It’s spring, for sure. Lake Orange is open for business. Darrell Kennedy with Angler’s Landing at Lake Orange says the water temperature at the lake is creeping into the lower 50’s and things are starting to happen. Bass and crappie are leaving their winter haunts and are in a preseason feeding mood. They’re hungry! Bass are taking advantage of the lake’s large shad population as well as hitting crawfish patterns in deeper water, Crappie are in 10-to-12-foot depths and are looking for small shiners. Walleye are also available and are spawning now. Lake Orange rents jon boats and electric motors and sells bait and tackle. Sounds like it’s time to go fishing.
Saltwater
Despite recent cold weather anglers are finding windows of fishable weather.
Tautogs are available on the ocean wrecks and at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Dr Ken Neill fished the Triangle Wrecks for about 3 hours and enjoyed non-stop action. The fish averaged 18- to 20-inches with only a few under 16 inches. He kept a limit from 19- to 23-inches in length and tagged and released the others. He caught 3 fish that had already been tagged.
The speckled trout and puppy drum are arriving on shallow flats in Inlets and on rivers as waters warm. Connie atLog Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle says anglers are finding them inside Lynnhaven and that the boats fishing Rudee Inlet had outstanding red drum catches this week. VBSF sponsor, Knot Wish’n Charters, caught nice, healthy, quality redfish this week.
Offshore in North Carolina, boats are enjoying outstanding catch and release giant bluefin tuna fishing. Anglers travel from around the world to get in on this winter fishery off the Carolina coast.