The Memorial Day holiday has come and gone and it is finally TOP WATER time here at the lake. The best fishing will be during the week, the weekends are still doable though. You just might want to think about getting off of the water before noon, as the boat traffic will increase after that. The daytime air temps will be climbing all month long, so remember to stay HYDRATED!!!
Fish Tales now has the area’s largest selection of Paycheck Baits. They have every color of the Repoman and Repoman Late Payment, THE ONE top water popping/walking bait & Transporter Frogs. They also have Punch Skirts, Nose Job’s, Punch Stops, Head Case’s and even the Donkey Thrasher multi arm rig. Stop on by and get an on the water demo from me!
I am also offering an EARLY BIRD TOP WATER TRIP all summer long. These trips will be 3 hour outings for 1 or 2 anglers and will be TOP WATER only. The rate for the EARLY BIRD TRIPS are $125!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They will be done during the week only, we will get on the water at daybreak and be off in time for you to get the day started with other projects.
BASS– Look for the bass to be shallow and very aggressive early in the morning all month long. Top water baits will be very affective before the sun gets to high in the sky. Walking baits are my favorite, Paycheck Baits make the best walking bait on the market. It is called the REPOMAN!! They also have a smaller version called the Repoman Late Payment. Both of these baits are very easy to walk and are very loud.
Another great bait from Paycheck is “THE ONE”. This is an old bait with a new twist. It is a Pencil Popper that can be walked like the Repoman. It spits the water and has a large rattle chamber to call those wary fish from a distance. Look for me to be catching some large fish very soon with this bait.
More great top water baits that will catch fish are the POP-R, Torpedo, Damiki Rambler and the Damiki MTB Noisy Buzz bait. You can find top water fish even in the late morning. You just have to “CHASE THE SHADE” in order to be successful. Fish the shady side of boat docks, bridge pilings and laydown trees.
Once the surface action slows down, it is time to break out the shakey heads and crankbaits. My favorite Shakey Head is a Dave’s Tournament Tackle Screwball Head dressed with either a Zoom Trick Worm of a North Anna Bait Company 7″ Ring Shaker. Great color choices are Green Pumpkin, Green pumpkin Blue Flake and Watermelon Seed, these are my three go to colors.
When it comes to cranking at this time of year, it is hard to beat the Bill Norman Deep Little N. This bait will dive to the 12 foot range and is the perfect size. My all time favorite color is Chart/Blue Back. I also have several custom painted baits from Rhino Tuff Custom Crankbaits that I always have tied on. The newest color is called CC GILL, it is a Blue Gill pattern with my own little twist on it. This color will be available in Fish Tales very soon. If you would like to order one for yourself go to www.rhinotuffcc.vpweb.com Tell them you want CC GILL and make sure you put in code CCBASSN at checkout and receive a 10% discount off of your order.
Towards the end of the month, look for the fish to be moving to even deeper water and in and around the brush piles. Step up your crank bait size to a DD22, Luck E Strike Freak, Strike King 6XD’s, BPS LEC15. Try and bump whatever cover you are fishing in order to get that reaction strike. Big worms will also start to become a major player as the water warms up even more and the fish move to deeper water. Zoom Mag II and Ole Monster’s are my two favorite big worms. Good Luck and stay safe on the water.
STRIPER- The Lineside’s are headed into FULL BLOWN SUMMER pattern early this month. 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 also starting a little earlier than normal this year. 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) to not continue to fish and release them. Even though they may swim off right after the release, most will dye for the stress of being caught.
CRAPPIE- The Specks are moving to their summer haunts at this time. 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 morsals.
Lake Level– Full Pool
Water Temps
Dike 3- 79-82 degrees
Mid lake- 77-79 degrees
Up Lake- 78-82 degrees
Clarity
Down Lake- Clear
Mid Lake- Mostly Clear/Slight Stain
Up Lake- Moderate Stain
