The Smith River is a tailwater in Virginia, listed as Special-regulation trout water by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
1 USGS gauge on the water reports flow; Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources lists 5 species, including brown trout, rainbow trout and smallmouth bass. 3 guides nearby are listed here.
The Smith River in the evening, Henry County, Virginia. Photo: MarmadukePercy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Smith River is a tailwater in Virginia.
Pick one of its USGS gauges and hear from us when the flow moves into or out of its usual range for the date, or crosses a flow you set. We check the public USGS reading every 2 hours and email only when it crosses, at most once every 6 hours. Flow alone is not a fishing forecast or a safety call.
Signed in: one step. Otherwise we email a confirmation link first. Every alert has one-click links to stop it.
Start from the agency's public access map. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.
Nothing on this page grants or implies access.
Gauges, shops and guides within 40 miles
Map of Smith River: gauges, shops and guides
Map of Smith River with 1 USGS gauge.
Restrooms within 2 miles of Smith River in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.
No restroom mapped within 2 mi yet — add one you know.
Campgrounds, fishing access sites and boat ramps often have one that isn't on the map yet.
Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.
Trophy / quality trout waterThe Dan River at Danville, Virginia. Photo: MarmadukePercy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Virginia · about 39 mi
Delayed HarvestRepresentative photo · not Roanoke RiverThe Jackson River in the Hidden Valley, Bath County, Virginia. Photo: Nyttend, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Roanoke River.
Virginia · about 34 mi
Catch and releaseRepresentative photo · not Snake CreekSouth Holston Dam releasing into the South Holston River tailwater, near Bristol, Tennessee. Photo: Tennessee Valley Authority, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Snake Creek.
Virginia · about 34 mi
Catch and releaseRepresentative photo · not Stewart's CreekThe Watauga River at Sycamore Shoals, Elizabethton, Tennessee. Photo: Jan Kronsell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Stewart's Creek.
Virginia · about 43 mi
Catch and releaseRepresentative photo · not East Fork Chestnut CreekThe South Toe River, Yancey County, North Carolina. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southeast Region, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not East Fork Chestnut Creek.
Virginia · about 49 mi
Delayed HarvestRepresentative photo · not Chestnut CreekThe French Broad River in Henderson County, North Carolina. Photo: Pollinator (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Chestnut Creek.
Virginia · about 50 mi
Seasons, limits, special regulations and closures for each reach are on the agency pages below. Read them before you go.
Each comes from the agency's own published list; where the list names a reach it is quoted. A designation applies to the listed reach, not necessarily the whole water. Listed in the finder under trout, bass.
On the Special Regulation Trout Waters: Bait Allowed (Jackson River tailwater, Lake Moomaw, Smith River, South Holston Reservoir) list (Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, read 2026-10-20). All waters with this designation
Measured from the NHDPlus High Resolution (flowlines and waterbodies) (U.S. Geological Survey, read 2026-11-04) for this water’s own mapped feature. Rounded figures; they describe the channel, not today’s conditions.
Listings marked Unclaimed are built from open map records and the business's own website: confirm licensing, rates, dates and hours directly.
3 guides name it on their website
Marion, VA · 84 mi
Euro nymphing · Beginners & lessons · Smith & South Holston
Names this water
Rockbridge Baths, VA · 85 mi
Float trips · Wade trips · Smith & Jackson
Names this water
No shop nearby yet.
The species the agency lists here; presence varies by reach and season.
Listed by the state agency
Species guide
Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), illustration by Duane Raver for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Duane Raver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Species guide
Brown trout (Salmo trutta), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service illustration. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Species guide
Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), illustration by Duane Raver for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Duane Raver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Species guide
A bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus), photographed by Ryan Hagerty for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Ryan Hagerty/USFWS, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
17 hatches charted for the region, not measured on this water. From North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
Midges (all year) · Blue-winged olive (February to March, May, October to December) · Early black stonefly (February to March, October to December) · Blue Quill (March to April) · Quill Gordon (March to April) · Black caddis (April to May) · and 11 more on the chart
None of our destination hubs is within 40 miles in a straight line. The trip planner builds a trip around the water itself: the guides and shops listed within 40 miles of it, its gauges and its nearest towns and airports.
