STRIPERS: There are more Stripers caught in June on the lake than any other month of the year. The fish are schooling and just about any method of fishing will produce nice catches this month. Stripers have migrated to the mid and down lake regions of the lake and are aggressively feeding on 25 to 45 foot flats gorging themselves on 4 and 5 inch Herring. There are literally hundreds of schools of Stripers roaming the lake now and good electronics are crucial in locating and staying on the schools.
Some of the most exciting fishing this month is catching Stripers on top in low light times of the day using Spooks, Pencil Poppers and Redfins. The Stripers will chase bait to the surface and explode on them throwing a spray of water into the air which can be seen many hundred yards away. Approach the area quietly with your trolling motor so you do not spook the feeding school. Lake Anna Stripers will not tolerate a big motor running within a hundred yards of them, they will simply sound, quit feeding and move on. When the Stripers back off to deeper flats Sea Shads, Sassy Shads and Swim Baits counted down to the depth you see fish and retrieved through the schools will work well. Once the fish congregate nearby the bottom jigging spoons and Super Flukes will also catch fish. Trolling is a good option this time of year, the main consideration is to put your baits in the part of the water column where the Stripers are. Deep diving Redfins with a bucktail or Sea Shad trailer are hard to beat when the fish are 25 to 30 foot deep. Once the fish go deeper umbrella and drop rigs work best fished on lead core line.
Probably the best way to catch Stripers this month is to use Herring rigged on downlines putting the baits at the exact depth the fish are using to maximize your catches. It is not uncommon for my clients to catch 50 to 60 Stripers a morning using this method. Last year in June my clients caught well over a thousand Stripers using downlines. To view our catches visit my journal at www.JimHemby.com .
BASS: The largemouths are in post spawn and summer patterns now and have retreated to deeper water to replenish their energy. They also are feeding aggressively and suckers for top water baits. Bass will rise out of 20 feet of water to hit a Pop R, especially in clear water. The deeper the water you fish over the slower you should work your bait giving the Bass time to locate and blow up on the bait. Spooks also work well fishing parallel to bluff banks like those in Contrary Creek. Carolina rigs tipped with your favorite Lizzard or worm also work well this month. Use heavy sinkers and cover water quickly till you fell structure then hold on! Another good technique this month is to throw Swimbaits counting them down using a slow retrieve.
CRAPPIE: The slabs have pulled out and are being caught on deeper points with brushpiles and on the deeper bridge pilings in the 10 to 20 foot ranges. They continue to hit small minnows and jigs . The fish are also stacking up on ledges in the rivers in the 8 to 15 foot depths. If you fish the “Hot Side” the fish will congregate much deeper under the bridges in 20 to 30 foot depths. Crappie rigs [two hook rigs] tipped with minnows are deadly this month. Simply lower your offerings to the depth of the fish and once you start catching doubles mark your line at that depth and fill your cooler up.
CATFISH: Cats are very plentiful this year and are feeding everywhere on the lake. Catfish are feeding aggressively on 4 and 5 inch Herring using the lower third of the water column to feed. If you can not catch Herring try large minnows rigged on downlines or use on fish finder rigs.
