Throughout this month you can still catch uplake bass in and around the willow grass. During low light conditions, top water will produce for you. Fish Damiki MTB Noisy Buzz Baits in and around the grass, try putting a Damiki Air Frog in the thickest willow grass you can find and be prepared for very violent strikes. Don Iovino Splash It poppers will work around the edges, Fish Tales has a very large assortment of colors in this great top water popper! once the sun gets above the tree line, pitch an Arson Jigs Arkie Head Jig under boat docks and into the willow grass.
September is the month for schooling bass in the early mornings and late evenings busting the many pads of shad and herring fry. The top water action is great with these schoolies. The Paycheck Baits Repo Man walking baits, Don Iovino Splash It, Damiki Rambler, D-Pop are great choices for surface fishing. For sub surface strikes, the Damiki Armor Shad comes in 2 sizes, 3″ and 5″ is a hard bait to beat. More great soft jerkbaits are Zoom Super Fluke’s & Super Fluke Jr’s.
You can also catch these schooling fish with spoons and blade baits. Toothache Spoons are small in size to match the baitfish that they are feeding on. Another great spoon is the Strike King Sexy Spoon, Fish Tales has them in 3 proven colors.
STRIPER- The Lineside’s are still in FULL BLOWN SUMMER (just like last month) pattern NOW. You can find them feeding on the surface early in the morning from the 208 bridge up to Stubb’s Bridge on the Pamunkey arm and up to the Holiday Bridge on the North Anna arm. Popping baits, Walking baits and soft jerkbaits are all great choices. My favorite is a Cotton Cordell Broken Back Redfin. Just wake the bait under the surface and hold on, the strikes are usually very violent. After the morning feed is over, look for them with your electronics. Once you find the school, you can catch the by vertical jigging Toothache Spoons, Damiki Vault’s and Damiki Vortex Blade Baits.
Trolling is still doing well with the water temps still in the middle 80’s. Deep Diving Redfin’s with a bucktail trailer, DD22’s in Chart/Blue back and BPS LEC15’s in Chart/Blue and XXX Shad are all great trolling baits. One little trick that I do with the DD22’s and LEC15’s are to add a “FLUKE KILLER” bucktail trailer to them. The “FLUKE KILLER” is a weightless bucktail with a spinner blade in front of it.
Live Bait is also working well for the anglers wanting to fish that way. Store bought large or jumbo shiners will work but, the native bait in the lake will be a better choice if you can get up early enough and throw a cast net. Go to Stubbs Bridge, 208 bridge or Holiday Mill Bridge and hang a lantern to attract the Blue Back Herring to it. Remember, that as the water temps get warmer, the striper will “GIVE UP THE GHOST” rather quickly. Once you have your limit (20″ minimum- 4 per person) PLEASE DO NOT not continue to catch and release them. Even though they may swim off right after the release, most will dye for the stress of being caught.
CRAPPIE- Most of the Specks are still in their summer haunts at this time. Although we have had some early reports of some fish already moving up to a few of the shallow boat docks. when fishing these shallow boat docks, try skipping a 2″ Kalin Curly Tail grub as far up underneath as you can, a slow steady retrieve is the best.
Look for them under deep boat docks, around bridge pilings and brush piles. Small minnows rigged on jig heads or slip bobber’s will be your best bet to catch a cooler full of these tasty morsels.
Lake Level– 6 inches low
Water Temps
Dike 3- 84-88 degrees
Mid lake- 83-86 degrees
Up Lake- 84-88 degrees
Clarity
Down Lake- Clear
Mid Lake- Mostly Clear
Up Lake- Moderate Stain
Chris Craft
CCBASSN Guide Service
www.ccbassnlakeanna.blogspot.
ccbassn@aol.com
540-894-6195
540-895-5770
540-895-5900 ext5
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