The outdoor forecast has turned into the same-old, same-old and will continue for a few weeks, unless we get a sudden surge in temperatures.
The diehards on the larger lakes are catching some bass, especially Lake Anna where deep dropping finesse bait will attract an occasional strike. The Chickahominy Lake continues to give up a few bass, but the crappie bite has slowed. It’s still too cold for good crappie fishing at Buggs Island, but that will change around the first of February.
There is little action on any of the major rivers – the water and the air are just too cold. Catfish, however, are an exception. Some trophy size blue cats are biting cut shad on the James River near Hopewell. A few big fish are also coming from the Rappahannock.
The best bet may be trout fishing, though most streams are in the 30-degree range. Trout will bite when it’s that cold, but not aggressively.
On the saltwater scene, it’s about the same. Virginia saltwater action is essentially dead. At Nags Head, the only thing biting is dogfish and an occasional skate. At Hatteras, there was an excellent run of upper slot-sized red drum at Ramp 55. Anglers were throwing ½ oz. lead heads with green/pink grub tails. No blue water boats left port.