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Fishing Report
June/July
BASS:
The Bass are in post-spawn now and have retreated to deeper water mid and
down lake to replenish their energy and to feed up for the summer months. The
Bass will still feed in low light conditions shallow on points, humps and flats
hitting chuggar and popping baits with vengeance. Work your baits in clear water
with slow, rhythmic chuggs giving the bass time to locate and blow up on the
bait. The Bass will come up out of 20 feet of water to take advantage of your
offering. Drop Shotting over rocky flats about 20 foot deep and using Shakey
Heads around bridge pilings will also produce this summer. Now is a great time
to work the old Carolina Rig with Lizards or your favorite rubber bait, you can
cover a lot of water with it and it works well through any cover. Some savvy
Bass anglers are catching very nice Bass using swim baits, (Renosky makes a hard
swim bait with 3 joints for under $10.) Work offshore humps and ledges getting
into schools of larger fish. This is a difficult method of fishing to perfect
but it is a great way to catch not only numerous but Large Bass also. Eric
Hovey and Jeff Jones of King George had 5 fish stringer weighing 14.4 lbs. Big
fish of 6.25 lbs.
STRIPERS:
Striper fishing is HOT and will be for the next 2 months. The Stripers are
migrating into the mid lake regions and feeding on points and humps in low light
conditions and when the sun is bright they are roaming 30 to 50 foot flats. When
the Stripers are in schools they are constantly moving, some days by the time
you set up on them they have already moved. Some good techniques to catch
Stripers now are as follows: In the low light times of the day top water baits
will entice some explosive strikes. You may see Stripers working a school of
bait or simply work your bait over main lake points. Good top water baits to try
are Pencil Poppers, Redfins and Spooks. When the Stripers back off to the deeper
flats Sea Shads, sassy shads and Berkley Hollow Body swim baits counted down to
the depth you see the fish and retrieved through the schools will work well. If
the fish congregate nearby the bottom, use jigging Spoons and Zoom Super Flukes
will catch plenty of fish. Trolling is a good option this time of year, the main
consideration is to put your baits in the part of the water column where the
Stripers are. If the Stripers are 30 foot or less it is hard to beat a deep
diving Redfin or DD-22 with a 3 foot leader tied to the middle o ring and a
bucktail or swim bait tied to the leader, trolled about 2 ½ mph about 80 yards
behind the boat. When the fish go deeper you may have to use lead core line or
down riggers to get your baits in the fishes face, umbrella rigs and drop rigs
work best in these conditions.
Live baits is a great way to catch fish too. Run planner boards in low light
conditions and convert to downlines when the sun is bright. Even when you
encounter breaking fish downlines usually will produce nicer Stripers, the
smaller fish working the top part of the water column and the larger fish
underneath them. Guides Jim Hemby and John Chadduck are catching limits daily.
Fish up to 14 lbs.
CATFISH: These fish are extremely plentiful and are feeding everywhere. The
larger Cats are just under or behind the schools of Stripers . Anglers are
catching fish using Powerbait Catfish Bait on fish finder rigs and the Cats sure
are hitting live bait very well. The Catfish show up on your depth finder as
arches on or very near the bottom.
CRAPPIE: The slabs have pulled out and are being caught on deeper points with
brushpiles and on the deeper bridge pilings in the 10 to 20 foot ranges. They
continue to hit small minnows and jigs . The fish are also stacking up on ledges
in the rivers in the 8 to 15 foot depths. Crappie rigs [two hook rigs] tipped
with minnows are deadly this month. Simply lower your offerings to the depth of
the fish and once you start catching doubles mark your line at that depth and
fill your cooler up.
