FISHING REPORTS
Late Summer Lake Anna 2026
Water Temps in Mid to Upper 80s
McCotter's Lake Anna Guide Service Fishing Forecast
Largemouth Bass - You can look for one here and one there or hunt for
schools depending on your style of fishing. If you like to pitch and
flip, head up lake and use 3-4" creature baits along the edge of
willow grass lines in the North Anna and Pamunkey Branch. You can also
back off and use medium diving crankbaits to scrape rock piles and
ledges, especially in the Pamunkey Branch and Terry's Run now. Most of
the bass schools are in the mid and down lake regions. Start
your search from The Splits down to Dike 3. Now is the time to toss a
small popper, "walking" bait or soft plastic jerkbait over roadbeds,
humps, deep points and other schooling areas. If you see baitfish on
your depth finder or on the surface, stick around as the gamefish
should find them at some point. Follow the school deeper using drop
shotted 3-4" minnow imitators and spoons.
Striper - Plenty of fish but they are not schooling up. Some are breaking
in the mornings around the State Park, splits, and the power plant.
These fish are mostly feeding on 2-3" threadfin shad so you must use
small baits if you want to catch them. All other times the fish are much deeper
and feeding on larger baits. Fish in 24-35’ using 7/8-oz. original KT Slab spoon
or trolling with the CD 917 Redfin, DD-22 or Bandit Deep. Early mornings and just before sunset are the best times for topwater feeding. Not as many schools in the main lake as some have moved into the larger creeks. A good depth finder
will really show its worth now as huge schools of fish can be spotted as you
cruise around. FYI, fly fishing is possible now for breaking striper too.
Crappie - Plenty of schools holding on bridge pilings, 15-25' deep.
2" grubs and minnows will entice them. The slabs are above normal this year too.
White Perch - Excellent fishing now for these tasty fish that school
heavily. Look for them at The Splits, the State Park and at Dike III.
Use a 1/4 spoon and small crankbaits in 10-18' of water when the depth
finder lights up or when you see them breaking. Please keep as many you like because we have thousands and they are fine eating!
Lake Anna Striper Guide Service
STRIPERS: Summer patterns will continue with plenty of schools roaming the main lake regions of the lake. As soon as the nights begin to cool there will be a bait migration to the backs of the creeks and the Stripers will turn on in very shallow water. Your depth finder will be the key in locating the schools which are holding primarily over 25-to-35-foot flats. Anglers trolling deep diving Redfins, DD-22, and Bandit Deep are catching plenty of fish. Occasionally in low light times of the day smaller Stripers will chase bait to the surface where top water baits like Spooks, Pencil Poppers and Pop R’s attract vicious strikes. As the fish move into the backs of creeks swim baits work well especially the Sea Shad and Sassy Shad worked on 3/8 to ½ oz heads. Top water Redfins also will take the larger Stripers waked across the surface. Still some of the best catches have been on live bait. Stripers are feeding heavily on Herring when they are schooled. When the fish feed shallower Gizzard Shad pulled behind Water Bugz planner boards will produce the larger fish.
BASS : The bass are staying shallower than normal this summer, however, some fish are still relating to deeper structures where bait is present still in a summer pattern. Mainlake points, humps, roadbeds, brush and rock piles and bridges hold the bass now with numerous techniques catching fish. Deep diving crankbaits are working well along with jigs tipped with worms. Bass are being caught on the top of roadbeds and ledges in Rose Valley, on top in the mouth of Contrary over schools of small Threadfin Shad, over the older fish structures that were put into the lake years ago, and all the uplake bridges. Marina docks are also holding nice Bass. Small shallow running crankbaits worked near stumps next to the shallow channels will put nice fish in the boat too. Topwater baits will also catch nice bass in low light times of the day.
CRAPPIE: Plenty of Crappie holding on all the bridge pilings uplake and on brush piles in 10 to 20 feet of water. Very nice Crappie are being caught on docks that have lights on them at night. Uplake the Crappie are moving back up under shallower docks with structure or brush under the docks.
CATFISH: The Cats love this water temperature and can be caught basically everywhere there is bait present. Work areas less than 25 feet deep and use your favorite bait. Live bait has been producing some larger than normal Catfish fished near the bottom over 25 foot flats.