Excellent conditions now exist on all our mountain brook trout streams, and many brookies will still rise to a fluffy dry fly, like a Wulff, Humpy or Mr., Rapidan. Spring creeks in the valley are fishing well and trout are looking for wayward crickets and beetles.
Trout Stocking
The following streams were stocked this week:
Bath Co.: Douthat Lake & Wilson Creek (11/2);
Botetourt Co.: Roaring Run (11/3)
Buchanan Co.: Dismal River (11/2)
Floyd Co.: Laurel Fork (11/2)
Frederick Co.: Clearbrook Lake (11/2), Wilkins Lake (11/2)
Giles Co.: Wolf Creek (11/3)
Montgomery Co.: Craig Creek (11/4)
Page Co.: Hawksbill Creek (11/4)
Rockingham Co.: Briery Branch Lake (11/4); Hone Quarry Lake (11/4); Hone Quarry Run (11/4)
Scott Co.: Bark Camp Lake (11/4); Stock Creek (11/4)
Washington Co.: Whitetop Laurel (Upper) (11/3); Whitetop Laurel (Lower) (11/3); Tennessee Laurel (11/3)
Chickahominy River Bass
The Chickahominy River is known for largemouth bass. Many tournament anglers on the James will make long runs to the Chick to help fill up their live wells. There are lots of quality bass in the Chick, generally 1 to 5 pound fish. Rarely does the Chick give up a citation largemouth (8 pounds) and rarer yet, one over 10 pounds. But last weekend, Johnny Fuller caught a huge 11-2 largemouth. Fuller was fishing the final event of the Chickahominy Anglers tournament series when the big girl hit. A five fish limit from Fuller weighed an impressive 22.82 pounds.
Mike Johncox at Riverside Camp in Lanexa noted that Fuller’s fish was the largest bass he’d seen this year. “There were plenty of five fish limits,” Mike said.
Just two weeks ago, Johncox reported that the Chick was also giving up loads of nice crappie as well as some trophy size catfish and keeper sized striped bass. Riverside Camp rents boats and motors, sells bait and tackle and generously shares information ad tips. Sounds like a fishing trip to the Chickahominy River might be in order.
Potomac River
Fall Forward into Fall Fishing
Crankbaits and spinnerbaits cover water to pick off
aggressive fish, but soft plastics can also be fished fast.
Water temperature is holding steady at 60 and hydrilla
is getting easier to fish. Milfoil is still providing the best fishing
opportunity. A warmer week toward Friday with almost no chance of rain. Mid 60s on Monday with a cool upper 40s start. Mid 70s by Friday with morning temperature around 60.
Morning low tides might provide a sliver of a topwater bite. Clear, calm water is best. Use a Lucky Craft G-Splash popper. Pop, pull
and try to taunt bass into coming to take a look. Otherwise take an aggressive approach. Start with Mann’s Baby 1-Minus on 12-pound test GAMMA Edge fluorocarbon line. Vary retrieves, but faster is going to trigger strikes. Rip from grass.
As the tide rolls in, use lures that go deeper. Lucky Craft 1.5 crankbaits and lipless LVR D-7 in shad patterns with sun and clear water or craw when cloudy or with stained water.
Speed pitch soft plastic Mizmo tubes. Stay away from
very clear water. Pitch to hydrilla holes and to milfoil clumps. Texas rig green pumpkin tubes with 3/0 Mustad Ultra Point tube hooks on 12-pound Edge fluorocarbon line. Target docks, especially when the sun comes up. Start on deeper ends and move in. Take note of the depth in an area and how far from deeper grass. Spinnerbaits are also a good choice. White skirts with
double willow blades. One gold, one nickel. Tie to 12-pound Edge and burn across grass edges, ripping through grass.
Capt. Steve Chaconas is a guide on the Potomac River.
Chickahominy Lake
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 60’s in the main lake on Wednesday. The lake level was about even with the top of the dam. The water was light brown and slightly cloudy in the central lower lake.
Blue cats and a few bullheads were still scattered throughout much of the lake, but 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. Some bluegills and shellcrackers had moved back 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, with some topwater action early and late on many days.
Fishing with Capt. Conway, Mickey Cleveland had 3 bluegills, 24 crappie, and 1 bass. Tom Porter had 25 bluegills, 1 shellcracker, 4 crappie, 1 yellow perch and 1 white perch.
River Report
The James, New and Shenandoah are all in great conditions, except for an abundance of falling leaves. The water is clear and chilly, having dropped into the 60-degree range. Small bass will be hitting for a few more weeks, then they will shut down for the winter, leaving only the big boys willing to bite.