This Report is furnished by Jim Hemby's LAKE ANNA STRIPER GUIDE SERVICE
JimHemby@hotmail.com 540-967-3313
www.JimHemby.com
Bass- The Big Mouths will be eagerly taking top water baits
early in the am. Fish main lake points with bait fish present. Good choices are
Zara Spooks, Buzz Baits, Pop R's and Strike King Wake Shads. After the sun comes
up and the shade is gone it is then time to go deep. Brush piles, rock piles,
deep docks, bridge pilings and off shore humps will all produce. This is the
time of year when the fish can be very predictable. Deep Crankbaits like the BPS
LEC15 & Norman DD22 are great baits to throw. Chart/Blue as well as natural shad
colors will work. Texas and Carolina rigged plastics and Shakey Heads will
produce numbers of Bass this month. Try the Damiki Swing 6.5 and the Air Pocket.
(available at High Point Marina) Yamamoto Grubs, Zoom Finesse worms and all of
the old favorites will work. As the end of June approaches, throw BIG Texas
Rigged worms is 20-30 feet of water.
Striper- The Linesides have made their move back down lake and can be found from
Dike 3 all the way to the splits. Large schools of fish are around the 208 area
right now. As the shad and herring fry start to hatch, look for small balls of
them on the surface with stripers feeding heavily on them. Good choices of
artificial lures to use are......Zara Spooks, Broken Back Red Fins, Pop R's and
soft jerkbaits. After they sun comes out you can still catch them, you just have
to look for them. When you locate them on your graph, drop Tooth Ache Spoons to
them. Live Bait will always produce fish. Look for them on flats in 15-30 feet
of water. Towards the end of the month, Trolling will start to become a major
player. DD22's, LEC 15's and Deep Red Fins with a buck tail trailer will work
great.
Crappie- This is the time of year when Speck fishing gets tough. They have moved
back out to deeper and cooler water for the summer. They can be caught on bridge
pilings and brush piles. Small minnows will be your best bait. Try fishing in 15
-25 feet of water.
Lake Level- Full Pool
Water Temps
Dike 3- Mid 80's
Mid Lake- Low to Mid 80's
Uplake- Mid 80's
McCotter's Lake Anna Guide Service Fishing
Report - JUNE
Lake Anna, Va. - As we head into late spring water temperatures have
risen to 75 degrees on Lake Anna and we are experiencing a gradual
changeover into more consistent, summer time patterns. While a small
percentage of largemouth bass spawned on the late May full moon, most
are completely done and feeding heavily at times around the shad and
herring spawns. Striper fishing is excellent for schooled fish in deep
water. Crappie are now schooled offshore and on bridges. Here's what
you can expect in the coming days.
Largemouth bass - A number of patterns are in play now. The best is to
target schooled fish that harass herring or shad. You'll find spots
like these, often by accident when baitfish follow up your lure or you
happen to find fish chasing bait. A soft plastic jerkbait is great as
is a topwater bait you can "walk". Fishing the edge of the willow
grass in the North Anna is also good now. Topwater poppers, buzzbaits
and wacky worms are effective early and late. Try a worm or jig when
the sun is high. The offshore structure pattern will develop in early
June. Drop shotting and shaky worms are best when fishing deep. This
pattern works best in 15-20' of water in the mid and down lake regions.
Striped bass - When you find the fish you can catch limits very easily
now. Daily movements and fishing pressure dictate where the fish will
be. The 208 region on up to The Splits has been reliable for those
using live bait and trolling deep diving plugs and bucktail combos.
The vertical jigging with Toothache spoons has also begun. For many
this type of fishing remains a mystery, but if you take the time to
invest in a good depth finder, look for fish and put the spoon or bait
in front of them, they are feeding and bite readily. Target deep flats
in the 35-42' range. Tapping the bottom with the spoon and then
lifting it up and letting it fall on a tight line will incite violent
strikes. The hologram scale Toothache is the top choice. On some days
the fish will chase bait on the surface. Having a soft plastic
jerkbait at the ready is always a good idea.
Crappie - Fish up to 15" can be had on offshore structure like rocks,
brush and Fish Structures. One-inch jigs on 6-lb. test line with a
1/16-oz. jighead are great if you like light line fishing. Minnows on
slip bobbers are also effective now. Deep is relative depending on
what region of the lake you are fishing. We recommend you fish the up
lake region in 6-12' for the next two weeks and then go deeper as the
water approaches 80 degrees.
