virginia fishing report

[jackdaniels]

Sarah White's Notebook - Regional River and Lake Reports on Fishing Conditions

Region 1 - Tidewater


Beaverdam Reservoir: Contributed by C. Eddie Hester, Park Ranger, (804) 693-2107. C. Blair Evans, Park Supervisor, told me that the bass bite is slow, but some have had luck with deep running cranks. Crappie season is pretty much over. Cat action is good late in the evening with chicken livers. The park closes at 8:30 p.m. Bluegill are hitting on crickets and worms. The park sells worms, but not crickets. The water is clear and 85 degrees.

Little Creek Reservoir: (757) 566-1702. No report this edition.

Virginia Beach: Captain Jim Brincefield (443) 336-8756. Captain Jim reports that the cobia are biting well around buoys and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. They are going for bucktails and live eels. Bluefish are attacking spoons at Cape Henry. Puppy drum can be found at the Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets. Try Fishbite, Mirrolures or Gotcha Plugs. Flounder angling is improving, with larger fish being landed. They will go for small live spots. The water is clear and 84 degrees.

Chickahominy River: River's Rest (804) 829-2753. Charlie Brown says that some 3 to 5 pound bass have been brought to boat. Spinners are a good bet. Some crappie are responding to spinners and small worms. Cat action is good and steady. Try live or cut eels or alewives. Bluegill are hanging around the docks and will bite worms and crickets. The water is slightly stained and 88 degrees.

North Landing River and Back Bay: West Neck Marina (757) 426-6735. Dewey Mullins reports that bass fishing is good early and late with top waters. During the day dark colored plastics are working. No word on crappie. Lots of cats are being landed, both blue and channel. White perch are there to be had with small jigs, small spinners and live worms. Bluegill are plentiful, with red wigglers being a good bet; or, if you are a fly fisherman, poppers. The water is clear and in the high 70s to low 80s.

Norfolk Lakes: Dasheill's Show Room (757) 539-7854. Drew Dixon told me that the heat has kept anglers away for the most part. A few bass have been landed with plastic worms. Not many crappie have been brought in. Cat action is okay in the Nansemond. Perch have been scarce. The water is clear, low and in the low 80s.

Blackwater and Nottoway: By Riverkeeper Jeff Turner www.blackwaternottoway.com This a very busy time of the year on our waterways. Ramps are crowded and tempers can flare. Do your part to keep things safe and calm and here are a few tips that can help with that. Don't wait till you back down the ramp to get your boat ready to launch, do that in the parking lot. Likewise, when you pull your boat out of the water, wait until you get off the ramp to secure your rig for travel, don't do it on the ramp.

Upper and Lower Tidal James: Local Guide, Captain Mike Hoke, Life's Revenge Guide Service, (804) 357-8518. According to Captain Mike, the bass bite is hit and miss, with soft plastics being good during the day. No word on crappie. Cat action is good with some 50 pound blues being fooled by live eels. The water is stained and 83 degrees.

Upper and Lower Tidal James: Local Guide, John Garland, Screaming Reels Fishing Charter, (804) 739-8810. No report this edition.

Upper and Lower Tidal James: Capt. Mike Ostrander, James River Fishing School, Discover the James, (804) 938-2350. No report this edition.

Region 2 - Southside

Lake Gordon: Contributed by our man in the boat Willard A. Mayes. Another two weeks behind us with scalding temperatures and the boat sitting lonely in its shed so I hooked old blue to it and headed for lake Gordon with the promise that the temp would be in the low 90s. Packed plenty of liquids as well as my twister tails and popping bugs, arriving at the lake by 9:30. The water is lower than I have ever seen it and visible to only about a foot or so somewhere between brown and green stain. I tried the fly rod but did not have much luck, I only caught three just big enough to feed to my cats, so I switched over to the spinning rod using 1/32 lead head with purple and chartreuse 2 inch twister tails. I had better luck with the chartreuse than the purple because of the darkness of the water. I fished from the ramp all the way to the flats only catching enough to keep you fishing. I caught most of the bluegill in 4 ft. of water somewhat close to the shore along with 1 eleven inch bass, I caught all the rest in 4 ft. or more water in the center of the lake. I finished the day with 6 crappie in the 8 to 9 inch range, 3 white perch around 8 inches and 11 bluegill 6 to 8 inches. I'm not sure if my luck or lack of luck was due to the recent rains or the fact that the water is very warm or the fact that I did not find the way they wanted the bait presented. Always another day.

