Early fall is a great time to take smallmouth bass from West Virginia's Gauley River.

In the fall, West Virginia's Gauley River, located in the south-central part of the state, near Lansing, is known more for its whitewater rafting activities than for the fishing it provides. But the river holds an excellent population of smallmouth bass.

If you're willing to enlist the help of one of the professional guides who 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 range during this activity. The whitewater rafting industry came about because of the high river flow volumes the discharged created.

To spread the sport over a longer period, high flows now typically take place Fridays through Mondays.

During the fall, the flows, which happen Tuesdays through Thursdays, are throttled back to the 600- to 1,000- cubic-foot range, providing a play time for those interested in angling more than rafting.

Nibert said the best smallmouth bass water is the lower Gauley, which runs 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. "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, which is due to the area's remoteness, 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 brown bass, trout, muskies and walleyes, too.

Brooder-class trout are stocked by helicopter in the upper Gauley River in a 5Z\x-mile stretch down to the confluence of the Meadow River. Some make their way down to the lower Gauley, which Nibert said also has a good and growing muskie population.

"It's not uncommon to raise three or four muskies in a trip," he said.

Nibert said a good Gauley muskie will run into the low 40-inch range. He said walleyes also are very common in the lower Gauley, noting two previous state record walleyes came from the river.

Anglers preparing for a Gauley River float should load up on soft plastic baits, such as Yum's Wooly Beaver Tail and Craw Papi, as well as tubes and flukes. Good hardbaits include small Rebels and Big Os.

All of these are attractive to bass, trout and walleyes alike. Muskie lures include minnow baits like Rapala's Husky Jerk, as well as big inline spinners like Mepps Giant Killer and Mepps Musky Killer.

As good as the fishing can be on the Gauley, it's not a place in which you drive there and wet a line.

Nibert said he doesn't recommend fishing the stretch from the Summersville Dam outflow down to the town of Swiss without a professional fishing or rafting outfitter. The river contains rapids that run from Class I to Class V, with sandstone boulders bigger than a house.

Travel information can be obtained by visiting www.visitwv.com/our-area/nicholas-county. A one-day non-resident fishing license is available for $3 online at www.wvhunt.com/wizard/hflw000.asp.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.