As the evening temps dip into the 50’s, as the water cools, and as the days grow shorter, the fish figure it’s that time. Time to feed and fatten up for the coming winter.
At Lake Orange, for example, water temperatures have dropped to the low 70s. Bass and crappie are heading to the bank. The next few weeks will bring bass and crappie on to shallow brush, feeding on baitfish. A variety of soft plastics will entice the bass bite. Live minnows are an excellent choice now for the crappie. A few nice walleye were caught this week on live minnows. Catfishing remains strong with mid-lake producing best.
At Buggs Island, the bass bite has picked up and some nice crappie are being caught in shallow water. Baitfish are on the move with bass and stripers close behind. The Chickahominy River has seen some nice bass caught on grassy points. The James River remains low but the smallmouth bite has picked up significantly.