Sandy River and Briery Creek: Contributed by Longwood College Fishing Club's Jack Pollio. In the Sandy and Briery both, water surface temp is between 84 to 89; sometimes higher in the heat of the day. Smaller bass are easily caught but I have not heard of many bigger fish. I caught some 6 inch bass on finesse baits like little cranks in shad and perch colors. I also caught small bass dragging a Carolina rig with 18 to 32 inch leader tipped with a 6 inch black finesse worm or green pumpkin with chartreuse tail. You can also catch smaller bass dragging a Texas rigged worm thrown at cover on structures like ditches or points. The bream/bluegill/sunfish should be biting fairly well on crickets and red worms or little 1 inch grubs in green, white, yellow or red colors along the shore line. I like targeting areas with the buggy whip reeds where there is a mixture of hard and muddy bottoms. I hope people brave the heat and get out there some. The big bass can be caught even in the dog days!

James at Scottsville: Local Guide L.E. Rhodes www.hatchmatcherguideservice.com, (434) 286-3366. The James has been on fire! Smallmouth up to and over 20 inches are feeding. Fly anglers dead drifting Olive-Brown or Blue poppers in the shadows are bring quality fish to the boat. Streamer patterns fished along the shelves with quick strips that make the fly jump are also producing strikes. Conventional anglers throwing prop baits to the bank are seeing explosive hits. Smaller buzz baits thrown to mid stream structure are also producing fish. Stick with the soft plastics when fishing the deeper holes.

Kerr Reservoir: Bob Cat's Lake Country Store, (434) 374-8381. Taken from the Bob's website.

Striper: Size and numbers are starting to pick up as fish are moving back into the lake. Fishermen are finding fish in the Goat Island area and up to Eastland Creek. They are trolling bucktails, deep diving red fins and Capt. Mack's umbrella rigs with downriggers. Heavy jigging spoons in the 2 ¼ to 4 oz. range on main lake points in the Nutbush area will soon pick up.

Catfish: Fishing for cats remains good with blues in the 20 to 40 lb. range being caught and flatheads in the 30 to 40 lb. range. Fish can be found from the mouth of rivers to Goats Island. Fishermen are anchoring on main channel breaks fishing with shad, bream, and jumbo shiners. Noodling has also picked up in major creeks.

Crappie: Fish have moved to their summer hideouts. Deep brushpiles around main lake points in the 15 to 30 ft. range. Fishermen are reporting catching fish up to 1 ½ lbs. Most are casting jigs like Bobby Garland, Kalins and Southern Pro and are also using the slip cork method.

Bass: Fish are being found in all depths. Fishermen are reporting finding topwater fish early using Zara Spooks & Splash-It's. They are catching them around bridge poles with crankbaits, flick shake rig and shakey heads. Deeper fish can be found in the 15 to 25 ft. range using big worms 10 to 12 in., Carolina rigs, football jigs and deep crankbaits like Bill Norman DD-22, Spro DD Little Johns and Rapala DT's.

James at Lynchburg: Angler's Lane, (434) 385-0200. Doug Lane says that smallmouth angling is good these days. Try Blue Poppers, Damsel Imitation Poppers and Olive Brown Buggers. Rainbows and browns are being landed on the Smith and Jackson Rivers on Pheasant Tails. The water in these areas is clear and in the mid 50s.

Lake Gaston: Holly Grove Marina (434) 636-3455. Craig Karpinski reports that bass fishing is okay, with a citation largemouth of 8 lbs. being brought in recently. Local bass are going for top waters early and late and suspended plugs during the day. Crappie fishing is slow, try a small minnow 8 to12 ft. down. Cats are responding to stinkbaits and frozen shad. Perch are hit or miss, with small spinners and worms having the most success. Bream are biting worms and crickets. The water is slightly stained and in the low to high 80s.

