John Jones from Vinton,Va. with a nice striper caught & released 3/17/20.
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Fishing has been good the past few weeks. Water temperature has risen the past several days and is now in the 60s. Baitfish are in shallow water spawning this month. Most species of fish will start spawning this month as the water temperature rises.
Largemouth bass: Fishing will be good. Best lures will be jigs, drop shot rigs, wacky worms, senkos, crank baits, swim baits, Ned rigs and top water lures. Most largemouth bass will be caught on secondary points, shallow coves, stumps and docks. Best depths will be from 2 to 6 feet. Largemouth bass will feed at night this month. Rocks, stumps and shallow brush are a key factor to finding them. Anglers should release the bass when they are spawning. Please release the bass while they are spawning.
Smallmouth bass: Fishing should be good this month. Best areas will be rocks, stumps and secondary points. Best lures will be jig and pig, Ned rigs, hair jigs, top water lures and shallow-running crank baits. Best areas will be in the mid- to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass will start spawning this month. Cloudy days are good times to fish. Light line will increase the chances of catching a smallmouth bass.
Striped bass: Fishing will be good this month. Stripers will be caught in the lower sections of the lake and in the larger creeks. Best lures will be red fins, Alabama rigs, swim baits, top water lures and Zoom flukes fished on 1/4- to 3/8-ounce lead heads. The best depths will be from near the surface to 40 feet. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish. Fishing at night will be best this month. Some striper will surface, too. Live bait fished on planer boards and down lines also should work.
Crappie: Fishing for crappie will be good. Crappie will continue to spawn and will be found at 2 to 10 feet. Best areas will be in the main creeks around docks, fallen trees, stumps and brush piles in the mid- to upper parts of the lake. Small live minnows and 1½- to 2-inch tubes or shad-shaped plastic lures fished on 1/32- to 1/16-ounce lead heads will work best to catch them. Some crappie will continue to spawn this month.
Tips of the month: Fishing during the early morning, late afternoon and night are the best times.
The fish will move to shallow areas because of the warmer water temperature, and they will be spawning.
Night fishing will be good because the bait fish will be spawning this month.
Always wear a life jacket, be careful when boating, be courteous and obey all the boating laws. Practice catch and release.
Take a kid fishing.