Panfish - Another strong bluegill and shellcracker spawn began May 24
on the full moon. Use surface poppers for the 'gills and a subsurface
offering like a Wooly Worm for the 'crackers. Crickets and red
wigglers are good, too.
Report generated by the guides of McCotter's Lake Anna Guide Service
540.894.9144
www.mccotterslakeanna.com
Jim Hemby
Lake Anna Striper Guide Service
MAY
www.JimHemby.com 540 967 3313
LAKE ANNA
STRIPERS: Striper fishing continues to be excellent. Limits are common with
most fish averaging 3 to 10 lbs. Fishing will get even better as the fish are
still spawning and after they finish later in the month they will move to deeper
water where daily catches for my clients should average 20 to 40 fish per day.
Some good areas to start looking for Stripers are:
Down Lake…Stripers are spawning in and around the current, anglers have been
catching easy limits off the dike and on the nearby flats out of boats.
Sturgeon and across to the power plant…Schools of stripers working this area can
be found on a good Depth Finder.
Mid Lake the mouths of the creeks and the 20 foot flats around the splits are
holding Stripers.
Up Lake Stripers are literally everywhere. Hard to go wrong here.
May is a conversion month with many patterns existing now which will change
as the water temperatures increase. Early in the day, late in the evenings and
in low light conditions work shallow flats , main lake points and shallow humps
nearby deep water. After the sun gets up high in the sky pull off the shallow
flats and move to the deeper flats in the 20 to 30 foot range where baitfish are
present. For anglers casting artificial baits, wake Redfins, pop Chuggars and
walk Spooks over the shallow points and flats in lowlight conditions and when
the fish move deeper work swimbaits [Sea Shads, Berkley Hollow-Body's, Berkley
5” Jerk Shad] counting your bait down to the depth the fish are holding at and
using a steady retrieve. Later in the month when the fish move deep trollers
will start to catch fish using deep diving Redfins, Norman DD-22, or XPS
LEC-15's with a Bucktail tied on a 3' leader, drop rigs and umbrella rigs.
You can also try Jumbo minnows if you cannot catch your own bait. Stripers
will be moving from the backs of the creeks and up lake shallow areas to the
mouths of the creeks and deeper main lake waters this month. The fish will
school up over 25 to 30 foot flats and can be located on good depth finders
where downlines can be deployed to entice numerous hook-ups at the same time.
With more and more anglers fishing for Stripers avoid areas where the fish are
constantly harassed by fisherman, find less pressured schools, be versatile, and
enjoy the rewards of finding and catching this wonderful fighting and tasting
fish.
BASS: Fishing is great now as tournament fishing pressure has subsided, the
weather and water temperatures are more stable, most Bass have spawned and are
hungry. Bass are cruising the shallows now, cover lots of water using Polarized
Glasses looking for stumps, beds and Bass. Tube baits, Senkos, Carolina rigged
Lizards and jerk baits work well in these areas. Baitfish are spawning on
windblown rocky and clay banks, find a point with these conditions and throw a
willowleaf spinnerbait in White or Pearl up on the banks and try to get your
bait back to the boat. You can catch some hogs here especially if these points
are nearby spawning areas. Twitching stick baits [Rapalas] and soft plastics
jerk baits in clear water will certainly get a rise from a Largemouth if worked
nearby structure [boulders, stumps, etc.] Up lake in the North Anna they will
hit spinnerbaits near the willow grass beds and mid lake Bass will blow up on
poppers and chuggars as well as buzz baits in 4 to 15 foot of water. Later in
the month the larger fish will fall back to much deeper water to recover from
the rigors of the spawn and will gorge themselves on Herring.
CRAPPIE: The Crappie have finished spawning and have moved back to the 6 to
15 foot depth ranges with nice slabs being caught on deeper docks and shallower
bridge pilings. Look for rocky drop-offs on or near points, brush piles on flats
and generally areas where baitfish are plentiful with structure. On cloudy days
the Crappie will roam the flats looking for fish fry, a good way to catch these
fish is to use a trolling technique of employing numerous length rods [6 to 12
feet long] tipped with jigs. Using numerous rod holders with different length
rods allows an angler to cover a lot of water at different depths to locate and
catch fish.