Lake Gaston Health Advisory: The Virginia Department of Health has issued an advisory on walleye fish consumption due to mercury contamination in Lake Gaston. Recent fish tissue sample results from the North Carolina Division of Public Health show mercury levels in walleye fish exceed the amount considered safe for long term human consumption. VDH advises the consumption of no more than two meals a month of walleye taken from Lake Gaston. Virginia's advisory stretches from John H. Kerr Dam downstream 18 miles to the Virginia-North Carolina state line. For additional details, visit the VDH fish consumption advisory page.

Smith Mountain Lake: Contributed by Mike Snead. Virginia Outdoorsman, (540) 724-4867, www.virginiaoutdoorsman.com.

Stripers: Striper fishing continues to be mixed. Most of the striped bass that are being caught are still being found in the middle and lower sections of the lake. Stripers continue to school and are found in deep-water creeks and in the main channel, often near submerged timber and the old river channel. Once located, striped bass are being caught from 35 to 65 feet below the surface on downlines using live shiners and shad. These deep water stripers are also being caught by anglers vertically jigging with Cotton Cordell, Hopkins and Kastmaster spoons or flukes rigged on lead headed jigs. Trolling is another very effective and popular technique used to locate and catch striped bass this time of the year. Stripers are being caught trolling 3 and 4 arm Umbrella rigs (Urigs). They are also hitting Sutton Spoons, swimshad and bucktails with trailers trolled on the traditional three-way rig.

Bass: Bass fishing this past week was tougher than usual and tournament weights were off a little. Largemouth continue to be caught while suspending on deep-water dock pilings. Lures including a light shakey head jig, Yamamoto Senko worm and weighted tube are all working. Drop shot rigs are also working on these fish as well as those found suspended in deep water off points.

Catfish: Channel catfish continue to be caught on bottom rigs using Magic Catfish Baits rigged on a spring hook. Flathead catfish are hitting shad, live shiners, panfish and night crawlers. Flatheads can be caught on bottom rigs during the day and night and on shallow float rigs after dark.

If you want to learn about fishing in Smith Mountain Lake and surrounding waters, consider attending one of our evening workshops. We have a "Fishing Basics" session on August 19th. It is a "hands on" class designed for new anglers and those who have fished before, but are seeking a refresher course on the latest techniques, rigs and lures. Seating is limited and advance registration is required. The water is clear and 85 degrees. Tight lines.

Region 3 - Southwest

Claytor Lake: Rock House Marina, (540) 980-1488. Contributed by Mike Burchett:

Bass: The weather has got HOTTER and slowed down the bass bite tremendously. The bass have moved deeper. A drop shot with a 4 ½ inch Roboworm is the best bet to entice the deep non-aggressive bass. A 3/8 ounce Paca Bug Football finesse jig combined with a Paca chunk in any green pumpkin color combo is also a good lure for a slow deep presentation. You can still get a few quality bites in the grass. If the grass is topped out and thick, the Tru-Tungsten Mad Maxx frog is a good bet. If the grass is still below the surface try a small crank bait like the Lucky Craft B.D.S. Marty or S.K.T. Mini. Try ticking the top of the grass and getting a reaction bite. Accent lures double bladed buzz-bait has tricked a few bass also. After dark try slow rolling a Jolt spinnerbait or dark colored chatterbait. Our weekly Tuesday night tournament at the Rock House Marina was won by Ralph Jones and Chris Eads with 8.68 lbs. For more info on the Tuesday night tournaments call Mike at (540) 980-1488.

Crappie: Haven't heard or seen anything on crappies.

Bluegill/Panfish: Get some night crawlers and head to any dock or back of a cove and you find plenty of action and fun.

Stripers: Stripers are being caught up lake at the mouth of Clapboard hollow and the stump fields by trolling umbrella rigs with bucktails or swim baits. At the mouth of Dublin Hollow and around the Dam area of the lake from approximately 11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. the shad are up on the surface. Walking a Storm Thunderstick or Cotton Cordell Redfin across the surface can lead to exciting top water activity.

Catfish: Starting hear a few reports that they are being caught at night time in peak creak using live shad as bait.

The water is clear and in the low to mid 80s.

