Capt. Steve Chaconas says that moving lures on the Potomac River will find fish over grass and on hard cover.
“The water is cooling into the mid 60s,” he says. “It will be cooling into the mid 60s and lows in the 40s with sunshine going into the weekend.”
Tides will be rising until midday, perfect for Lucky Craft G-Splash poppers. Make long casts on 12-pound test Gamma Copoly line. Vary speeds to find the fish trigger. Locate remaining grass patches and fish in, around and next to them.
Another awesome search bait, with rising water, is a shad pattern Lucky Craft LV-100 on 12-pound test Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line. Find deeper grass and snap free and pause. Fluorocarbon line makes it easier to set the hook and to snap from grass. Keep baits in the deepest grass as the tide moves in.
With about a foot of water over grass remnants, try a Mann’s Baby 1-Minus or a 1/4-ounce Classic spinnerbait. Both on 12 pound Edge. Contact grass and snap free. Hesitate and resume retrieve. Fire tiger for the crankbait and white or fire tiger skirts for the spinnerbait.
Disappearing grass will be like musical chairs with fish grouping on remnants. When tides fall, focus soft plastic presentations. Texas rigged Mizmo tubes imitate crawfish. Use a 3/0 Mustad Mega Bite hook on 14-pound Edge with a 3/16-ounce weight. Pitch to thicker clumps. Spray with Jack’s Juice garlic to encourage fish to hold on longer.
Capt. Steve Chaconas is a guide on the Potomac River info@nationalbass.com
Chickahominy Lake
Fishing with Capt. Conway, Brian Barnes and Bill Wolfley had 1 pickerel and 3 bass. Jim Anderson and Tom Hinrichsen had 17 bluegills, 2 shellcrackers and 2 bass. Jesse Kelley and Dick Newman had one bluegill, 8 crappie, 4 white perch and 1 bass. Carolyn Conway had 21 bluegills and 6 roach minnows. Tom Porter had 30 bluegill, 8 crappie, 1 white perch, 7 roach minnows, 1 gar and 1 striped bass.
Shenandoah River
Smallmouth bass are active and taking any slowly fished bait. The water is low and very clear. Leaves are becoming a problem.
Rappahannock River
Anglers fishing the blow downs on the South shoreline of the tidal section are catching a few bass. Crappie are schooled around wood cover. Blue catfish are eating cut bait fished in the outside bends of the main river channel. Some small stripers are being caught below the Route 301 Bridge.
Lake Anna
Huge schools of baitfish are roaming the lake. Schooling bass and stripers are all over them. Better areas are the mouth of Contrary Creek, Rose Valley and the area around Jetts Island, at the Splits. Crappie are schooled tight, with the larger fish suspending over creek channels in the backs of the creeks.
Chickahominy River
Bass are holding on drop-offs on the main river, as well as the creeks. Diascund Creek is producing well with bottom-fished lures, near wood cover, in deeper water. Stripers are available around the Route 5 Bridge.
James River Tidal
Some stripers are being taken from pilings in the Hog Island area and around the power lines downstream from Jordan Point. Blue catfish to 50 pounds are taking large strips of cut shad, fished in the outside bends of the river channel.
Lake Gaston
Striper fishing is fair to middling. The fish are schooled up and show up well on electronics. The main river channel, from Eaton Ferry Bridge to the mouth of Pea Hill Creek is the best area, paying particular attention to areas with 16-24 feet of water. Bass anglers are doing well on main lake points, adjacent to channels and in the creeks, where the channel bends close to the bank. Crappie are schooled around brush piles and solid structure. White perch are taking 1/4 oz. Hopkins jigging spoons.
Buggs Isalnd
Crappie anglers are loading coolers! Some crappie are weighing in at 3 pounds. Bass may be taken in shallow water, plus points or wood structure in 4-6 feet or water, and on humps, roadbeds and ledges, in 10-14 feet of water, near drop-offs into river or creek channels. Stripers are active, hitting Sassy Shads on 1/4-ounce jig heads, fished under the schools of shad minnows close to the shoreline.
Smith Mountain
Striper fishing is good. Live shad or alewives are the better baits, fished in submerged standing timber in the coves. Bass fishing is excellent. Many fish are taking smoke/purple or salt/pepper plastic worms, jig ‘n pig and plastic grubs in the backs of coves. Crappie are being caught over brush piles in 10 feet of water.
Lake Moomaw
Anglers fishing live bait are catching a few small trout. Anglers fishing jig ‘n pig and spinnerbaits on points, dropping into 20+ feet of water, are taking smallmouth bass.
New River
Top water lures continue to take many smallmouth bass. Some nice muskies have been reported.
Trout Fishing
Streams remain low but anglers fishing lakes and ponds are doing well. Try Douthat Lake, Sugar Hollow Reservoir, Silver Lake in Rockingham County and Tomahawk Pond in Shenandoah County. Trout fishing is very good in the Jackson River below the dam.