McCotter's Lake Anna Guide Service Fishing Forecast August 15, Lake
Anna, VA
This year's shad have finally schooled and Anna's gamefish are feeding
on them. That's the biggest change that occurs this time of year on
the lake. Find the baitfish and you will find the most gamefish. See
all those ripply spots on the surface on calm afternoons? Those are
threadfin shad, many spawned this spring. Bass, striper and crappie
will zone in on them more and more as the summer slips toward the fall
and the feeding action increases. For now though, you'll have to pay
close attention to the little feeding windows like at first light and
again in the late afternoon. Here's what you can expect on your next
visit.
Largemouth bass: Clients of MLAGS are catching plenty of green fish
first thing in the morning when we are fishing for schooling bass on
bait with topwaters, Berkley Hollow Belly swimbaits, Berkley Realistic
Minnows, soft plastic stickbaits and soft plastic jerkbaits. Most of
these fish are coming from shallow water tributaries where cooler
water flows into the lake. Other good schooling spots include where
current passes over structure like down at Dike III and around Fish
Structure 5. During the day you might try casting a crankbait in the
upper Pamunkey, North Anna and Terry's Run on underwater brush and
rockpiles. If no takers on the crankplugs, slow down and probe the
same stuff with shaky worms and stickbaits.
Striper: Large schools of striper are right in front of the marina.
Seek them out in 30-45'. For now they will be from 26-38' in the
thermocline region where they can find schools of shad and herring.
You will find more and more surface schools in the State Park and
power plant region as the baitfish come to the surface in the
afternoons. A Toothache spoon, Crazy Blade and the 3" Realistic Minnow
are deadly now. The bigger fish will be deeper and if you can get them
to stick around are suckers for live bait. If you don't mind watching
rods and getting bait, this type of fishing is still producing well.
Trollers are catching more fish now, too, as the stripers frequent
open water, but not as deep as earlier in the summer. A deep diving
Redfin with a bucktail dropper of the middle hook is the rig to use
now. Keep a Super Spook on at all times now because surface action has
begun.
Crappie: Still only fair fishing on brush, rocks and bridge pilings
for those using live minnows on slip bobbers. Expect much better
fishing by mid-September in the upper sections of the lake.
The Doug Ball Memorial Fish Structure Enhancement Project is complete.
Eleven Berkley Fish Habs were sunk near the old Fish Structure 5
location across from Dike I. There is a buoy marking the reef that
reads In Memory Of Doug Ball. Many thanks to Ball's family, friends
and fellow anglers that participated in this project. Go to
www.mccotterslakeanna.blogspot.com
for more information.
C.C. McCotter
McCotter's Lake Anna Guide Service
540.894.9144
www.mccotterslakeanna.com
