The South River in Waynesboro has been a hotspot in spite of the cooling temperatures. Tommy Lawhorne at the South River Fly Shop said that the water levels were great (before the Thursday rain) and some big browns and ‘bows were coming to net.
“”Fly fishermen with good nymphing skills have been doing very well,” Tommy acknowledged. “Brown caddis in a size 16 are still hatching and some blue winged olives in a size 18 are starting to show.”
Streamer fishing should pick up after the high water from the rain. Expect water levels to return to nearly normal by Saturday or Sunday.
Tommy noted that he had been getting few reports from the lower Jackson with a very low water flow at 150cfs. That should change after the mid week rain.
Good reports, however, are coming from the Delayed Harvest section of Back Creek below the pump storage area.
“Lots of nice fish and very little pressure,” he said.
Trout Stocking This Week
Amherst Co.: Davis Mill Creek (11/17); Pedlar River (Upper) (11/17)
Botetourt Co.: Jennings Creek (11/18); Middle Creek (11/18)
Carroll Co.: Crooked Creek (11/17); Little Reed Island Creek (11/17)
Montgomery Co.: Poverty Creek (11/17); Toms Creek (11/17)
Russell Co.: Big Cedar Creek (11/18)
Shenandoah Co.: Tomahawk Pond (11/17)
Smyth Co.: Middle Fork Holston River (Marion & Chilhowie) (11/18)
Tazewell Co.: Little Tumbling Creek (11/17)
Washington Co.: Big Tumbling Creek (11/17)
Wise Co.: Middle Fork Powell River (Appalachia) (11/16); South Fork Powell River (11/16)
Potomac River
Settling in on Fall Fishing
Cooler water temperatures and no hydrilla. Get moving with crankbaits and spinnerbaits, targeting hard cover. Water temperatures will hover in the low 50s this week.
Speed is key, a function of water temperature and clarity. Start with medium retrieves with Mann’s Baby 1-Minus and squarebills like Lucky Craft 1.5 and 2.5 crankbaits. Use 12-pound test Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line on a medium-action cranking rod. Contact hard cover and fish along the sides of docks and rip rap edges. Sunken barges heat up too.
Low tide comes during the heat of the day this week opening the opportunity to try topwaters one more time with calm water and a few clouds. Make long casts with a Lucky Craft G-Splash on 10-pound test Copoly line. Pop and stop to wait for fish to come up. Pulls instead of pops work well too.
Pitch docks with Texas rigged green pumpkin Mizmo tubes on 3/0 Mustad Ultra Point tube hooks. Use 12-pound Edge line with a 3/16-ounce weight. Start on deeper ends of docks. Also target shoreline cover. If around milfoil grass, pitch to remaining live clumps.
Spinnerbaits work as well, tied to 12-pound test Edge. Try 1/4 or 3/8 ounce gold Colorado blades around milfoil grass or wood cover. If water is clearer with cloud cover or chop, use a willow/Colorado combo and increase speed. White skirts in stained water. White and chartreuse skirts in clearer water.
Capt. Steve Chaconas is a guide on the Potomac River. info@nationalbass.com
Capt. Art Conway of Conway’s River Rat Guide Service (804-746-2475) out of Ed Allen’s Boats and Bait reported that Chickahominy Lake mid-day water temperatures were in the low 50’s in the main lake on Wednesday (11/18/2015). The lake level was a few inches above the top of the dam. The water was medium brown and very slightly cloudy in the central lower lake.
Blue cats and a few bullheads were moving toward the channels and winter holes and were hitting live minnows and cut bait. Moderate numbers of crappie were in loose schools in the main lake on deeper flats and channel edges, usually at depths of 7 to 15 feet, sometimes suspended, and frequently in the neighborhood of wood cover. Active crappie were hitting live minnows, Wright Bait Co. curlytail jigs, small tubes, Kalin crappie scrubs, small swim baits, jigging spoons, and blade baits. Some small to medium yellow perch were scattered on main lake flats and on flats in creek mouths and were hitting live minnows, small jerk baits, and small jigs. A few bluegills and shellcrackers were scattered along some shorelines and shallow flats and were hitting live crickets and worms and small jigs. Many bluegills and shellcrackers had moved to the deep edges of hydrilla flats, to mid-depth wood cover, or into channel edges and were hitting live crickets and worms, small blade baits, tubes, and jigs. Some bass and pickerel were on lily pad flats and along shorelines in lower reaches of major creeks and in shallow bays and some shorelines in the main lake, while other bass and a few pickerel were on deeper flats and channel edges in the main lake. Bass and pickerel were hitting live minnows, spinnerbaits, swim baits, stick worms, crank baits, jerk baits, and jigs.
Fishing with Capt. Conway, Abe and John Longmire had 9 crappie, 1 warmouth, 5 blue cats, and 2 bass. Floyd Geouge and Duane DeVane had 7 crappie, 1 blue cat and 1 bass. Capt. Bill Buck and Tom Porter had 3 bluegills, 21 crappie, 2 yellow perch, 2 pickerel, and 1 bass.