Guided New River Smallmouth Fishing Frequently Asked Comments

Kevin and Rob burning up the big New River fish all day long!

Kevin again, they just keep coming and coming!

Jon and Will love big New River smallmouth.

Will laying the smack on another 5+lb New River smallmouth.

What our clients are saying...

Britt and Leigh, just wanted to drop you a line and tell you THANK YOU for the trip of a lifetime this week! To say that our trip with you was UNBELIEVABLE was an understatement! I was in awe the whole day with the amount of big fish (5 citations) and 18”+ (Dinks as we would later call them…lol). To catch around 40 fish in the crappy weather we had was one miracle, to have them have such a high average size with 30 or so of the fish in the 18” or better range was just absolutely amazing!!!! I wanted to make sure you knew that we were EXTREMELY satisfied and will be making return trips soon and often...It totally spoiled the days we busted out the waders to try it on our own because we knew to get the big fish we needed your expertise and knowledge of the river along with your expert raft handling skills. Next time we will probably only fish with you, probably a 2-day trip. We are diehard Smallie fisherman and I know we put forth a lot of effort on our part and that definitely paid off. I have never casted that many times in one day in my life. I was beginning to feel guilty if I took a 30 second break because I knew at any moment a “HOG” could explode on my bait on any cast, you really got us on the good fish...I thought about this trip for about 6 months everyday, and now I will be remembering it for the rest of my life. We thought you and Leigh were great, we had a blast fishing and Leigh was very nice taking care of us back at the campsite and town center. You have a great thing going there and I am envious of your knowledge of the greatest river smallmouth fishery in the world!...I told you I didn’t care about numbers, I wanted to hunt big fish, and that is exactly what you did only the numbers came too. Thank you for the memories and we will see you again soon. I can't wait for next time only now I have a year of losing sleep due to excitement! Kevin and his buddy Rob, from Cincinnati, Ohio have fished with us several times and always had outstanding trips. The only "detail" Kevin left out was that all our fish on this day came on topwater baits!

Britt, I just wanted to thank you for the great trip again this year. I am always stoked to come down and fish with you. I leave just as fired up! My grand total of 20" fish is up to 4...three have been with you!...Will, has 5 in two trips with you! I'm not sure how he does it, but he gets it done...Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks again...I really appreciate how hard you work for us. By the way, Will's wrist was visibly swollen when we got to my parents' house on Monday night. He said, "I am proud. I fished hard. I can't imagine that many people working as hard as we did to catch fish." Jon and his buddy Will, from Harrisburg, PA, leave the mighty Susquehanna (a world-class smallmouth fishery in it's own right) every year to come fish the New River with us. The results speak for themselves!

Leigh & Britt, Just wanted to thank you again for the great fishing trip we had this past Thursday. The place we stayed in was great also. We sure caught some nice and plenty of fish on our trip. I will be sure to recommend you to all of my friends if they want a great fishing trip...Tell Britt that my right hand is still sore between my fingers from setting the hook on all of the fish we caught. "Reel down and nail him." I did, many times...Thanks again. Dave and Chuck, from Richmond, VA, had a great late-spring trip fishing the New with us.

Britt, thanks for the great day of fishing Saturday. Ryan and I really enjoyed it. Ryan has called everyone about the citation fish he caught. I'm sure he'll have the memory for the rest of his life. I wish the weather would have been better, but you never know what mother nature is going to throw at you. Thank you and Leigh for picking us up and having the Suburban warm. It got a little chilly in the rain...Hopefully, I will be calling to set at trip for September. Thanks for the great time. Terry and his grandson Ryan from NC had an excellent day on the New River with Ryan taking home big fish honors!

