Episode
S8, Ep 23: Low Water Chronicles: Matt Reilly on Pre-Spawn Smallmouth Strategies and Seasonal Shifts
- Podcast
- The Articulate Fly
- Published
- Apr 3, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 537
- Processing state
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Summary
Episode Overview In this Southwest Virginia Fishing Report on The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with guide Matt Reilly for a timely spring conditions update. With pre-spawn smallmouth season winding down under extreme drought pressure — flows running at roughly a fifth to a quarter of seasonal averages — Matt breaks down how he's adapting tactics on the water in real time. Rising water temperatures, driven by a stretch of days pushing into the upper 70s and near 80°F air temps, have forced the bite to shift well ahead of the typical photoperiod-driven spawn timeline. The result is a low, clear-water pattern that demands the kind of finesse approach more commonly associated with late summer than early spring. Matt details his pivot to smaller, slimmer, more natural-colored baitfish imitations — CK Baitfish, his buddy Roger's Rump Shaker and bigger Murdich Minnows — after watching the bite transition linearly away from the large 6–7 inch chartreuse-and-orange profiles that were working earlier. He also walks through his line and leader setup adjustments for clear, pressured conditions: a clear-tip intermediate seven-weight line with a leader running closer to seven feet. With the pre-spawn window for Matt closing around mid-April, this episode is essential listening for anglers planning pre-spawn smallmouth trips or trying to understand how low water conditions affect the spring streamer bite. Key Takeaways How to recognize when rising water temperatures are pulling smallmouth bass out of the pre-spawn window prematurely and why adapting quickly matters. Why downsizing to smaller, slimmer, more natural-colored baitfish streamers outperforms big profile flies when Southwest Virginia rivers run low and clear. How a clear-tip intermediate li…