New River Adventure
By Robert Thomas

At right: Scott Johnson with his 19 inch 3 pound smallmouth caught on a black Woolybugger.

I have seen in print many times that the New River is the second oldest river in the world, only being predated by the Nile River in Africa. Whether this is true I don't know. But I do wonder why you never hear which river is the third oldest, or fourth or fifth. With the American fascination with Top 10 lists I am surprised that there does not seem to be one for oldest rivers.

Whatever its age the New is a spectacular river. Rising in the mountains of North Carolina, it flows through southwest Virginia into West Virginia where in joins with the Gauley River to form the Kanawha River, which flows into the Ohio River. The New is unique in that in a geographic area where all the other major rivers flow in a southerly direction it flows almost due north. Rivers to the east, the James and the Roanoke, both flow southeast to the Atlantic Ocean. To the west the Holston heads southwest to join the Tennessee on its journey to the Gulf of Mexico.

If you love mountains and the rivers they create the West Virginia section of the New from below Bluestone Reservoir to its confluence with the Gauley has to be among your favorites. Designated the New River Gorge National River it is truly as "Wild and Wonderful" as the advertising slogan claims. The deeper you venture into the gorge the wilder the river becomes. The lower end of the gorge is world-class whitewater and people come from all over the world to experience the thrill of rafting down this untamed resource.

Being a fisherman I prefer the upper end of the gorge. The river here is varied in nature, consisting of long pools, riffles and several stretches of rapids in the Class III category. I normally fish on the twelve-mile section from Sandstone to Grandview Sandbar. In 2001 the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources has designated this part of the river as "Catch and Release" for black bass. I have floated this section of river four times and have never seen another fisherman who wasn't part of our party.

The primary purpose of the float is the river's abundant smallmouth bass but there are other fish available. You might encounter sunfish, walleye, some big carp (hook one of these in the fast water and you will find out very quickly how good your equipment is) or maybe a muskellunge. Flathead catfish are also native to the New River but they are usually taken by bank fishermen who are specifically out to catch them.

I employ the services of Twin Rivers Outfitters out of Daniels, WV. Sam and Martha Neely have been in operation for twelve years and use custom made 16 foot rafts equipped with a specially designed aluminum rowing frame and a self bailing floor. They accommodate two fishermen and a guide with plenty of room for all your gear. The swivel seats are comfortable and standing is no problem. The rafts are a great fishing platform and they handle the whitewater sections with ease and complete safety. The guides are also diehard fishermen who are intimately familiar with the river and not just some kid with a summer job rowing a raft down the river. If you would like to combine a whitewater trip with a fishing trip Twin Rivers can partner with one of the whitewater raft companies and you can fish one day and get an adrenaline rush the next. They even offer overnight accommodations in a neat little house that sits overlooking the river.

Contact information for Twin Rivers Outfitters is: Phone Number: (304) 763-5044 or toll free (800) 982-3467. Go to their website or email them. For general information on West Virginia: Phone Number: 1-800-CALL-WVA. Or go to their website.

Fishing tackle for the New River is fairly straight forward. Light to medium action spinning rods with six to twelve pound test line or 6wt to 8wt fly rods work fine. If you are looking for the bigger fish you might want to tend toward the heavier end. A four pound plus smallmouth in the heavier current will really test your tackle.

The next time you are thinking about planning a trip away from your backyard think about the New. It is "Wild and Wonderful."