Upper New River: Contributed by Captain Forest Pressnell, (540) 818-5274, New River Charter. Well, speaking of fishing on the Upper New River, recent rains have made the water very dingy, making for tough fishing. Shad from Claytor Lake are working their way up the river but water levels are too low for the striper and hybrid to follow them. Spinnerbaits are a good call for the smallmouths right now but look to tubes, flukes and Senkos as the water clears. Top water is a good bet early and late in the day as well as all day if it is cloudy. Muskie action has been hot, just have to be on the water and throw the big stuff a lot. Walleye are slow on the bright sunny days but hitting spinner baits and jerk baits on cloudy days. From looking in the shallows it would appear there have been good survival rates on this year's spawn of small mouth and sunfish on the river. Numerous channel cats in the 12 to18 inch range are showing up and the carp are well represented for those who like to go after theses battling bruisers.

Lower New River: Big Z'S (540) 639-1651. High temperatures have made the River low and the fishing slow. Some bass are going for Gitzit tube bait, color T4 brown. The muskies are still in their summer holes and you're not likely to see one. The water is very clear and 82 degrees.

New River: Tangent Outfitters, (540) 257-0415. No report this edition.

Region 4 - Mountain and Shenandoah Valley

North and South Forks of the Shenandoah: Harry Murray (540) 984-4212 www.murraysflyshop.com. Master of all things fly, Harry let me know that the smallmouth streams in both the North and South forks of the River are in really good shape right now. The best spot in the North fork is between Edinburg and Tom's Brook. In the South fork, it's between Luray and Bentonville. Good flies are: Murray's Magnum Creek Chub, size 4; Murray's Magnum Bluegill, size 4; and the Shenandoah Blue Popper, size 6. The water is clear and 78 degrees. In the stocked streams in the Valley, fishing is good below the riffles and in deep pools. Good flies are: the Betsy Streamer, size 12; Murray's Cranefly Larva, size 12; and the Mr. Rapidan Emerger, size12. The water is clear, low and 78 degrees.

Many of the mountain streams are very low, but the recent rains have helped a few of them. Your best bet is to fish from the high gradient sections of the stream, as you are less likely to scare away the fish. Good flies are: Murray's Inchworm, size 14; Murray's Housefly, size 16; and Murray's Flying Beetle, sizes 16 and 18. Remember that Harry updates conditions every Friday on his website.

Lake Moomaw: Local Guide, Mike Puffenbarger, (540) 468-2682, www.mapletreeoutdoors.com. No report this edition.

Region 5 - Northern Piedmont

Piedmont Rivers: Local author Steve Moore, SwitchFisher.com / Wade and Shoreline Fishing the Potomac River - DC to Harpers Ferry. Reports have been mixed. Some indicate excellent results; others reluctantly suffer an brief instant of angler honesty and report the opposite. Guess it depends on where and when you go fishing. The rain last week injected a welcome blast of cool water into all of the major Piedmont area rivers. By the time you read this, the silt that accompanied the rain should have dispersed and the fishing will improve accordingly. Excellent reports have been coming from the Upper Potomac between Brunswick and Harpers Ferry with decent numbers of small bass caught a half mile downstream of the Brunswick Family Campground. Water temperature is back into the high 70s; prompting increased activity. The underwater vegetation has now reached its annual "obnoxious" stage of growth – especially at Pennyfield, Sycamore and above Lander. Go weedless and cast to the edges... if you can find them. In addition, the Rappahannock at the Rappahannock River Campground (walk downstream ½ mile) and Snake Castle Rock are both producing some nice fish. The area on the Rappahannock between Motts Run and the Clore Brothers launch is not doing as well. Farther upstream at the Phelps Wildlife Management Area, the only good results have come from those hardy enough to brave the 3.5 mile hike/bike from the Sumerduck entrance to the river. If you do that, fish upstream and target the dual log jams about ½ mile upriver. Downstream from the pipeline access at Phelps is normally good, but not right now. American Whitewater continues to caution that both the Rappahannock and Rapidan remain below recommended levels for an enjoyable float. Trout hunters need to avoid the mountain streams that are now just a trickle of water oozing down the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge. Instead, fish the cold tailwater of the North Branch of the Potomac or head to the Jackson.

Lake Orange: Contributed by Darrell Kennedy of Angler's Landing (540) 672-3997. The water is clear to stained with temperatures in the mid 80s. Largemouth bass are biting on soft plastics near brush piles in 8 to10 ft. of water. Top water baits are your best option during low light periods of the day. Catfishing remains strong throughout the lake on live bait and chicken livers. A few nice walleye were caught this week on live bait. Crappie are hanging out in 10 to 15 ft. of water around brush piles and off the fishing pier. A few crappie have also been caught while trolling with small jigs and live bait.

