Fishing has been excellent at Anna with schools of shad roaming the lake. Finding the shad will almost guarantee fish. Medium to jumbo minnows and swimbaits are working best for stripers and larger bass. Smaller fish are taking small minnows, small plastic grubs and small Hopkins jigging spoons. Lots of jumbo white perch, yellow perch, and crappie are to be had in the creeks on jigging spoons, grubs and minnows. Large catfish are still being taken on nightcrawlers, cut bait, and chicken livers. Trophy bass fishermen should concentrate on main lake points from mid-lake to the dam.
Potomac River
Capt. Chaconas
While some fish might move up to shallow grass and wood during the warmest part of the day, the majority of the fish will be on or near drops. Water temperatures are 40-45. It’s time to slow down.
Slow rolling Classic spinnerbaits on 12-pound test Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon line will produce some jarring strikes. Cast parallel to drops and cover areas near drops. Gold Colorado/willow 3/8-ounce spinnerbaits need to maintain contact with the bottom. Move the spinnerbait with the rod to slow down.
Rigging faster Quantum Smoke spinning reels with 10-15 pound test Gamma Torque braid with 8 pound test Edge leaders is great for all bottom techniques. Tie the leader from about 5 inches below the rod tip to the reel handle. This will keep knots from reaching the reel on the cast or keep knots outside the rod for pitches.
It’s also time to dig out Silver Buddy lures
Rappahannock River
Tidal sections of the river are giving up some good catfish on bottom-fished cut bait, and bass on bottom-fished minnows, jig ‘n pig or plastic grubs. Crappie schools are positioned near submerged brush piles and will take small minnows or jigs. Yellow perch are beginning to appear in the river in force, but most of the fish are still small. Above the city, smallmouth bass are taking minnows, crayfish and bottom-fished artificials.
Shenandoah River
Few are fishing, but those out on the river this past week were reporting some smallmouth bass from the deeper holes below riffles. Most of the anglers were using live minnows, mad toms, crayfish and plastic grubs
Chickahominy Lake
Mid-day water temperatures were in the low to middle 40’s in the lower main lake on Wednesday with slightly lower temperatures at the upper end of the lake. The lake level was about 6 inches above the top of the dam.
Fishing with Capt. Conway, Tom Porter had 1 bluegill, 14 crappie, 2 pickerel, and 1 bass.
Buggs Island
Stripers are hitting trolled crankbaits and bucktails in the vicinity of Bluestone Creek and Clarksville, while the mouths of Rudds and Grassy Creeks are producing stripers on live shad, swim baits and four-inch Sassy Shads. Crappie are thick around bridge pilings and brush piles.
Smith Mountain Lake
Striper action is in full swing. Lots of good fish are being caught on topwater baits and live shad throughout the lake. When schools of shad are found, the stripers will be under them. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are also being caught on live shad and jig ‘n pig baits fished on the rocky points throughout the lake. Some white bass, in the two pound class, were caught this past week.
Lake Moomaw
Bass activity is improving. Jigging Silver Buddies or Hopkins spoons and fishing with jig ‘n pig and live minnows are the best bets. Crappie and yellow perch activity is also on the increase, mainly on live minnows. A few trout in the 3-4 pound class have been caught, deep trolling.
Trout Streams
There are plenty of trout in the recently stocked streams for those brave enough to try.