This report furnished by Jim Hemby of LAKE ANNA STRIPER GUIDE SERVICE
www.JimHemby.com 540-967-3313
JimHemby@hotmail.com
McCotter's Lake Anna Guide Service May Fishing Report
Largemouth Bass - Plenty of action with several patterns working. The
first and most exciting is targeting schooled fish on spawning
herring. Soft plastic jerkbaits, (Webbs and Zoom) topwaters, (Pop Rs and
buzzbaits)
and swimbaits (Flukes and Sea Shads) are the top
baits for this pattern. Most of this occurs from mid lake down to Dike
III. Another pattern is fishing a topwater along the willow grass
found from mid lake up into the North Anna and a short way up into the
Pamunkey Branch. You can also target deep fish on off shore structure
in the down lake region now, too using shaky head worms and drop
shotted Berkley Realistix Minnows.
Striper - Super action now for schooled fish willing to crush casted
lures and live bait. Fish are scattered from the first two bridges on
down to Dike III. In the early morning when the herring are still
spawning in the shallows you'll find striper nearby willing to take
just about any topwater lure and soft plastic jerkbaits. They will
relocate deeper and deeper as the sun rises and you can follow them
down with the same lure on a jig head and finally with a Toothache
spoon. Hotspots are Dike III and the power plant.
Crappie - The spawn is just about over and most fish are moving away
from the banks except for some in the extreme headwaters of the lake.
Fish offshore rocks, brush and docks now with minnows on slip bobbers.
Bluegill and Shellcracker - Excellent fishing now in protected coves
where these fish are now bedded and spawning. Use popping bugs for the
'gills and sinking worms for the crackers.
Report Provided by McCotter's Lake Anna Guide Service
McCotter's Lake Anna Guide Service - Late April
Fishing Report
Lake Anna, Va. - What a difference a week of warm weather makes here
on Lake Anna. The bass, striper and crappie began to spawn in large
numbers last week and will continue to do so through the beginning of
May. With a full moon coming April 28, the water temperatures in the
low 70s, it's time to fish shallow.
Bass - Strong spawning activity in the down lake, mid lake and lower
up lake region going on currently. Due to high water many of the fish
are spawning shallower than in year's past. Look for beds on dock
pilings, rocks, in willow grass and on stumps in 1-6' of water. Fish
wacky worms and stick baits between beds. When you find a bed,
consider sight fishing tactics like small tubes, jigs and lizards and
immediate release after the catch. Once fish begin guarding fry, you
can try floating minnows, wacky worms and drop shotting around docks.
Striper - Excellent fishing in the upper regions of the North Anna,
Pamunkey Branch and Terry's Run. The striper are schooled at the
mouths of tributaries and biting well first thing in the morning and
late in the evening. Sometimes they will bite outside this hot zone.
Live herring on freelines and sideplaners are the most effective
tactic right now. Casting lures is not as effective, but some fish
will take a soft plastic jerkbait or swimbait at peak periods. Fish
above the bridges in 2-12' of water.
Crappie - The week of April 5-11 was the top week so far for freckles
here on Lake Anna. While citation fish over two pounds have been
scant, the numbers per day are amazing. Grass lines in the North Anna,
docks in the Pamunkey and beaver huts mid lake are the top three
patterns. Use jigs and small minnows.
Good luck and see you on the water.
Report produced by McCotter's Lake Anna Guide Service
540.894.9144
www.mccotterslakeanna.com
April Lake Anna Fishing Forecast
Spring has finally arrived and so has the urge for all species of fish in
the lake to aggressively feed and begin their Spawning rituals. Water
temperatures are around 60* now and should rise another 8 to 10 degrees setting
the stag for some incredible fishing. Look for fishing to be bountiful with
numerous citations to be recorded this month. The cold winter has killed a lot
of baitfish putting the odds in favor of the angler and has set the stage for
this months fishing to be better than previous years.
