As we head into August, we are usually greeted with below normal lake levels and above normal water temps. This year however, the lake is at FULL POOL and we are only in the low to mid 80’s with surface temps.
The popular Sunday Morning Bass Series is going well with a 20 boat average. There are nine more SMBS Events scheduled through September. The SMBS Fall Classic (100% payback) is Scheduled for Sunday October 21 from 7am-3pm. All you need to do is fish one regular season event to be eligible.
Talk around the lake is about the upcoming 2018 Angler Appreciation Tournament on Saturday October 27 (Make up date for weather will be on Sunday October 28, 2018). We will start taking entry fees on Saturday August 4 at 5:30am. The entry fee is $120 and includes big fish. Boat numbers will be assigned in the order that entries are received.
There have been a few changes in this years event. We will not be doing catered food, instead the monies that was spent on that will be put into the tournament prize monies.
As in the past, there will be three flights of boats that are seperated by 15 minutes each.
1st Flight- Boats 1-50 7:30am-3:30pm
2nd Flight- Boats 51-100 7:45am-3:45pm
3rd Flight- Boats 101-150 8:00am-4:00pm
BASS- Concentrate your efforts in deeper water this time of year. There is a small window of opportunity first thing of a morning with a top water bite, this is however very inconsistent. This bite happens around the many balls of shad and herring fry throughout the lake. They will push bait to the surface and feed very heavily for a few minutes and then they are done.
Drop shots and shakey head rigged plastics are your best bet, fish them around bridge pilings, boat docks and brush piles. A heavier weight is best this time of year as it will help in drawing a reaction strike from your fast falling bait. If you orefer to go “OLD SCHOOL” with you bait presentation, a big Texas Rigged worm, like a Zoom Ol Monster will put fish in the boat for you.
Deep crankbaits like the Norman DD-22, Strike King 5XD & 6XD fished on main lake points, bridge pilings and brush piles have always been a great way to catch deep summer time bass.
There are still fish in the willow grass up in the North Anna arm of the lake, even though water temps can reach the middle to upper 90’s this time of year. The grass provides shade and oxygen in this region of the lake. The best way to catch these fish is to start pitching and flipping jigs, creature baits and worms into the pockets withing the grass or even punch the heavier sections with a pegged weight (1/2oz or heavier).
Over on the Pamunkey arm, the rocky main lake points up past Hunters Landing will hold fish. Crankbaits and Carolina Rigged plastics are my favorite ways to entice strikes from fish in this area. The water tends to be darker on this side so keep you color pallets simple. Chart/Blue & Chart Sexy Shad on your crankbaits and Junebug, Plum & Red Shad with your plastics.
CRAPPIE- The crappie are in full blown summer pattern, they are in deep water around bridge pilings, brush piles and just following bait around the lake.
First thing of a morning, you can find them chasing balls of shad and herring fry to the surface. A broken back redfin is my favorite bait to entice explosive and violent strikes from aggressive line sides! A walking bait is fun to fish, but the hook up percentage is drastically lowered, due to the just slapping at the bait. The redfin is sub-surface, so you still get the top water strike, without the heartache of the fish missing the bait.
Once the morning surface feed is over, you can either troll them up or drop spoons to them. If trolling, Chart/Blue or Sexy Shad DD-22’s and Chrome/Blue or Chrome/Black deep diving redfins are both great choices. If using a redfin, tie a four to six foot leader off of the center split ring and put a 1/4oz buck tail behind it. Look for the from the power plant to just up lake from the splits.
DIKE 3- 85 Degrees CLEAR