Mossy Creek Fly Fishing Guides have been putting some James River muskies in the boat. Bob Cramer, pictured above, caught and released a handsome fish. Below are some suggestions from MC Guides.
With the recent hot weather let’s all be responsible with these big fish. We recommend everyone getting a stream thermometer and keep it in their boats all summer. Please respect all Virginia’s musky fisheries and do not actively fish for musky when water temps spike over 78 degrees. These fish tolerate warm water fairly well and peak metabolic temps for musky are between 70-72 degrees. They eat often at these temps. But when water temps rise around 78 or above, we ask anglers to please leave them along until water temps drop. Even a quickly released fish that swims off well may still be found dead the next morning. Target early morning hours when the light is low and water temps are down. We are currently fishing 10-11 weight rods, full sink and intermediate fly lines, short, stout leaders with wire or 60-80 lb. fluorocarbon bite tippet, and large flies. We have all the gear you need in the shop to get started musky fishing or we can take you out with one of our experienced guides for a memorable day on the water! Contact the shop for details or to book your next trip. Go to mossycreekflyfishing.com/
Trout Streams
Some late June downpours replenished what was turning into low water conditions on most Virginia trout streams. Best bets are the Conway, Rose and Rapidan Rivers on the Eastern slope along with the St. Mary’s in Augusta County. Mossy Creek is fishing well with good terrestrial action for anglers floating beetles, ants or crickets. Also, there is some good Trico activity in the mornings. The South River in Waynesboro is fishing well downtown and up higher in the special reg. section. Check in with South River Fly shop for up-to-date information.
Shenandoah
Ed T out of Front Royal had this report on a float from State Park to Karo Landing. “The river was getting just a little shallow through this section, but not too bad. I had to drag the canoe over the rocks a couple of times, but maybe could have avoided it if I had been a little more careful where I was going. Lots of algae. The bottom is pretty much covered in a lot of places and there’s plenty floating in the water as well. It’s a drag, but what are you gonna’ do, its summer. You just got to clean your lures a lot, that’s all. I started out fishing a #3 Mepps spinner (gold blade) and caught a couple of smallmouth and a couple of bluegill pretty quick. I only stayed with the spinner for a little while, then switched to a Rebel Wee-Craw crankbait (brown crawdad), alternating with a 3” Zoom Fat Albert grub (green pumpkin) on a 1/8 oz. Texas rig. I was fishing the craw around the rock ledges and throwing the grub up near the banks. The craw was catching a mixture of smallmouth and bluegill. Most of the time the smallmouth hit the lure in the slack water just upriver of the ledges. In other words, in front of the ledges instead of past them. The crankbait fishing was fun, but tossing the grub up under overhanging tree branches was much more productive. Either way, the bass were mostly around ten to eleven inches, and I only caught a couple that went twelve. The morning fishing was ok – not great but not bad. By noon I had boated eleven smallmouth and a few bluegill. From twelve to one, I caught twelve bass, a few with 4” Senkos (green pumpkin), but most of them with the craw around the rocks. There were a few bluegill in the mix as well, though I gotta say the bluegill were not biting as well as the last couple of times I was out. The crankbait fishing was lots of fun ‘cause the bass were nice and aggressive, really hitting the lure hard. Coming out of the water, dancing around. Mostly ten and eleven inch fish that felt a lot bigger. There were times when I was worried about breaking the line only to find a twelve inch fish when I landed it. Really, you’re only a foot long bass? The bite slowed down after one o’clock for a couple of hours. During that time I was mostly fishing 4” and 7” Berkley Power Worms (green pumpkin) on 1/8 oz. split shot rigs. You know, slow bottom fishing. It was slow and I wasn’t getting nearly as many fish as I had right after noon, but when the bite slows, you have to go with the flow. Eventually I switched back to the spinner and started getting hits both around the rocks and up near the banks as well. And once again they were hitting the lure hard and being aggressive. After the bite picked up, I started using Zoom Super Flukes (green pumpkin). Smallmouth were hitting them nice and steady, with a fair amount of top water action. Since they were hitting the flukes so well, that was all I fished the rest of the day. I must say I’m rather partial to flukes. As often happens, the bite was steady getting better right up to the end of my fishing. I scored twenty-three smallmouth from noon until four-forty, when I had to stop fishing and paddle on to Karo Landing for my pickup. I caught my last three fish in about the last five minutes of fishing just above Thunderbird Farm. It was an interesting day of fishing. I had to change lures and patterns several times during the day. It was decent fishing in the morning, pretty hot for an hour after noon, then slow, then warmed back up to decent fishing again. I never caught a bass over twelve inches, and the majority were an inch or two smaller than that – not all that surprising. Warm summer fishing is not what anyone considers lunker time. In fact, I’m always a little surprised if I catch a large bass in the summer. I had a good time. Nice weather, good fishing. Hope you get a chance to get out on the South Fork.”
Potomac
Muddy Waters!
A nasty week of weather for the FLW Tour guys. They used a variety of baits to ply limits of bass from the Potomac.
This week, expect the water to be in the low 80s and a bit muddy. After a nice Monday, with highs in the mid 80s under sunny skies, a chance of thunderstorms sticks around all week. Highs in the mid 80s and overnight lows around 70.
