This is a great time of year to float our smallmouth rivers in Virginia. Often we will use our kayaks or Hyde Drift boat to float and fish. Then when we find a nice section of river we will beach the boat and get out and wade fish for a while so that we are covering many areas of the river.
The Shenandoah Chartreuse Chugger size 4 provides a mouthful and a big splat on the water--fish this along the shady banks. The Murray's Heavy Hellgrammite, Black size 4 is good in the riffles and the Murray's Magnum Bluegill size 4 is good in the open water. Fish these on a 2X Bright Butt Leader.
Currently both the North Fork and the South Fork of the Shenandoah River are clear and fishable. Please keep in mind that there are several dams on the North Fork that are not safe nor legal to go around, therefore you can only float certain areas. The South Fork of the Shenandoah River is more suitable for floating.