoping on doing something earlier than that. What do you guys think? Do you think smallmouth will still be active by this time? Any suggestions on a particular river/section at his time? I know it's hard to predict what the conditions will be like, but I figure people on this board have more experience than I do.

[Steve F]

I have minimal first-hand experience that time of year, but I do have a habit of reading entirely too much so take my advice fwiw.  

 

From what I've read, the water temps drop considerably in Oct so you won't get much of a topwater bite but the smallies are still active into Nov.  Your focus will switch from the shallows to the deeper pools so you'll be throwing streamers mainly.  Rarely will these pools and cuts be any deeper than 6-8 ft (on the doah) so a wet-tip streamer line, small sinktip, or polyleader could help get down in the deeper sections.  Otherwise a weighted fly and a good mend should get you down in the feeding zones.  With the colder temps the fish will also respond to slower presentations. 

 

The month of September is a transition period so depending on weather and water temps you can still get a variety of different bites.  Best bet is to take a bit of everything with you, from poppers and terrestrials to streamers in a variety of weights.  Trial and error is the name of the game.

[Matt Geiman]

Thanks Steve for the info. I think were going to try earlier. My friend who's coming is fairly new to fly fishing, so I want it to be a positive experience for him, and more active fish will add that. Plus warmer weather will make camping more enjoyable too. 

We're doing a 2 day float. Probably float for 8 hours the first day, and then 5 hours the second day. How many miles should we plan float for this time? 

(including extra time for breaks, and wading particular spots.) I plan to float fish most of it though. I'm thinking 12-14 miles total. What do you think?

[Steve F]

I recently did an 8ish mile float on the doah and that allowed us to stop and hit the fishier holes thoroughly on a full day float.  However, there were two large stretches which were about 2 miles in total that we paddled through so it does depend on the section you float and how much you want to stop.  I'd say 12-14mi is very doable. 

 

And just a thought depending on how green your buddy is -- I started teaching my sister on fly this summer.  Having a light spin rod handy can be a nice reprieve from the wind knots and endless false casting associated with learning on fly (and my poor instruction).  It definitely helped keep her from getting too fatigued and frustrated in the beginning.