Hey guys, I wanted to write you and thank you again so much for the trip of a lifetime. I have only been fly fishing for a few months now, but I'm not sure much will ever match up to the experience that I had on the new. Billy and I are looking forward to coming down next year. We will get our ducks in a row and schedule our trip for next year. I told everyone here at Greentop that you said hello and we will look forward to seeing you next time. Todd and Billy made the trek down from Richmond,VA for some exciting "bug" fishing on the fly rod. Todd took big fish honors, and they both caught numerous quality smallmouth; all on topwater bugs. (Note: We highly recommend Greentop in Richmond for all of your hunting and fishing needs! Their service is second none.)

John with a brute New River "bug" smallmouth.

John with another big New River fly rod smallmouth.

Scotty with his personal best New River smallmouth.

Hi Leigh and Britt, Just wanting to say Thanks again for a great experience. I really didn't know what to expect as far as the fishing was concerned. I am impressed with the size and quality of the River. We catch maybe two or three 2 to 4 pounders a year on the North Fork. Yea, sure, dead drift bugs with no action will catch big fish in August. It does! Still have visions of the large fish swimming by as we float the waters. Will definitely recommend you to any of our guest seeking trophy fish. Manny and Noble from "The Hatch B&B and Fly Fishing" on the North Fork of the Shenandoah visited the New and experienced the "big fish" bug bite at its best.

Britt and Leigh, Many thanks for the great outing you provided for us this past week. To a man they all said "sign me up for next year." So, I am asking you to save some special mid-week fly-fishing dates for us in the August-September time frame in 2009. They indicated that they would be interested in three days of fishing...All were pleased with the fishing, and they all enjoyed Marty (our second guide). John H. is ecstatic about his two citations... Regards and best fishes. A good friend and client from Kingsport, TN, Stewart B., brought down his buddies for a multi-boat fly fishing adventure. The action was hot and John H. took home big fish honors with two super-sized fly rod smallies.

Britt, I thoroughly enjoyed my 2 days fishing with you, and learned more about bass fishing in those 2 days than in the previous 2 years! Looking forward to fishing with you next year...Best Regards. John H., from Kingsport, TN, comments on his fly fishing adventure to the New River.

Britt, I can’t thank you enough for the incredible fishing experience I had last week! A 5lb 10oz smallmouth is the fish of a lifetime! It sure was fun especially with Cuddihy in the boat! Enjoy your couple of days off, they are well deserved! Leigh, please let him get a little rest!....Have a great Easter and don’t horst him, now!!!! Scotty his uncle had a great two days pre-spawn fishing highlighted by Scotty's personal best smallmouth.

Once again, thank you for everything. I cannot begin to say how much I enjoyed fishing with you. It will be a great memory. Only to be topped the next time when we get that 20 (incher). Debby is already talking about next year. You and Leigh take care. John. John B. and his wife Debby had a great mid-summer day.

Dear Britt & Leigh, It was a memorable trip for my son, Ian, and I......I wanted it to be a trip he will reflect on 30 years from now and it measured beyond my expectations. Thanks for the great day. With greatest respect, Scott B. Scott and his son Ian had a remarkable August day on the New River.

Hey Leigh and Britt, thanks so much for providing one of the best days I've ever had river fishing. John and I had an awesome time. Smallies across the world are quaking after seeing John's new hook setting technique! David A. and his buddy John from Lynchburg, VA had an excellent autumn day capped off by Dave's largest smallie to date.

David with his great autumn New River smallmouth.

Frank with his largest catch of the day!

Scotty with another big New River smallmouth.

Scotty's uncle Jimmy on one of their numerous New River smallmouth adventures with us.

Toby as he always did, catching big fish!

Dale admires his big fish and reflects on two days of unbelievable smallmouth fishing.

I have been meaning to e-mail you with a big THANK YOU for a wonderful time on the New......Britt, you worked extremely hard on the day and the 1/2 day trip we did and it paid off. With great fishing and a fun time. I have told just about everyone what a great time we had and how you handled that raft. I am still amazed at what you do not only physically but how personable and attentive you were to Gary and I while we were fishing. Constantly, pointing out spots to fish and watching either Gary's line or mine and being able to detect the fish before I was even sure it was really there. Let's not forget Leigh, thank you, for shuttling, loading, unloading and the food and drinks. It was a pleasure to meet you both......I enjoyed myself so much that I told Gary that I would like to do it again next year. Suzan and Gary Roberts had an two excellent summer days on the New catching numerous quality-sized smallies.