No hub within 40 miles
Matched on the fish the agencies list for both waters first, then the same water type, an official designation or flagship listing on both, and a similar mapped size where USGS hydrography covers both.
At most two waters per country. A shared fish is a listing, not a promise: presence varies by reach and season.
Like the Smith River? Same fish, overseas.
Flagship waterThe Meander River in Deloraine, Tasmania. Photo: Gary Houston, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
TailwaterThe Grand River just north of Paris, Ontario, looking upstream. Photo: JustSomePics, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Flagship waterThe Tekapo–Pukaki hydro canal, Mackenzie Country, Canterbury. Photo: Avenue, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
TailwaterThe lower Clutha River / Mata-Au and Inch Clutha from Kaitangata. Photo: Andrewrutherford, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
TailwaterRepresentative photo · not Río CalcurrupeThe Río Toltén at Pocoyán. Photo: Maxbalter, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Río Calcurrupe.
TailwaterRepresentative photo · not Brumbys CreekThe South Esk River, Tasmania. Photo: Michael Coghlan from Adelaide, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Brumbys Creek.
Southern seasons open while ours close.
Flagship waterPenstock Lagoon, Central Highlands, Tasmania. Photo: Mike Cline, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Freestone riverRepresentative photo · not Río PetrohuéThe Río Puelo at Las Gualas, Cochamó. Photo: Nicolás from seno de reloncaví, Chile, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Río Petrohué.
Lake or reservoirRepresentative photo · not Lago LlanquihueThe Río Simpson passing Coyhaique, Aysén. Photo: Manxuc, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Lago Llanquihue.
Lake or reservoir
Flagship waterRepresentative photo · not Mataura RiverThe Oreti River near Lumsden, Southland. Photo: Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons Not Mataura River.
Flagship waterGreat Lake, Tasmania. Photo: Peripitus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A practical checklist for fly fishing small mountain trout streams: a short 3–4 weight rod, light line, a few buoyant dries and simple wet-wading gear, with estimated prices and where to buy.
7′6″–8′6″ rod, 3–4 weight, floating line · Brook, cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout
Open the checklistSeams, shelves and soft water, shown on real rivers.
Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.
Not sponsored All videos on reading water
Indicator rigs, depth and detecting the take.
Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.
Not sponsored All videos on nymphing
Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly and tagged with Smith River.
No stories from here yet.
Not a statement of access, fish presence or conditions.
A water page organises discovery. It does not assert public access, legal access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.
Flows, gauge statistics and flood stages come from USGS and the National Weather Service when the page is shown. Regulations, stocking, species and season statements link to the agency that publishes them; this page copies only the species names and the quoted sentences. Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories. Position: the USGS gauge SMITH RIVER NEAR PHILPOTT, VA. Water type is our own classification.
Trophy / quality trout waterThe Dan River at Danville, Virginia. Photo: MarmadukePercy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Delayed HarvestRepresentative photo · not Roanoke RiverThe Jackson River in the Hidden Valley, Bath County, Virginia. Photo: Nyttend, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Roanoke River.
Catch and releaseRepresentative photo · not Snake CreekSouth Holston Dam releasing into the South Holston River tailwater, near Bristol, Tennessee. Photo: Tennessee Valley Authority, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Snake Creek.
Virginia · about 34 mi
Catch and releaseRepresentative photo · not Stewart's CreekThe Watauga River at Sycamore Shoals, Elizabethton, Tennessee. Photo: Jan Kronsell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Stewart's Creek.
Virginia · about 43 mi
Catch and releaseRepresentative photo · not East Fork Chestnut CreekThe South Toe River, Yancey County, North Carolina. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southeast Region, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not East Fork Chestnut Creek.
Virginia · about 49 mi
Delayed HarvestRepresentative photo · not Chestnut CreekThe French Broad River in Henderson County, North Carolina. Photo: Pollinator (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Chestnut Creek.
