Catfish don’t mind a little hot weather. Sometimes they feed later in the day or into the evenings, but feed they do, especially at Lake Orange.
Lake Orange is owned by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, which annually stocks the 130 acre impoundment with catchable size channel cats. The limit is 8 per day and some anglers have been known to catch quick limits at first light.
Darrell Kennedy of Angler’s Landing (540.672.3997) says that catfishing has been excellent throughout the lake. Chicken livers, nightcrawlers and live minnows are the preferred baits. To keep the baits off the bottom and out of the muck, successful anglers drop a heavy sinker to the bottom and fish vertically with the bait about a foot off the bottom.
The water temperature at Orange is in the mid 80s and the lake is clear. With bass and crappie schooling up on bait fish, Darryl suggests that fishermen downsize their baits to match the smaller bait fish. The pier is producing crappie on small minnows fished around 8 foot depths. The walleye bite has picked up with some nice fish being caught in the grass flats up lake.
Potomac
“The frog bite is on,” says Capt. Chaconas. Use 50-60 pound Gamma Torque braid tied with a double Palomar knot, finished with two overhand knots. Braid produces better hook ups. Black frogs when cloudy and white on sunny days. Focus on the bait. Beginners should use white – easier to see. When a fish bites and the bait disappears, or the line moves, don’t count to ten, don’t wait; set the hook as soon as the fish has the bait. If a fish misses, twitch and they should come back. If they don’t, leave the frog to mark where the fish was and cast a weightless stickworm on a 3/0 MUSTAD Mega Bite hook. Frogs work all day, especially at low tide.
Chickahominy Lake
Capt. Art Conway of Conway’s River Rat Guide Service (804-514-1486) out of Ed Allen’s Boats and Bait reported that the Chickahominy Lake mid-day water temperatures were in the high 80’s on Wednesday.
Fishing with Capt. Conway, Lawrence Barden had 24 bluegills, 2 yellow perch, 1 warmouth and 4 bass. Jim and Andrew Braith had 13 bluegills, 3 shellcrackers, 7 crappie and 1 white perch. Damon McMillion and Steve Hubbard had 50 bluegills, 1 shellcracker, 8 crappie, 2 yellow perch, 1 gar, 1 pickerel and 2 bass. Tom Porter had 46 bluegills, 1 crappie, 1 blue cat and 1 bass.
Rappahannock River
Smallmouth action has picked up. Lots of bronzebacks are being taken on noisy topwater lures, early and late in the day. Bream are active. The tidal sections of the river are giving up a few largemouth bass to anglers fishing fire tiger crankbaits. Large blue catfish are taking cut bait and live white perch. Crappie action is slow.
Shenandoah River
Smallmouth bass are cooperating. Small crankbaits, spinners and plastic grubs are taking good numbers of bass, along with nice bream. Catfishermen are successful with chicken livers, cut bait and live shiners. Deeper water is producing the better catches.
Lake Anna
Largemouth bass have moved deep with the summer heat. The fish are taking crankbaits and drop shot rigs in 12’ to 27’ on ridges, humps and points. Riprap along the bridge approaches are also producing some bass on deep diving crankbaits. Walleye continue to be caught on rocky points, bridge pilings and around Dike 3. The best crappie action is deep, along bridge pilings in 25-40 feet. Stripers are taking live shad around the 208 Bridge area. Catfishing is excellent.
James River
Smallmouth fishing is outstanding from Lynchburg to Scottsville. In the lower river, largemouth bass are being caught on plastic worms, spinnerbaits and small crankbaits. Lots of carp, gar and catfish are also active.
Chickahominy River
Normal summer conditions prevail. Largemouth bass are taking buzzbaits, floating plastic worms and grass frogs in the lily pads and hydrilla. Lots of good sized sunfish are hitting crickets, while catfish are going for peeler crabs, minnows and livers.
Lake Gaston
Crappie are holding in brush piles in 12-18 feet of water and are taking live minnows and tiny jigs. Largemouth bass are at 12- to 20-foot depths and may be taken on plastic worms and deep diving crankbaits. Stripers are being caught on rattling crankbaits, fished on the bottom on river channel points. A few stripers are being taken by anglers trolling bucktails in the main river channel from Eaton Ferry Bridge to Gaston.
Buggs Island
Stripers in the 10-12 pound class are being caught on vertical jigs. Anglers trolling with bucktails and Redfins have also been successful. The better areas are Nutbush Creek and County Line Creek, on the lower end of the lake. Topwater lures are taking bass early and late in the day. Crappie are located on brush piles in 10-12 feet of water.
Smith Mountain
Good numbers of stripers are being caught on topwater lures, live shad and by trolling large, deep-running lures, such as Rebels, Big Macs, Hellbenders and Waterdogs. Fish are from 18 to 32 feet deep. Stripers are biting from buoy markers 22-31 on the Roanoke River and markers 11-14 on the Blackwater River. Largemouth bass are being caught in 15-18 feet of water on deep-diving crankbaits and Carolina-rigged plastic worms.
Lake Moomaw
Decent trout fishing for rainbows and browns on live minnows. Catfish are biting nightcrawlers and chicken livers. Bass are hitting buzzbaits at dusk, but otherwise are very deep.
New River
Excellent smallmouth bass action. The fish are taking plastic grubs, worms and Senkos in pumpkinseed and motor oil colors. Small crankbaits and topwater baits are also taking some nice fish. Muskies are active and catfishing is good.