Shad fishermen! Now’s the time. The shad have arrived and fly anglers and spin fishermen are taking lots of hickory shad at the Route 1 Bridge. Herring and white perch are in the river in force. Catfish are taking cut bait, fished on the bottom, in the outside bends of the main river channel. Bass are taking shad-colored crankbaits along the South bank of the river and plastic worms and grubs fished in the blow downs. Plenty of stripers are hooked while fishing for bass. Above the city, smallmouth bass fishing is good.
Lake Orange
The water temperature at Lake Orange is now in the mid 50s and climbing fast. Largemouth bass and crappie are moving shallow, feeding on bait fish. The bass are being caught on crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Crappie are being caught on both small minnows and jigs. A couple of nice walleye have been caught on nightcrawlers and minnows. The best walleye action has been uplake near the dam.
Contributed by Darrell Kennedy of Anglers Landing at 540-672-3997
Chickahominy Lake
Chickahominy Lake mid-day water temperatures are in the low to mid 60’s. The lake level was a few inches above the top of the dam.
Fishing with Capt. Conway, Gene and Ellie Kirsch had 7 crappie, 2 yellow perch, and 4 pickerel. Steve and Mitch Kovak had 1 bluegill, 4 crappie, and 2 yellow perch.
Potomac River
Things are drying out, says Capt. Steve Chaconas. The grass is growing and fish are biting. Find the grass and work the areas over with moving lures. Water is in the low 50s and going higher.
Red lipless crankbaits on 12 pound test Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line crawled over and through grass will get bites. Pay attention to slight taps, as the bite often is slight. Contact grass and snap free. Allow lures to hesitate on the fall. Faster reels catch up to fish to load the rod for hooksets, sweeps. Mann’s Baby 1-Minus on 12-pound Edge can work wood cover with deflection and snapped out of grass. Rods are important too. Medium action with a good stiff butt section allows fish to take in lures and enable snaps out of grass and good hooksets.
Shenandoah River
High water slowed the action, but before Mondays’ deluge, bass fishing had improved with smallmouth bass taking live minnows, nightcrawlers and small, slowly-fished artificial baits. Largemouth bass were hitting plastic worms, grubs, jig ‘n pigs, spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Catfish are becoming very active with cut bait, minnows and nightcrawlers taking the majority.
Lake Anna
The bass are on a post spawn pattern down lake where the water is clear, but up lake, the males have moved back in the coves. The egg laden females are still on points adjacent to the coves. Carolina-rigged plastic lizards are the most effective baits, although some fish are being taken on crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Striper fishing is best early and late in the day, with Sassy Shads and Bass Assassins, fished on the flats adjacent to main channel points. Crappie fishing remains excellent, with the tasty fish being caught on live minnows and tiny jigs around beaver huts, bridge pilings and suspended over creek channels.
James River
The upper James MAY be fishable by the weekend, but it’s a mud hole now. In the lower James, lots of nice largemouth are being caught in the tidal sections particularly in the lower creeks. Blue catfish are cooperating nicely on cut bait in the river channels just below the city. Above the city, smallmouth bass were taking tiny crankbaits, buzzbaits and plastic worms and grubs.
Chickahominy River
Lots of bass in the 3-4 pound range are being taken on small crankbaits, plastic worms and grubs, and topwater lures. Anglers using large minnows on the edges of the lily pads are catching some big gar fish. Big bream are being caught on nightcrawlers. Catfish are taking cut bait throughout the river.
Buggs Island
The lake is stained at the upper end and clear at the lower end. The water level is at 302 and recent rains should show it rising. Down lake, bass are holding on drop-offs adjacent to the buck brush, on points, and in brush piles. Uplake from Clarksville, bass are holding on creek channel drop-offs and cruising the flooded gum trees. Better choices of baits include plastic worms and lizards and Yamamoto Senkos, fished nearly weightless. Crappie are taking bass baits throughout the lake, as they are now very aggressive. Lots of 2-3 pound crappie are being caught.
Smith Mountain Lake
There has been excellent striper fishing around Cedar Key. Some of the fish have weighed up to 30 pounds. Lots of 10 to 12 pound stripers are hitting Cordell Red Fins and Rebel Spoonbill plugs at night at the lower end of the lake. Bass anglers are catching good numbers of fish on spinnerbaits and plastic worms along rocky points and boat docks.
Leesville Reservoir
Striper fishing has been good, with live shad, bucktails and Cordell Redfins the best baits. Below the dam, striper action is good in the Staunton River. Bass fishing is fair, with most of the fish going for buzzbaits.
Lake Moomaw
Crappie action is excellent, with some fish over two pounds. The larger fish are located in 12-15 feet of water. Plastic worms are taking smallmouth bass to five pounds. A few large trout have been caught on minnows, fished after dark.