FISHING REPORTS

Mccotter's Lake Anna Guide Service

Largemouth Bass - The fish is going to get trickier before it gets better as the late summer feeding frenzy ends and the fish begin to migrate to the back of tributaries and relocate. Small threadfin shad are everywhere and that makes it tough to catch a bass on a big bait. If you can find bass eating crawdads, bluegills, herring or gizzard shad you'll find bigger bass. The up lake region where this usually occurs the best. A shallow diving crankbait is effective now when bass are chasing bait. A Tiger Shad Lake Anna Special is effective when they are holding on grass and ambushing a foot or so off of it. Mid lake bass tend to follow herring into the larger creeks. Soft plastic jerkbaits like a Zoom Super Fluke are good when you see them chasing bait. Down lake bass are schooled on bait in the backs of creeks. Topwaters and swimbaits are best there.

Striper & Wiper - Fish are moving up lake on their annual migration. You'll find the most keepers from The Splits all the way up into the top of each branch. Swimbaits, topwaters and soft plastic jerkbaits are your best bets. Birds will begin to be helpful fish locators in the lower up lake region. Hot spots should be Rose Valley, Jetts Island and just above Stubbs Bridge until the fish move further up lake. Trolling and jigging can also be productive early in the fall. Some fish will remain in the down lake region from Dike I to Dike 2.

Crappie - All bridge pilings will be holding fish now if you are the first to fish them. All that brush you dropped back in February should have them, too. The best depths will be 12-18' in the lower, up lake region and 5-10' in the up lake region. Brush piles are the best, rocks are good as are certain up lake docks. 2" jigs on 1/8 or 1/16-oz. jig heads are good on 6-lb. test as are small minnows fished under slip bobbers.Please refrain from keeping any crappie under 10" and try and rotate your fishing spots so our freckles remain plentiful and grow large!