Some of our state’s best smallmouth fishing takes place during the fall season on the Gauley and New rivers and Tygart Lake. Photo by Jeff Knapp.

Fall fishing in the Mountain State could be described as a bittersweet activity. One knows the turning of the leaves will also soon be turning the final page on another fishing season. But like a good novel, the final chapter is often the best one, too.

After all, when bass, walleyes and muskies sense the turn of the season and belly-up to the table, it often provides some of the best angling action of the year. Following summer’s generous feeding opportunities, game fish are typically in as good of shape as they will be all year.

Post Labor Day means the kids are in school, and the personal watercraft are pretty much put away for the year. Many sportsmen are in the woods and fields, so a fall angler often has the water to him or herself. And the seasonal surroundings can be spectacular. Here’s a look at five topnotch places to fish this fall, a slate of opportunities aimed at extending your action deep into autumn.

LOWER GAULEY RIVER SMALLMOUTHS (AND MORE)
The Gauley River, in the fall, is known more for its whitewater rafting activities than for the fishing it provides. But the river holds an excellent population of smallmouth bass. And if you’re willing to enlist the help of one of the professional guides that focus on the Gauley’s fall fishing opportunities, you’ll likely be in for a treat.

“Back in the 1970s, the Corps of Engineers would conduct a fall drawdown on Summersville Lake, significantly draining it during a 22-day period,” said Larry Nibert, owner of The West Virginia Experience (www.wvexperience.com). Discharge rates run in the 2,800 cubic feet per second (cfs) range during this activity.

The whitewater rafting industry came about due to the sport the high river flow volumes created. To spread the sport out over a longer period, high flows typically now take place from Friday through Monday. Currently, during the fall, from Tuesday through Thursday, the flow is throttled back to the 600 to 1,000 cfs range, providing a play time for those who are interested in angling more so than rafting.

According to Nibert, the best smallmouth bass water is the lower Gauley, running from the merger of Mason’s Branch down to the town of Gauley Bridge, where it joins the New River.

“The Gauley is more of a numbers river than one for big fish,” said Nibert in sizing up the river’s smallmouth fishery. “That’s not to say there aren’t some big bass in there. We get our fair share of 15- to 19- inch bass.”

Besides an almost total lack of fishing pressure — because of the remoteness of the area, as well as the need for specialized equipment and experience — Nibert said the river also provides the chance for a “Gauley Grand Slam,” which includes not only brown bass, but trout, muskies and walleyes, too.

Brooder-class trout are stocked in the upper Gauley River — by helicopter — in a five-and-half-mile stretch down to the confluence of the Meadow River. Some make their way down to the lower Gauley. The lower Gauley also has a good and increasing muskie population.