STRIPERS: Stripers are feeding all over the lake now on 5 to 15 foot flats,
humps and points. Just about every shallow flat and primary point on the lake
and near the mouths of creeks are producing nice catches. Stripers are feeding
from all the way up the rivers down to the Dam and are not being selective of
what they want to eat, gorging themselves on Herring and Gizzard Shad. This
month Stripers only have two things on their mind, eating and spawning. Contrary
to what many anglers believe or read, all the Stripers in the lake do not run up
lake to spawn. Although nature tells the Striper to run up lake or to the backs
of creeks seeking current to spawn, Anna does not have the right conditions for
the species to propagate successfully, consequently we catch Stripers all over
the lake this time of year. When the fish are feeding in the upper water
column run live bait on planner boards, bobbers and freelines. Conversely when
cold fronts blow through the fish will not be as aggressive and will usually
back off to deeper water, anglers will have to put their live bait right in the
faces of the Stripers to entice strikes. Slow down and use smaller baits for
more action. Fisherman who fish with artificial baits will also get some
explosive results by throwing top water baits like Spooks, waking a Redfin and
popping Chuggar type baits. Swim baits work well all month, good baits to try
are Berkley’s Hollow Body Swim bait when the fish are feeding on Shad and
downsize to Sassy Shads and Sea Shads when in cold fronts. Fish could be right
up on the bank this month, we are already catching big Stripers in less than a
foot of water!
BASS: Bass are roaming the shallows looking to fatten up prior to the spawn.
The Bass will be very shallow in warming trends looking for and establishing
bedding areas and falling back to the first breaks when the weather gets colder.
Work faster moving baits with warming trends such as swim baits, spinner baits
and crank baits and slow down and down size in cold front conditions using
Carolina rigged lizards, crawfish imitators, twitch baits like Senko’s, Slugo’s
and Bass Assassins. It is hard to beat sight fishing mid and down lake in the
clearer water, concentrate your efforts looking for 30 degree gently sloping
banks with sand or gravel bottoms with scattered stumps. Polarized glasses are a
must for this type of fishing, use your trolling motor and scan the shallows on
high till you see Bass, then work the areas with your favorite lures. If you
find beds you can throw tube baits, lightly weighted worms or lizards into the
bed and leave it there to provoke strikes, remembering to please release bedding
fish where you catch them. Don’t move the bait, your chances of catching a big
spawning Bass are far greater if you put your bait in the bed and leave it
there, numerous casting to the bed usually condition the Bass to know the bait
will leave the bed and not harm the eggs. The Bass probably has seen you first
and already knows you are there. The backs of main lake pockets and coves all
hold Bass and are easier to fish if you want to avoid the wind.
CRAPPIE: Fishing just doesn't get any better for Crappie than in April. This
is the month to stock up the freezer with this wonderful tasting fish. Everyone
can catch Crappie this month. Locating the fish is very simple. Most shallow
docks where baitfish are present will hold Crappie especially where there is
some cover present. Every dock up lake above Hunters Landing has Crappie under
them , simply fish the docks quickly till you hit the one that has the size fish
you are looking for. Usually the larger fish will attack your offerings first,
fish till you catch little fish then move on. Other great areas to fish are
Beaver huts, shallow brushpiles, shallow rockpiles, stumps and especially the
shoreline grassbeds in the North Anna. Crappie congregate in large numbers
around the larger dock complexes such as Marina and community docks. Good
locater baits to use are small tube jigs on 1/16 oz heads.
CATFISH: The big ones are biting. I have heard of 3 big Blue Cats being
caught in the Dike 3 region of the lake, the largest being Jimmie Richards 34
pounder on March 27th. Jimmie caught his on a live Herring and live bait usually
produces the better catfish in any season.
This report furnished by
Jim Hemby, LAKE ANNA STRIPER GUIDE
SERVICE
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