Summer Pattern - June 16th, 2026

 

The summer pattern of spread out fish, lots of small fish with only the occasional big bite is upon us. I fished from 6am to 9:30am this morning landing lots of little fish, missing many more. Saw a family of otters in their usual spot. I have fished 5 of last 8 days and in need of a break at this point. 

Total Fish = 44

Biggest Fish = 15.75"

Best 5 Fish = 63"

Minutes Per Fish = 4.77

2026 Annual Fish Catch Total = 927

2026 Miles Floated = 149.27

Homebase Return Float - June 12th, 2026

 

Rick and I floated the New in H town early. The bite was steady and mostely small fish which is typical for June fishing. Still a pretty day and the good day to be on the river. Today makes four days in a row on the river and 40.35 miles floated  during that span... needless to say I am getting pretty worn down. 

Total Fish = 52

Biggest Fish = 14.25"

Best 5 Fish = 67.25"

Minutes Per Fish = 5.19

2026 Fish Catch Total = 883

2026 Miles Floated = 145.2

Lower New River Day 3 AM (Baywood to Riverside) - June 11th, 2026

 

Mike and I refished the most productive section we could find on our last day. So many other floats we drove to and scouted were low, flat, with a lot of silt and almost no current or stucture. At least here we know there is good structure and fish. You don't leave fish to find fish comes to mind. The bite this morning was not as good as the day prior but the morning sunrise was spectactular. The heat took off really hard with some humidity once the fog burned off. Overall the trip was good. We had fun fishing it. I learned on this trip that the New River fishes like three differnt rivers. The lower New fishes a lot like South Branch of the Potomac, the middle New is home and really the sweet spot for structure and smooth floats, and the lower New is a class IV filled monster that goes the other direction hard. 

Total fish = 27

Biggest Fish = 13"

Best 5 Fish = 54"

Minutes Per Fish = 11.1

2026 Fish Catch Total = 832

2026 Miles Floated = 140.23

Lower New Day 2 PM (Baywood to Riverside) - June 10th, 2026

 

Normally I detest mid day float fishing trips in the summer on the river, but we decided we may be able to do well given the wind laying and storms forming off in the distance.We refloated the Baywood to Riverside float from 12:30pm to 6pm. We paddled through two roughly mile long flat sections that had no chance to hold fish.  The fishing was really good and the fish were active. The only other anglers we saw were a guide boat with two fly anglers in it. We didn't catch any giants but it was a lot of action on this float especially for a mid day. 

Total Fish = 47

Biggest Fish = 13.75

Best 5 Fish = 62.25"

Minutes Per Fish = 5.74

2026 Fish Catch Total = 805

2026 Mile Floated = 132.42 

Lower New Day 2 AM (Ivanhoe to Austinville) - June 10th, 2026

 

This float was something of a mixed bag. Parts of it were really slow and very silted in. Other parts had a lot of good rock structure with good flows and nice runs. I landed a nice fish and Mike got broke off by a really good one right at the take out in Austinville. The wind kicked up around 9:30 and limited our opportunity some. 

Total fish = 17

Biggest Fish = 18.25

Best 5 Fish = 65.25

Minutes Per Fish = 12.3

2026 Fish Catch Total = 758

2026 Niles Floated = 124.29

Fries Dam - PM June 9th, 2026

 

After along morning float Mike and I put in below Fries Dam since we were in town. This iconic New River land mark is much more impressive in person than in pictures. The waterfall is about 50 feet or so. We fished for and hour and caught a few small fish. Lots of local pressure but still a cool spot. We were paddling around exploring more than fishing.  

Total Fish = 4

Minutes Per Fish = 15

2026 Fish Catch Total = 741

2026 Miles Floated = 118.77

Lower Virginia New River Day 1 AM (Baywood to Riverside) - June 9th, 2026

 

Mike and I started out blind in a place neither of us had ever seen before. We had three days to spend fishing and exploring the lower New River from the NC border up. The water was low but the mid week fishing pressure was near zero. The river itself is much more agricultural and reminds me a lot of the South Branch of the Potamac. Lots of flat water, not as much cover and some irrigation and livestock silt run off. Mike caught the biggest fish of the day with one that was pushing 20. Mid river ledges with some current, push water and any boil on the surface you could see would become the order of the week. 

Total fish = 53

Biggest Fish = 14"

Best 5 Fish = 65

Minutes per Fish = 7.0

2026 Annual Fish Catch Total = 737

2026 Miles Floated = 117.88