Britt Stoudenmire of Pearisburg holds a nice rock bass that he caught from the lower New River. While other bass species are often the main target of angler effort here, the panfish fishery is a lot of fun, too. Photo by Bruce Ingram.

Britt Stoudenmire could be forgiven for being extremely enthusiastic about the fish he had just caught.

After all, Stoudenmire, who operates Canoe the New Outfitters in Pearisburg, is known for guiding clients to trophy-sized smallmouths. But on our lower New River junket last July, it was not just oversized smallmouths that Britt corralled. He had just landed a 9-inch rock bass and was touting the virtues of the little game fish.

“You would be surprised at the size of some of the New’s rock bass,” he told me. “Sure, there are plenty of fish that only go around 5 or 6 inches or so. But many of them also run 9 or 10 inches.

“Rock bass are a blast to catch on a fly rod. I catch them on the same big popping bugs that I use for smallmouths. In fact, my biggest rock bass are almost always caught when I am targeting trophy bass with huge flies or lures. And if I have a client that has brought along his children, those kids can have a fun time catching rock bass of any size.”

One of the best aspects of seeking such panfish species as rock bass, redbreast sunfish, bluegills and shellcrackers in the Old Dominion is the tremendous diversity of waters that we can visit. Upland rivers such as the New and Rappahannock host quality numbers of rock bass or redbreasts; lowland lakes such as Buggs Island and Smith Mountain feature impressive numbers of bluegills; smaller impoundments around the state are often underrated panfish waters and many times sport the biggest sunfish; and just about any pond in the Commonwealth boasts plenty of bluegills or shellcrackers and sometimes both species. Here’s an overview of what’s available.

RIVERS
According to Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) biologist John Copeland, the average size of rock bass, also known as redeyes or goggle-eyes, on the upper New is around 7 inches, although the fish seem to have decreased in numbers in recent years. On the lower New below Claytor Lake, Stoudenmire said that the best section for redeyes is from below the dam to Whitethorne. This section contains, on average, less current and more pools and eddies than the river downstream. Rock bass do gravitate to areas where (no surprise here given their names) rock cover exists, but they generally avoid the swifter water sections that bronzebacks concentrate in.

“Panfish typically caught from the river include redbreast sunfish, bluegills and rock bass,” Copeland told me. “Rock bass are found in the highest numbers, followed by redbreast sunfish, and then bluegills. Rock bass were the second most caught and the most harvested species during the (most recent) angler survey. Rock bass accounted for 36 percent of the total fish catch and 69 percent of the total harvest downstream from Claytor Lake.

“Rock bass catches in fall electro-fishing indicate that good numbers of fish can be found in most stretches of the New River. Rock bass sizes vary between areas of the river. Good locations for nice-sized rock bass include Radford and Whitethorne in Montgomery County.

“Redbreast sunfish catches in fall electro-fishing indicate that this species is readily available in most stretches of the New River, although it is not as abundant as rock bass. Anglers should catch redbreast sunfish up to 6 inches in length at most sites along the New River.”