Terry Pleskonko of Mount Sidney caught this citation smallmouth on the McCoy Falls to Eggleston float. Photo by Bruce Ingram

I might not have noticed the run last July had I not decided to beach my red canoe on a gravel bar and snack on several apples. But there it was: some 10 yards out from the bar, about a yard wide, the runstretched on for approximately 30 yards -- its slick surface gleaming in the mid-day sun and its rock-laden bottom giving promise that smallmouths lurked below.

I cast a Case Salty Minnow to the head of the run and allowed the soft plastic jerkbait to drift lazily downstream. As the lure reached the mid point of the slick, I saw a nice smallmouth charge upward from the bottom and maul the bogus minnow. Quickly setting the hook, I was dismayed when a few seconds later, the smallie charged into the air, separating the bait from its jaw.

On the next cast, I dueled with a keeper-size brown bass from the run, and two casts later -- both of which resulted in solid hits -- I caught then released a fat 15-inch smallmouth. That run, which lies on the New below Claytor Lake Dam, is one of many reasons why I enjoy float fishing this waterway so much. A large quantity of quality smallmouth habitat exists on the lower river, whether it is in the form of runs, humps, current breaks, deep-water ledges or submerged rock cover of all shapes and sizes.

The only current drawback to planning a trip to the New is that this Western Virginia waterway, like all of Virginia's upland rivers, has endured some poor spawns during this new century, says John Copeland, a Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) biologist from the Blacksburg office.

"In recent years, the spawning results on the New have been similar to the spawns on the James and other rivers," said Copeland. "That is, not good."

Still, continues the biologist, the New remains a superior smallmouth stream, although anglers may not encounter the numbers and size of fish that they did previously -- and won't until the river experiences several good reproductive years and the smallies have had a chance to grow.

Dealing With The Lower New Come May
In May, the New River can be like the proverbial girl with a curl -- when she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid. The New is a "thinking man's river," in that extensive planning is often required before an angler can do well. Britt Stoudenmire, who operates Canoe the New Outfitters and Guide Service in Pearisburg, offers these tips.

"Fishing the New River below Claytor Lake in May can be an exciting time of year to catch big citation-size smallmouth," he said. "In the first part of May, the water tends to be cooler, slightly stained and higher, and the fish are still in their pre-spawn patterns. My go-to lure is a 4-inch Case tube in a natural color because it is very versatile and can be used to mimic a variety of different natural baits. I work it very slowly across the bottom in ledges, pools, current breaks, and on current lines. The fish are still lethargic with water temperatures in the 55-60 degree range. The key to effectively fishing a tube is to work it slowly and to find areas with very little current.