S8E23 - Low Water Chronicles: Matt Reilly on Pre-Spawn Smallmouth Strategies and Seasonal Shifts

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 timel...