FISHING REPORTS

McCotter’s Lake Anna Guide Service Fishing Report- Early April

Lake Anna, Va. - It’s a great time to visit Lake Anna in search of a big bass, striper/wiper or crappie. You may even luck into a saugeye. Water temperatures flirt with 60 in the afternoon down lake, the upper 50’s mid lake and up. Here’s what you can expect this month.

Largemouth Bass - Some bass are now bedding mid and down lake. You’ll find them on docks, rocks, stumps and in willow grass 2-5’ deep. Neko rigs, drop shot, wacky rig and other finesse tactics work. Other bass are prespawn in the same areas (more mid lake) and can be caught deeper using shakey head worms and Ned rigs. Up lake bass are not spawning yet but will be on the next full moon in April. Target them along willowgrass edges around The Splits with creature baits, jigs, and Neko rigs. The farther up you go the shallower the fish spawn and the more power fishing you can try like shallow diving crankbaits, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits.

Striper/Wiper - Most are being caught in the upper end of the lake, both North Anna and Pamunkey Branch. Use suspending jerkbaits and swimbaits along the first drop off the bank - 3-6’ deep. Hot spots have been around the Harris Bridge in the North Anna and around the mouth of Terry’s Run in the Pamunkey.

Crappie - Spawning activity has begun all over the lake. You’ll find the best fishing way up in Gold Mine Creek (North Anna) and in the S-Turns of the Pamunkey Branch as well as between the bridges. Willow grass is best in the North Anna. Wood is best in the Pamunkey Branch. Use 2” jigs on a 1/16 oz head before fish bed and minnows on slip bobbers when they do.

Report furnished by LAKE ANNA STRIPER GUIDE SERVICE

BASS: The lake has warmed greatly this past week, raising water temps into the upper 60’s. Many lower end fish have moved to beds and many more will with the sunny, warm weather. A great tried and true technique for these fish is to barely twitching a floating Rapala in place nearby a boulder or stump. Predator type baits work wonderfully during the spawn, Hula Grubs, Senkos, Baby Brush Hogs are some of the best. It is hard to beat sight fishing mid and down lake in the clearer water, concentrate your efforts looking for 30 degree gently sloping banks with sand or gravel bottoms with scattered stumps.. The backs of main lake pockets and coves all hold Bass and are easier to fish if you want to avoid the wind. Up lake where the water is stained, best patterns are to work structures, grassbeds, docks, rocks piles, stumps, etc. with moving vibrating baits. Docks in and around marina’s hold large numbers of Bass, many tournaments are won fishing in these areas. Just about any technique you use will work this month, just concentrate your efforts in 10 feet or less.

STRIPERS: . Now that the temps are steadily rising the Stripers are feeding heavily and are beginning to spawn. Stripers are feeding all over the lake now on 5 to 15 foot flats, humps and points. Just about every shallow flat and primary point on the lake and near the mouths of creeks are producing nice catches. Stripers are feeding from all the way up the rivers down to the Dam and are not being selective of what they want to eat gorging themselves on Gizzard Shad. April weather is usually not very stable. When we have warming trends the fish feed more aggressively, feeding shallow and feeding often. When the fish are feeding in the upper water column we are running Gizzard Shad on planner boards, bobbers and freelines. Conversely when cold fronts blow through the fish will not be as aggressive and will usually back off to deeper water, anglers will have to put their live bait right in the faces of the Stripers to entice strikes.. Fisherman who fish with artificial baits will also get some explosive results by throwing top water baits like Spooks, waking a Redfin, popping Chuggar type baits and casting Sassy/Sea Shads.

CRAPPIE: Locating the fish is very simple. Most shallow docks where baitfish are present will hold Crappie especially where there is some cover present. Every dock uplake above Hunters Landing has Crappie under them. Usually the larger fish will attack your offerings first, fish till you catch little fish then move on. Other great areas to fish are Beaver huts, shallow brushpiles, shallow rockpiles, stumps and especially the shoreline grassbeds in the North Anna.. Once you locate the area where the larger fish are holding, try some small and medium minnows under a bobber.

Report furnished by LAKE ANNA STRIPER GUIDE SERVICE