The trout streams are low and clear, the rivers are low and clear, and the lakes are the same – low and clear, but there are fish to be caught.
The rules for fishing in low water are fairly simple – use lighter line, smaller lures and flies, fish further from your target and if you have a blaze orange fishing cap – leave it in the car.
Here’s what happening on the freshwater scene.
Trout Streams
Stocking is underway but conditions are tough. Please avoid them until after the spawn, sometime in November. Spring Creeks are fishing well as trout search for that last cricket or hopper of the season. As for freestone streams, the best bets are the Tye River, The Jackson and the Bullpasture.
Shenandoah River
Smallmouth bass are active and taking any slowly fished bait. Navigation is difficult in canoes because of low water.
Rappahannock River
Crappie are schooled around structure. Blue catfish are still taking cut bait in the outside bends of the main river channel. Bass fishing is good near the Route 301 Bridge.
Lake Anna
Stripers are busting baits early and late in the day. Best areas are the mouth of Contrary Creek, in Rose Valley and the area around Jetts Island at the Splits. Bass are moving up into the shallows early to feed, Crappie are schooled tight, with the larger fish suspending over creek channels in the backs of the creeks. Beaver lodges are also holding lots of crappie.
Chickahominy River
Bass are on drop offs on the main river and the creeks. Diascund Creek is producing well with bottom-fished lures, near wood cover in deeper water. Yellow perch and crappie fishing is excellent throughout. Stripers are available for those fishing Rat-L-Traps and Rebel Fastrak Minnows.
Chickahominy Lake
Fishing with Capt. Art Conway, Juanita and Steve Grigg had 16 bluegills, 2 shellcrackers, 1 roach minnow, 1 yellow perch and 8 bass. Tom Porter and Capt. Bill Buck had 17 bluegills, 3 shellcrackers, 9 crappie, 1 white perch, 6 roach minnows, 1 blue cat, and 1 bass.
Potomac River
Fish are on the move, says Capt. Steve Chaconas. Cooler water temperatures and falling morning tides are going to set up a good week to open the tackle box and cover water.
Locate grass edges and fan cast to locate fish. Milfoil edges and scattered star grass are holding fish. At the lowest tides, pitch Mizmo tubes, Texas rigged; with a 3/16-ounce bullet weight on 14 pound test Edge to edges and isolated clumps. With higher water, go to pad edges and target flooded marsh clumps.
James River
The upper James is fishing well for smallmouth. Smaller baits and lures are the best choices. Tidal areas are not producing as well, since most of the creeks are very shallow. Yellow perch are taking small spinnerbaits, grubs and horsehead jigs, fished on the bottom around wood structure. Some stripers are being taken from pilings in the Hog Island area and around the power lines downstream from Jordan Point. Blue catfish are taking large strips of cut shad.
Lake Gaston
Striper fishing is excellent. Go with topwater lures early and late in the day, and live alewives, bucktails and rattling lures are best during the day. 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, particularly the Pea Hill and Lizard Creek bridges.
Buggs Island
The lake level is at 295 and stable. Fishing is improving. Crappie anglers are loading coolers with 1-3 pound fish. Bass are hitting in shallow water, holding on rock piles or in buck brush in backs of pockets. Stripers are active, hitting Sassy Shads on ¼-ounce jig heads, fished under the schools of shad minnows, close to the shoreline.
Smith Mountain
Striper fishing is fair, but should get better with the colder temperatures this week. Live shad or alewives are the best baits, fished in submerged standing timber in the coves. Trolling with bucktails will also produce some fish, as will topwater lures when the big fish are feeding on shad schools. Bass fishing is good to excellent when they are pulling water. Otherwise, not so much. Crappie are being caught on live minnows and tiny jigs over brush piles in about 10 feet of water.
Lake Moomaw
Smallmouth bass are turning on as the temperatures drop. Catfish and yellow perch are the most consistent catches. Trout fishing is good in the Jackson River, below the dam.
New River
Top water lures continue to take many smallmouth. Leaves on the water are hampering efforts, but the results are worth the aggravation.