Episode
S8, Ep 38: High Water and Transitional Fish: Matt Reilly's Southwest Virginia Fishing Insights
- Podcast
- The Articulate Fly
- Published
- May 30, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 770
- 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 of Matt Reilly Fly Fishing for a candid late-spring conditions update covering the post-spawn transition, dirty water tactics and the seasonal arc ahead. Recorded amid rising, stained flows on the New River and surrounding drainages — following months of below-average flows — the episode captures a moment when Southwest Virginia smallmouth fishing is firmly in between patterns, and angler adaptability is the only reliable edge. Reilly addresses the dual pressure facing anglers right now: a post-spawn funk settling over fish on some waters while others remain slightly earlier in that arc, and high, off-color water shrinking reactive distances and pushing fish to the bottom. He details how an early crayfish molt — triggered by unusually warm water temps in the low-to-mid 70s weeks ahead of schedule — has shifted his focus away from streamer presentations and toward bottom-contact crayfish patterns on fish that are otherwise visible but unmovable on top. Reilly also previews the seasonal calendar ahead, sketching the transition through a late-May/June baitfish bite, crayfish activity and eventually the cleaner, lower-water conditions that make topwater the dominant game — typically not until around the Fourth of July. Guide availability closes the episode, with Reilly noting his summer calendar is fully booked and early October representing the next realistic opportunity for prospective clients. Key Takeaways How to identify the post-spawn funk by its signature symptom: cycling rapidly through multiple fly types with sporadic, pattern-less catches. Why bottom-contact crayfish patterns outperform streamers and topwater when…