Chris Thompson took my Grandson and I on a day fishing trip we will never forget! He warmed us up on some “small” bass fishing lures and then brought us to a spot that he knew the bigger bass played. My Grandson came away with a Citation 21 1/2 inch bass and a smile that he kept on his face all day! I caught an 18” and a 16” bass. Both the largest I have ever landed.
The professionalism and patience Chris demonstrated was much more than I ever dreamed of. He baited our hooks, maintained our poles, gave great advice and joined in on the celebrations when we brought in the fish!”

Lenny Macdonald - October 4, 2023

“Where do you begin when you just had the fishing trip of a lifetime. I recently rented an AirBNB for a family getaway on the New River. As part of the vacation, I wanted to take my middle son on a guided smallmouth float. I contacted Chris at CTOutdoors and booked the trip. I explained that this was a special trip for me, since it was for me and my son. I knew I was in good hands since I had used Chris on my 3 previous smallmouth float trips. We met Chris at 8am and started out on the float. We fished a long stretch of slow water, so Chris had us throw topwater. We quicky picked up a few small fish. As we reached the faster moving water, he had us switch tactics and it was game on. I realize fisherman like to exaggerate and tell fish stories but, when I tell you he put us on fish unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, I’m not exaggerating!!!!  Over the next 8 hours we caught 30+ fish in the 3–5-pound range, 15 fish in the 5–6-pound range and my PB (6 lb. 2oz tank of a smallmouth). If you include all the fish under 3 lbs, we boated somewhere near 75 fish. The day was so amazing that I caught a citation 15 ft from the takeout. This was hands-down THE GREATEST FISHING DAY OF MY LIFE. The only thing that made the day better, was I was able to share the experience with my son.

On the ride back to my car, I jokingly told Chris if my wife wouldn’t kill me, I’d book another trip for the next day. When I got back, my wife asked how was the trip? I told her, words can’t explain how amazing the trip was. After telling her all the details and showing her the fish pictures, she was so excited she told me to, “book another trip and take the other kids”. She didn’t have to say it twice. I immediately called Chris and he arranged his schedule so I could take 2 - ½ day trips on the same day. He was going to take my daughter and her boyfriend in the morning and my son and myself in the afternoon. Chris launched at 8am from my rental to avoid the long stretch of slow water from the previous trip. I met Chris at 12:30pm to start the other half day trip with my oldest son. Upon arriving all I could see were smiling faces. My daughter and her boyfriend had both just caught citations. In addition to the citations, they caught numerous fish in the 3-4 lb range.

Now it was my oldest sons turn. He had not fished since he was a young child (I know I should have been a better dad) I couldn’t wait because I knew Chris was going to put him on the fish. I immediately caught 4 fish and my son was struggling with the feel of the bite and how/when to set the hook. Chris started working with him and shortly after, he hooked into a nice 3 lb. smallie. What a great moment to share that experience with him. With his newfound confidence, he caught another 5-8 fish with the largest being around 4 lbs. The smiles on everyone’s face that day were priceless. I can not put into words the gratitude I have for Chris and CTOutdoors. These trips will be talked about, cherished, and remembered long after my time on earth has ended. My kids still haven’t stopped talking about how much fun they had. Truly an unbelievable 2 days of fishing.

Without Chris and his knowledge of fishing, this experience would never have happened. I can not express to you how amazing CTOutdoors is at what they do. I’ve fished with other outfitters in the past. However,  I will not fish with anyone other than Chris going forward. I’ve booked 5 trips with him in 2 months and can’t wait to book the next one! Do yourself a favor and call them today and you too may have the greatest fishing day of your life!!”

Michael Anthony Smith - June 20, 2023

“I highly recommend CT Outdoor, Chris Thompson for any and all outdoor adventures. What an incredible day fishing on the new river having great conversations, catching a lot of fish (including my first citation), and enjoying the best lunch I’ve ever had on a guided fishing tour. Many memories were made and this trip will be one I’ll never forget. Thank you so much, Chris!”

Taylor Smith - June 20, 2023

“I’m not usually a person that writes reviews. However, after my guided trip with CTOutdoors, I had so much fun I felt like sharing my experience. A friend and I booked CTOutdoors for a full day guided smallmouth trip on the New River. We were given the takeout address and advised to meet them at 7:30am to start out trip. Upon meeting Tonya that morning, we were given a rundown of what to expect on the trip and the reviewed the necessary safety information. We signed the required waiver and were off to meet up with Chris (our guide). I was already excited but, after talking with Tonya on the short ride over, I was even more pumped to do some fishing!!! We were met by Chris and loaded our gear onto his incredible Flycraft raft. First thing that I noticed was how comfortable the raft was. I had all my rods, tacklebox, cooler but still had plenty of space to comfortably fish. Chris has rod holders, but I elected to leave all my rods at the front of the raft for easy access. The morning started off slow. From 9-11am we didn’t have much action. However, Chris kept encouraging us and said things would pick up. He was right! We started off throwing crankbaits but, after 11am Chris said it was time for a lure change. Man, did he nail it on the lure/color choice. Not long after tying on the new lure, FISH ON! I caught a nice 2 ½ # smallie and my friend, Jacob caught his PB (3-3 ½#). The smile on his face was priceless. We were locked in on fishing but, around 1pm, we took a break for lunch. Little did we know that Chris was also a 5-star chef. You would think lunch on the river would be basis. No, lunch consisted of a huge bacon ranch chicken wrap, pasta salad and fresh strawberries/blueberries. All beverages were also supplied (beer not included).

What a great moment on the river. Eating lunch, fellowship and enjoying the great views of the New river. After lunch, we fished hard the rest of the day boating 25-30 smallies. The weather took a turn for the worse and we elected to cut the trip a little short. However, this didn’t take away from the amazing day we already had. We enjoyed the trip so much that both Jacob and I have already booked additional trips with CTOutdoors. If you are looking for someone that can put you on fish and give you a trip of a lifetime, Chris is your man! First class outfit from top to bottom. I have used other guides in the past, but CTOutdoors is hands down the best!!

Thank you, Chris and Tonya, for a great fishing trip! See you again soon.”

Michael Anthony Smith - June 7, 2023

“Great time with Chris on the New River. Knowledgeable guide, kept us on fish all day. Doesn’t rush you, moves at your pace. Great time and Good Fishing!.”

Charles Hedge - May 22, 2023