It has been written that mile for mile the New River produces more citation smallmouth and muskie than any other river in Virginia.
What does that mean for you? That means that every time you make a cast in the New River, your chances of hooking into a trophy smallmouth are better than anywhere in the state of Virginia. The New River holds 4 state records for smallmouth, (8lbs. 1oz.!!) walleye, (15lbs.15oz.) muskie, (45lbs.8oz.) and hybrid striped bass. (13lbs.) Claytor Lake also holds the state record for spotted bass. (3lbs. 10oz.)
Whether you're parking for the day or spending the night you can now have access to what we think is the best smallmouth fishing on the New River.
One of the reasons the smallmouth fishing is so good here at the Junction is because of our catch and release policy. We started a catch and release policy with the fishermen that park and fish in 1993. Then in 1995 we started it with the campers. Fish numbers were really starting to dwindle, but now their numbers are higher than ever.
Whether wading, tubing, or canoeing, a typical day can easily result in landing 50-75 smallmouth. Add in with that many red eyes along with an occasional catfish, or a muskie that steals your favorite plug, and that should make for a pretty good day of fishing.
Some of the biggest smallmouth caught are caught by our tubers. So next time you bring your fishing rod, try fishing while you tube!
Fishing Policy
New River Junction is a catch and release facility. If you are using our facilities you are expected to practice catch and release on all sections of the river. Our section is one of the best fishing spots found anywhere along the river, and we would like to keep it that way. Only one smallmouth bass over twenty inches may be kept, but only if that fish is destined for the wall, and not the frying pan. With many taxidermists no longer even offering skin mounts and doing molds only, even a trophy can be photographed, measured and released.
From the VDGIF fishing guide: Fishing is not to be missed on the New River. Simply stated, the New rivals the James and the Rappahannock as one of the best fishing rivers in Virginia. It supports outstanding populations of just about every major game fish in the state: smallmouth bass, spotted bass, largemouth bass, rock bass, striped bass, white bass, hybrid striped bass, muskellunge, walleye, black crappie, channel catfish, flathead catfish, yellow perch, redbreast sunfish, and bluegill. State records that have been caught in the New River include muskellunge, smallmouth bass, hybrid striped bass, and walleye. Best of all, the river has the potential to yield many more record-setting catches in the future.
