The New River and its tributaries are full of places where an angler can slide down the bank and wade fish for a good distance, covering water that’s full of smallmouth bass.
“I wade fish about half the time,” said Dr. Jim Kramer, a veteran New River fisherman from Greensboro. “Otherwise, I use a Dave Scadden X5 Outlaw personal watercraft — an oar-driven rubber boat with a standing platform.
“The best way for a fisherman to see and enjoy the river, including increasing the number of fish caught, is to float it. Wade fishing is and can be effective, but the amount of quality water covered in a boat is vastly superior. “
Roger Mabe, another New River regular, builds his own boats, which have a plywood bottom curved up in the front to slide over rocks. He stands in back and directs the boat with a long pole.
An alternate to wading or boating is a float tube, an inflated inner tube fitted with a seat to accommodate an angler. Much of the South Fork and the main stem of the New are suitable for float-tube angling. Float tubes come with fins anglers wear on their feet, but on river trips, it’s often better to leave the fins at home; if one gets caught between rocks, it may be hard to get loose and river current could easily overcome an angler. And float tube trips should only be done wearing a personal floating device and with a partner or two.
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