I wanted to email and thank you for your recommendations on fishing the New River. I talked to Dale (Huggins of Short Pump Outfitters and now the Orvis Shop) and decided on New River Outdoor Co. for the guided smallmouth trip. Two things impressed me about Britt and Leigh's operation: First, my original trip was rescheduled because Britt called to let me know that the conditions for that day were not good at all and secondly, because the rescheduled trip, this past weekend, was chilly and high winds but Britt was still able to put us on quality fish. Working through snags and a couple of severely bird nested reel, Britt was able to put us on fish for a good portion of the trip. We were on the river for about 12 hours and were catching fish during about 3-4 hours of that time. We caught 20-25 fish ranging from 15" to over 20". It was a long hard day of fishing but was the best day on the water I have ever had. Britt is a great guide and even though he fishes hard he makes the trip fun and gets in quite a bit of ribbing as well..... My first citation came on the last fish of the day and was 20 1/4" and weighed 4lbs 4 ozs. I also caught a 19", 3lb 11oz fish and several in the 17"-18" range. Kudos to Britt and Leigh for running such a great service. Frank C. fished w/us in the early spring ('05) and copied me on this email to Lee Graves of the Richmond Times Dispatch who recommended us to Frank.

Leigh and Britt, I can't thank you both enough for the wonderful hospitality and the incredible fishing trip that you offered us Sun. and Mon. I have fished most of my life chasing those illusive Smallies and now I have finally experienced the best fishing trip of my life! It just doesn't get any better than that. The cottage was perfect. I will certainly tell all my fishing buddies and get ready for some phone calls once they see those pictures.....Thanks Again. Scotty and his group experienced and incredible two days on the New in the fall '04.

Britt & Leigh, The pleasure was all ours! (We saw the no pic section) Rob & I had an absolute blast and hope that the late night hour did not upset Leigh. Britt, you were an awesome guide and river companion for us! Thanks so much for your generosity in "extending" the day during our fishing frenzy. Take care & God bless! Rob and Regina were awesome customers totaling over 100 fish on their 1st wedding anniversary.

Britt, Thank you again for a great day on the "river". Tom had a ball and was one beat puppy.........he said that he had never spent 11 hours in a boat with two other folks that talked fishing the whole time and expected him to cast accurately all the time. He was pleased as punch!!!!!!!!!!! Me, too! Great job.....it was my pleasure to share a boat with you! Tight lines. Late-friend and client Toby B. and Tom R. from Richmond, VA had a great fall day on the water. Toby caught his birthday present, a 5 lb smallie.

We got to the river Sunday morning about 8am and one look told me that we were not going to have a very good day and certainly were not going to fish the fly rods. I was half right. While I did try the long rod off an on, our fish came on conventional tackle....Scott had the first citation on within a hour of leaving the launch area, a solid 20 and a half inch fish. We totally lost count of the fish we caught but estimates ran between 150 and 200 smallmouth between the four of us over the two day period. The amazing thing to me was the size of the fish we were catching. Fifteen, 16, 17 and 18 inch fish all day long. In addition to Scott's citation I had two, a 21+ in the morning and another 20+ in the afternoon. I'm not sure of the count but I think we measured three or four fish that were at or over 19". I have fished and guided on a lot of smallmouth water and this had to be the best two days of smallmouth fishing I have ever seen. Guide Dale Huggins of Short Pump Outfitters (now w/the Orvis Shop) in Richmond, VA comments on his extraordinary fall trip with New River Outdoor Company.

New River Outdoor Co. • Pembroke, VA • (540) 921-7438