GUIDED FISHING TRIPS ON THE NEW RIVER
NOW BOOKING 2027
SMALLMOUTH Fishing ON THE NEW RIVER
The New River is a world-class fishing destination and consistently produces healthy populations of trophy-sized smallmouth bass. Weaving through the beautiful mountains of Southwest Virginia, the New River provides both stunning scenery and exceptional smallmouth habitat.
The New River is consistently among the best smallmouth fisheries in the country in number of trophy sized (20”+) smallmouth caught per year. Our guide team has put clients on countless trophy sized fish over the years - including many five and six pounders.
Our team regularly fishes over 70 miles of the New River near Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford, and Giles County, Virginia. This diverse stretch of river is characterized by rock ledges and riffles, creating the perfect habitat for smallmouth to thrive.
Our fishing guides will provide you with top tier equipment, local knowledge, and expert boat positioning to put you on your next trophy bass. Combine that with the beautiful scenery of southwest Virginia and the plentiful wildlife that inhabits the New River, and we trust that you will enjoy your experience.
WHAT TO EXPECT
KNOWLEDGABLE AND PROFESSIONAL GUIDES
Whether you are new to fishing or an experienced angler, our team of professional guides will set you up for success. We have over 30 years of combined experience guiding on the New River, and we are passionate about putting our clients on big smallmouth.
CUTTING EDGE EQUIPMENT AND TACKLE
Your guide will equip you with high quality spinning reels, rods, and all the tackle you will need for every guide trip. We are on the water daily and always know the latest bite pattern. Our guide team is highly experienced fishing with classic smallmouth baits and patterns, but we also pride ourselves on finding new, cutting edge baits and patterns that no one else is throwing yet.
Unforgettable Experiences
We cater our trips to anglers of all ages and skill levels. Whether you are planning a solo fishing adventure, a yearly trip with your fishing buddy, a family vacation, or a work outing, our guides will make sure you and your crew have a wonderful experience on the New River.
Our GUIDES
ETHAN STONE
Owner and Guide
Ethan has dedicated his career to chasing smallmouth bass across the great state of Virginia. With over 8 years of experience guiding on the New River, Ethan prides himself on creating an excellent client experience, and has provided countless customers with the trip of a lifetime. As a full time guide, Ethan is out on the water daily - he is always up to date on the current bite pattern and river conditions. His passion for fishing is unmatchable; and his technical expertise, local knowledge, and strong work ethic make him an excellent guide. When he isn’t fishing for smallmouth, you can find him cheering on the Hokies, spending time with his family, and checking the latest water conditions.
RANDY FUQUA
Guide
Randy is an experienced angler with over 20 years of experience guiding on the New River and James River. Randy is skilled in many fishing techniques, and is never afraid to experiment with new strategies - he is constantly searching far and wide for the newest baits and tackle. He is dedicated to his clients’ success, and loves to put clients on trophy smallmouth. When he isn’t fishing for smallmouth, you can find him cheering on the Tennessee Volunteers and spending time with his wife, Cheryl.
MATT TUGGLE
Guide
Matt is highly experienced in both spin fishing and fly fishing, and has fished the waters of Southwest Virginia for his whole life. Clients love Matt for his easy-going attitude, helpful guidance, and genuine enthusiasm for putting clients on their next personal best. A teacher by trade, Matt is especially skilled at providing tailored coaching and advice to anglers of all skill levels and ages. When he isn’t fishing for smallmouth, you can find him trout fishing, teaching high school biology, and coaching high school baseball.
THE DETAILS
Your guide will provide spinning reels and rods, all the tackle you will need, life jackets, and a cooler with ice and water. Please bring your lunch, a VA fishing license, and clothing appropriate to the weather forecast. Virginia fishing licenses can be bought online here.
We fish rain or shine, but if conditions are dangerous or unfishable, we will contact you as soon as possible to reschedule. Determinations regarding weather conditions will be made by Virginia Smallmouth Chasers only.
All trips require a 50% deposit at the time of reservation. Deposits are transferable, but non-refundable. In the event that you have to reschedule, you will be given the option to transfer your deposit to any available date in the same calendar year. A transfer to a different calendar year will incur a $100 fee. Any no-shows or cancellations within two days of your trip will be charged their remaining balance unless there are extenuating circumstances.
PRICING
We price each trip by boat. One boat can accommodate two anglers and the guide. All listed prices are for one boat, and the price per boat is the same whether it is one angler or two. If you have more than two anglers in your party, we are happy to arrange a multi-boat trip - just give us a call!
Full-Day (8 hour) trip: $580
3/4-Day (6 hour) trip: $490
Half-Day (4 hour) trip: $420 (June-August only)
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Make sure you bring your lunch, a Virginia fishing license, and good clothing for the forecast. An extra rain jacket never hurts! Polarized sunglasses are also important for seeing the fish and the structure in the water.
Your guide will provide all the rods, reels, and tackle you will need, along with a cooler with ice and water. Adult life jackets will also be provided.
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We primarily fish on the New River from the Claytor Lake Dam in Radford to the Virginia-West Virginia border near Glen Lyn, VA. This is about a 70 mile stretch of river, and we generally cover anywhere from three to ten miles a day. However, our guides are very familiar with other areas of the New River, as well as the James River, and sometimes we will move the trip to those areas if we find a hot bite! Due to the ever-changing nature of the conditions and the fish, we usually don’t decide what stretch of river we will fish until a day or two prior to the trip.
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Any Airbnb or hotel in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford, Dublin, or Giles County VA will put you close to our “home water”. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about lodging.
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We will be in touch 2-3 days before your trip to plan the meetup location.
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We generally run guide trips from the first of March until the middle of November.
The spring and late fall tend to be the best chance to find very large fish. If hunting the fish of a lifetime is what you are after, this is when to come.
The warmer months from late May until September tend to be better for catching large numbers of fish. If you are a beginner angler, or if you have kids in your party, this tends to be a good time to put a lot of fish in the boat. And don’t worry, we catch PLENTY of big fish in the summer too.
If you are a fly-fisherman, we recommend July - mid September for peak topwater fishing on the fly.
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Our team guides out of self-bailing rafts with a fishing frame. These boats are comfortable with nice seats and a steady floor. Fishing out of rafts allows us to easily navigate the riffles and rapids where the big fish live that other boats can’t get to.
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We fish rain or shine. If the river conditions are dangerous or not fishable, we will contact you to reschedule your trip. This decision will be made by Virginia Smallmouth Chasers.
If you book a trip in early spring or late fall, expect cold and potentially wet conditions. However, the nastiest days tend to be when the biggest fish bite!
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Yes! Smallmouth are a very slow-growing fish. A 20” smallmouth on the New River averages 8-10 years old. A strong catch and release culture on the New River has lead to the great trophy fishery it has become.
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Yes. Gratuities are customary in the guided fishing industry. We trust that you will not be disappointed with the level of service you receive!
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Please call us at (540) 267-2588 or email us at bookings@virginiasmallmouth.com!