Our 12th Annual Youth Fishing Day sponsored by the Gordonsville Lions Club is Saturday, September 25th from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. We will have recognition for: Largest fish caught, Largest Largemouth bass, Largest Catfish, Largest Bream, Largest Crappie, as well as many other categories too! Event is open to any child who can hold a fishing pole up to age 16. Fishing is permitted from the shoreline, from your boat or from one of the rental boats available at Lake Orange. Come make a day of it, bring the family to Lake Orange! This Event is FREE! Registration begins at 11:00 a.m. to acknowledge all of the participants!

Mid Point Potomac: Warbird Outdoors, (703) 878-3111. Chuck Perry says that the heat has kept most anglers away. The bass bite is slow. There has been no word on crappie or cats. The water is slightly stained and very warm.

Potomac: Outdoor writer and fishing guide, Charlie Taylor provides a weekly Fishing Report for the Potomac River and other NOVA lakes and rivers, which may be accessed at any time at: http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeqbewt/. This web-report is updated every Thursday afternoon.

Lake Anna: Contributed by C. C. McCotter, Local guide and Editor-In Chief, Woods & Waters Magazine, (540) 894-5960. No report this edition.

Lake Anna: Contributed by Local Guide Jim Hemby (540) 967-3313.

Stripers: This has been one of the hottest years on record, water temperatures have been near 90 degrees all of July, but the striper fishing has been hotter than the weather. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries have done a spectacular job of managing the lake and our catches this year reflect this excellent work. We have been catching our limits all year, and in July we have been limiting out usually before 9 a.m. August fishing should prove to be as good but the stripers will be moving more, working their way to shallower and more oxygenated waters. Fish will be moving toward the backs of creeks and further up lake following the bait migrations especially if we experience some cooling rains. Most any bait will catch these fish but Pencil Poppers and Pop R's will work the best. The deep bite is still on and once you locate the fish on your depth finder you can troll Deep Diving Redfins, drop rigs or umbrella rigs to catch fish. Some days the stripers will move right up on the bank to feed, especially in low light conditions. Both herring and gizzards will catch stripers this month, we have been using the herring on downlines when the fish are deeper and the gizz on boards to catch the larger fish.

Bass: There are two basic patterns to rely on this month that will put bass in the boat. Main lake points, humps, roadbeds and bridges hold bass with numerous techniques catching fish. Deep diving crank baits are working well now along with 10 to 12 inch worms rigged either Texas style for cover or Carolina style for covering larger areas. If you prefer shallow water fishing, bass are feeding heavily in the backs of the creeks on humps, rocks, stumps and ledges. The fish will be extremely shallow up the rivers and creeks. Shallow running crankbaits and spinnerbaits work excellent in these stained waters. Bass will be up on the flats when they are aggressively feeding and will pull back to the ledges of the creek or river channel in adverse conditions. The baitfish will tell you where the bass are; find the bait and the bass will be nearby. Good areas that are holding bass are at the bridge in Contrary and also the humps and ledges back by the proposed golf course, all the way up the rivers as far as you dare to travel, back behind the bridge in Christopher Run, the back of Terry's, and main lake fish are schooling on many of the fish structures.

Crappie: Nice crappie are being caught on the bridges, ledges and deep docks that have brush underneath them. At night, crappie are all over docks with lights on them. I can't keep the crappie out of my net when I am throwing for bait in the mornings. Later in the month the fish will move very shallow and can be caught in 4 to 10 feet of water. They will be feeding on threadfin shad about 2 inches in length. Keep your baits small this month to imitate the shad they are feeding on.

Catfish: Cats are everywhere feeding on everything in sight. Simply use a fish finder rig with either live minnows, cut bait or stink baits fished on the bottom. They love this water temperature and are probably the easiest fish to catch this month.

NOTICE: All anglers are reminded to acquaint themselves with a good description of the northern snakehead fish. If you should manage to catch one of these exotic imports, please kill it immediately and report the catch to either the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries or the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

View video about the snakehead