While many anglers flock to the lake for their smallmouth bass fishing fix, our guides specialize in guiding on the freestone rivers in and around Asheville, North Carolina for trophy smallmouth bass.
Bass fishing Asheville can be productive year-round if the weather permits. Asheville is located in the mountains of Western North Carolina which can present its own challenges when cold fronts roll through the mountain peaks. For the most part, Asheville is in the south, which means March through early December are the best months to schedule smallmouth bass fishing trips. Below we have broken down the best months to schedule your smallmouth bass fishing trip in Asheville, North Carolina.
Spring Smallmouth:
During the first break of nice weather, usually in March, our guides breakout the spinning rods and moving baits. March and April are by far the best months of the year to catch huge smallmouth bass on reaction style, moving baits. This is the time of year when chances of catching 5 to 6 pound fish are very common. You can expect catching 2 to 4 pound fish for most of the day.
The smallmouth in our river systems here in Asheville are a lot more aggressive than their lake caught counterpart. Asheville’s river smallmouth have to combat constant river flows and multiple floods per year. These circumstances make river smallmouth stronger and healthier.
Summer Bass Fishing Asheville
Probably the most favorable fishing conditions is during the month of June, July, August and September. It’s warm, the fish are active and top water is main player during the early summer months. Anglers can catch fish on all types of topwater moving baits as well as poppers for fly fishing anglers. As the summer progresses into August and September, a lot of smallmouth bass will begin to feed on crawfish again. Lures such as tubes and crawfish imitation baits can catch stingy fish this time of year. This is the time of year when big fish are still on the prowl, but smaller fish can be caught all day on high-sun days.
Fall Bass Fishing
Another popular trophy month is late September and November/early December. At this time of year, Western North Carolina smallmouth primarily feed on smaller crayfish. Tubes are some of the best lures to use this time of year. Bass can usually be found hanging around deep chunk rock after the water temperature drops below 55F. Using light line, and sensitive rods can help put more fish in the boat.
Scheduling A Bass Fishing Asheville Trip
Scheduling your next bass fishing trip to Asheville is easy. Call our staff members at Southern Appalachian Anglers or send us a booking inquiry through our website. Our staff is always here to help schedule the best trip for you and/or your family. We can walk you through what type of fishing to experience and what is the best time of year to book your trip. Custom trips available for groups, families, and bachelor parties as well.