Many of the same lures used by pros last week will work this week. In the clearest water, walking top waters like Lucky Craft Gunfish can get aggressive fish. Work slowly and don’t stop when fish bite. Another good lure is a buzzbait. Remove the skirt and use a black Mann’s HardNose Frankentoad. Braid is best for this. Use over grass and through pads. Have weightless stickworms with 3/0 Mustad Mega Bite hooks ready to throw to missed bites. Throw on GAMMA Torque braid with 16-pound Edge leader.
Spinnerbaits continue to shine. Mann’s Classic with gold blades and a white skirt on 14-pound test GAMMA Edge fluorocarbon line. Use 1/4-ounce size in shallow water and a 3/8 when tides are in. Reel to grass and keep them in grass. Work lure just below the surface until it just goes out of sight.
Chatter jigs are also effective. Use craw pattern 1/4-ounce lures with black blades. Use a Sharpie to change the shine for dull! Use 14-16 pound Edge line. Contact and rip from grass. Longer rods and faster reels like Quantum EXO casting reels and longer rods will help with the tricky hook set.
Look for the clearest water and stick it out!
Capt. Steve Chaconas is a guide on the Potomac River. info@nationalbass.com
Lake Orange
Contributed by Darrell Kennedy of Angler’s Landing (540.672.3997). The water is slightly stained on the upper end of the lake while the lower end remains clear. With the recent rain the temperature has cooled a bit to the mid 80’s. Largemouth bass are schooling on baitfish in low light periods with some good top water action. During mid-day, soft plastics are the best bet for the bass bite in 8-10 ft. of water. The crappie bite remains strong, just a little deeper in 10-15 ft. with small minnows. The recent rains have the walleye active with several nice walleye being caught. One local angler brought in 3 tags from the walleye that he caught and released in one afternoon, netting himself $60. Catfishing has really picked up due to the consistent rainfall with chicken liver and live bait the top choices.
Lake Anna Forecast
Guide Chris Craft
BASS- The bass have stayed unexpectedly shallow so far this summer. For the entire month of June they could be caught in less than 5 feet of water. As we enter July, it is expected to stay the same.
In the North Anna arm, expect fish to stay in the willow grass just about all month as long as the water temps stay in the 80’s. Early morning, you can catch them on top water baits in and around the willow grass. Baits like the Damiki D-Pop, Damiki MTB Noisy Buzz Bait, Spro Frogs & Shads and Damiki Armor Shads.
After the sun starts to penetrate the water, the fish move back deeper into the grass and get under boat docks. They will stay active for several more hours. Once they make their move further back, it is time to start pitching and flipping into the thickest, darkest patches of grass you can find. Jig ‘n pig combinations, Creature baits and plastic worms are all great baits to use. Late last month, I started using a bait made by Snack Daddy Lures called the Ditch chicken. It is a 4-inch crawfish bait that fits perfectly on an Arson Jigs Shakey Head. The action of the claws on this bait is amazing! Fish Tales has 6 fish catching colors in stock!!!!
When fishing boat docks, concentrate on the shady side of the dock. Don’t just pitch your bait to a post just one time either. Make sure you hit all four sides of each and every dock post. Pay special attention to ladders, especially wooden ladders.
On the Pamunkey arm, points and boat docks have continued to produce nice fish for anglers. Top water baits early and then shallow to mid diving (10-12 feet) crankbaits and Shakey Head rigged plastics are great choices. The Spro Rock Crawler crankbait has produces several fish for me this year so far. Zoom Trick Worms in either Green Pumpkin or Junebug are a couple of my favorites in this area of the lake.
Around Mid-Lake, brush piles in the 12-15 feet range are coming into play. Texas Rig Worms and Shakey Heads worked in and around the brush will draw strikes. There are still some very shallow fish in this area as well. Top water walking baits like the Damiki Rambler, Paycheck Baits Repoman and Zara Spooks will all produce fish early in the day.
Downlake has deep, clear water and spooky fish! Look for them to be in 12-20 feet around rock piles, boat docks and brush piles. Long casts with light line are almost a must in the region of the lake. Boat docks with 6 feet or more water will hold fish as well. Skip a wacky rigged Senko up under them and let it fall to the bottom. Be sure to watch your line very carefully, the strike will be very subtle and will just start to move off.
CRAPPIE – The Specks have moved back out to the bridge pilings and deep brush piles for the summer. The best way to catch them will be with small-medium minnows rigged on a slip bobber. They can be found anywhere from 10-25 feet of water. Do not look for them to return to the shallows until fall when the water temps start falling into the mid 60’s.
STRIPERS– Look for the stripers in the mid lake region down to Dike I throughout the month. At first light you can find them chasing baitfish and can catch the on top. Walking baits, Broken Back Redfins and jerkbaits will all catch fish. After the morning feed is over, look for schools on your electronics and drop Toothache Spoons to them.
Trolling is also becoming very effective as the summer draws closer. Deep Diving Redfins with a bucktail trailer, Bill Norman DD22’s and BPS LEC 15’s are all great baits for trolling.
For the anglers that want to use live bait, Blue Back Herring is very plentiful this year. You will need to get out before daylight breaks and hang lights to attract the bait.