We sat down with local long time angler Ed Smith as he spoke about two long time angler’s in the area Butch Thorpe and Taylor Powell. Take a listen as he gives a look back at the impact that they played in his life and the legacy that they will leave behind.
September is TRANSITION TIME here at the lake. With the Labor Day weekend passing, the fishing is just going to get better! Cool nights are dropping the water temps down and the schools of bait fish will be heading into the creeks. The weekends will still be busy for a while with the pleasure boaters, but during the week you just might get the lake all to yourself.
The LAPR 150 Series kicks back off on September 8. If you have a boat with a 150 horse power engine or less, come on out and take your chances. For more information go to www.laprbass.com or call Dave Fauntleroy at 540-840-6772.
On another note, talk of this years Lake Anna Cup is already in the air. November 3 is the date and it will go out of Sturgeon Creek Marina this year. Qualified teams have an entry fee of $70 (you had to have finished in the top 25 in any of the Lake Anna circuits in 2012) At large entry is $80 per boat and the entry the day of the event is $85. Come on out and see if you can CLAIM THE CUP!!!!!!!!! Entry fee’s are already being collected and you can find your entry form on the last page of the September Woods & Water’s Magazine. For more info call 540-840-6772 or email lkalife@earthlink.net
BASS- Schooling bass can be found down lake from around Dike 3 and the damn area up a short ways. Look for them shortly after sun up and again at dusk. Top water baits like the Pay Check Baits Repo Man, Zara Spooks and Pop-R’s will produce violent strikes for you. Another great way to catch them is by throwing a North Anna Bait Company CC Minnow rigged on a 4/0 EWG Gamakatsu hook, this is also a good time to try out a DOUBLE MINNOW RIG (you can find these exclusivly at Fish Tales on Lake Anna or you can order at www.NorthAnnaBaitCo.com) If you do not know how to tie a double minnow rig, stop by Fish Tales and see Chris Craft. After the sun gets high, the bait (Blue Back Herring & Threadfin Shad) will start heading to deeper water. Small swim baits will continue to catch fish until you cannot find the school any longer.
In the mid lake region you can consistently catch fish on Shaky Head rigged plastics. The new North Anna Bait Company 7″ Ring Shaker has been producing several fish. Deep diving crank baits like the Bill Norman DD22 and the Luck E Strike FREAK will work great. Locate fish on brush piles, rock piles, deep boat docks and channel bends.
If you venture up lake, Jig & Pig combinations are working great around dock pilings, wood and willow grass. With the lake at full pool, there is going to be a Willow Grass bite this fall. Once the water drops below 80 degrees, the spinner bait bite will start to pick back up in and around the willow grass.
STRIPER- Schooling striper can be found in the splits area of the lake all month. Top water walking baits, small swim baits and broken back red fins will produce very violent strike for you. After the sun gets high, it is time to put you electronics to use and keep the school located and drop spoons down to them. Trolling for them after sun up will catch them as well. Deep Diving Red Fins rigged with a bucktail trailer and DD22’s are my choices for trolling.
CRAPPIE- The Specks are still around the bridge pilings in 15-20 feet of water. Small minnows rigged on slip bobbers or on a plain jig head is the best tactic at the current time. Towards the end of the month and next month, you will be able to find them shallow again. 2″ curly tail grubs on a 1/16oz jig head casted under boat docks up lake will be where I am found chasing these tasty treats!!!!!
LAKE LEVEL- FULL POOL
WATER TEMPS DIKE 3- 85 DEGREES MID LAKE- 81-85 DEGREES UP LAKE- 80-86 DEGREES
WATER CLARITY DOWN LAKE- CLEAR MID LAKE- CLEAR UP LAKE- SLIGHT STAIN
Fishing Clear Lake with Michael “Ike” Iaconelli Part 1
This week Ike takes on Clear Lake solo while Jared gears up for practice. Iaconelli get’s back to work with the Berkley Havoc Backslide and Ish’s Phat Frog.
Fishing Clear Lake with Michael “Ike” Iaconelli Part 1
This week Ike takes on Clear Lake solo while Jared gears up for practice. Iaconelli get’s back to work with the Berkley Havoc Backslide and Ish’s Phat Frog.
Bluefin Eyewear – Why anglers should wear polarized glasses
We have seen anglers wearing polarized glasses since the early days of professional bass fishing, and there are some good reasons. Over the years just as lure, rods, reels and techniques have evolved for sport fishing so has the evolution of polarized lens technology. Fashion and image are important factors to some anglers, while others want to obtain an advantage by seeing structure and even fish. Many anglers wear them for eye protection as well. As with all products, technology, research and development, marketing along with supply and demand has caused the price to fluctuate of the needed eyewear that anglers rely on. In this generation we have seen extremely expensive glasses and we have seen the prices began to drop due to competition and manufacturing productivity. However regardless of cost, the polarized sunglasses have become important parts of an anglers gear for safety as well as productivity while on the water.
Anglers expect a lot from their eyes, and the burden of glare causes the eyes to strain in order to see well. Wearing Polarized sunglasses will reduce or eliminate this strain, cut the impact of harsh glare and eliminate the need to squint. This reduction of glare is the advantage of polarized glasses. Polarized sunglasses also offer protection against serious exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV). With the reflective glare eliminated, anglers can see into the water. This gives anglers the edge for sight fishing and for safety by being able to see objects such as a log or a rock below the surface. Anglers that buy inexpensive non-polarized glasses miss out on this innovation to fishing. Low end glasses are known to distort vision and affect clarity. They are designed only to reduce glare or shade the eyes. Anglers that buy lesser quality glasses end up not wearing them at all, which not only cost them fish but puts them in danger of damaging their boat, or injuring themselves or even getting a hook in the eye. All are good reasons glasses should be worn on the water.
Quality lenses provide clarity and will filter light allowing you to see deeper into the water. The problem in the past with obtaining quality glasses was the cost. The price alone has kept many anglers from enjoying the benefits of polarized glasses. Until recently a low cost meant lesser quality eyewear. The old adage, “you get what you pay for” definitely applied to these products. Technology and manufacturing practices have greatly improved quality as well as reduced the price of these tools of the trade.
The cost = quality factor no longer applies and one company in particular is proving this in volume, Bluefin Eyewear. For a fraction of the cost of other polarized sunglasses Bluefin has made them available to fit the budget of almost every angler. “The amount of science and technology that goes into making a pair of quality polarized fishing sunglasses is incredible. Modern high-end glasses are a combination of components that have been refined through bioengineering, anthropometry (design based on human physical characteristics), and quantum electrodynamics”. Says Steve McDaniel
The polarized sunglasses from Bluefin Eyewear incorporate decades of research and development in optical innovation, and this technological evolution has led to ground-glass and thermoplastic polymer lenses that enable anglers to see farther and deeper with clearer resolution than ever before. Polarized glasses have become gear that no fisherman should be without a pair. The innovative design has a entirely new feature of a swivel leg, that provides unbelievable comfort and reduces headaches from pressure to the temples.
As people spend more time outdoors, the chance of potentially harmful effects of sunlight increases. Team Bilbrey Fishing encourages everyone to seek protection from the sun. Sunscreens and protective clothing are a good start to protect your skin, many of us forget to protect our eyes and quality polarized sunglasses like these from Bluefin Eyewear do a wonderful job protecting you and they make you look cool as well.