Submitted Feb 08, 2012 by Reel Bass Adventures:
“No changes over the past week in patterns or fishing. We are still making good catches of bass along quick dropping shorelines. The grub remains our most productive bait followed by a Norman Deep Baby N. Locate a good ledge with the crank bait and then switch to the grub. Spend time on any area you find bass. If you fish it they will come. A sunny, calm day has been a key for success. The blue cat fishing in the Potomac is drawing a lot of attention. Some days we see more cat fisherman than bass anglers. The cats are being caught along the main river channel with cut gizzard shad on a 8 ought hook with a two ounce sinker on a sliding rig. Big roe yellow perch are starting to show in larger numbers. They can be found in 13 to 16 feet of water. They like a Sting Ray grub or a Berkley drop shot minnow.”
Water Temperature: 44 degrees; Water clarity: 1-2 feet.
Bass fishing at Philpott has been great due to the mild weather we received during the months of Nov. Dec and Jan. Water temps were above average for this time of year ; January water temps normally run in the 39*/41* degree mark , this year the water temps never got below 44* and now the water temps have risen to 46* on the main and 48*/49* in some of the creek arms.
Overview for January; Tournaments during this periode produced some great catches with 5 fish limits between 12 lbs and 17lbs. With a largemouth@6+ lbs and a smallmouth@4+ lbs being the largest weighed in during tournament hours. Several largemouth between 3&4 lbs also several 3+ lb smallmouth were weighed in.
Anglers reported catching largemouth bass on several lures and presentations that included; jigs , spoons , spinner-baits, jerk-baits and crankbaits.
Anglers that caught smallmouth bass reported; silverbuddys , hairjigs , grubs and finese jigs. Both largemouth and smallmouth were targeted in depths of 5 ft to 35ft deep. Shad is always a factor..!
Febuary forcast; as the days become longer and water temps start to rise. Bass will start to suspend on points leading into spawning areas. Jerkbaits worked slowly around these areas would be a great starting lure. If no takers on jerkbait , try slow rolling a small bladed spinner-bait on some of the many laydowns Philpott has to offer. Also a shakey-head , dropshot , finese jig and a mini-carolina rig can’t be over looked.
Tip for Febuary fishing; I always have an 3/4oz jigging spoon tied on just in case i go over a school of arcs on the bottom. You never know, them arcs may save the day…. As Always , take care , Ken
Bass fishing at Philpott has been great due to the mild weather we received during the months of Nov. Dec and Jan. Water temps were above average for this time of year ; January water temps normally run in the 39*/41* degree mark , this year the water temps never got below 44* and now the water temps have risen to 46* on the main and 48*/49* in some of the creek arms.
Overview for January; Tournaments during this periode produced some great catches with 5 fish limits between 12 lbs and 17lbs. With a largemouth@6+ lbs and a smallmouth@4+ lbs being the largest weighed in during tournament hours. Several largemouth between 3&4 lbs also several 3+ lb smallmouth were weighed in.
Anglers reported catching largemouth bass on several lures and presentations that included; jigs , spoons , spinner-baits, jerk-baits and crankbaits.
Anglers that caught smallmouth bass reported; silverbuddys , hairjigs , grubs and finese jigs. Both largemouth and smallmouth were targeted in depths of 5 ft to 35ft deep. Shad is always a factor..!
Febuary forcast; as the days become longer and water temps start to rise. Bass will start to suspend on points leading into spawning areas. Jerkbaits worked slowly around these areas would be a great starting lure. If no takers on jerkbait , try slow rolling a small bladed spinner-bait on some of the many laydowns Philpott has to offer. Also a shakey-head , dropshot , finese jig and a mini-carolina rig can’t be over looked.
Tip for Febuary fishing; I always have an 3/4oz jigging spoon tied on just in case i go over a school of arcs on the bottom. You never know, them arcs may save the day…. As Always , take care , Ken
When it comes to being successful with plastics in the winter, there are three things to keep in mind. Downsize your bait, slow your presentation, and then when you think you’re fishing really slow, slow down even more. Even though fishing super slow might be as painfully boring as watching paint dry, if you’re trying to get bit in the frigid temps, you have to do what you have to do. In the winter, bass will generally eat only one 6th of the amount of food they consume in the warmer months because there metabolism slows down to a crawl and smaller meals will sustain their hunger for a longer period of time. This explains the need for downsizing your presentation and not trying to force feed them with a larger bait. Granted, there will still be times in really cold water when a bass will go after a larger profile bait, but that’s a matter of being at the right place at the right time…and those times are far and few between . I know this isn’t the easiest change to make for the “big bait” fans out there but when it means the difference between getting bit and not getting bit, the anglers who adjust accordingly to the conditions will be successful more often than not.
That being said, let’s move forward to the “super slow” part of the cold water plastics program. Not only do bass move more sluggishly in the winter months, but their brain function slows down as well which affects their thought process and reaction time. This is why working your plastics super slowly is so important. If you work your plastics as you do in the summertime and don’t slow down dramatically, you can be passing right by catchable fish before their brain even gets a chance to process the thought “that’s an easy meal, I should eat it!”. Fortunately, the art of dead sticking is very simple. Once the bait hits the bottom, let it sit still for a couple minutes, drag it super slowly for a few inches, then let it sit again for 30 to 120 seconds, drag it super slowly again and so on and so forth. Although this technique doesn’t sound too exciting, the anglers that can discipline themselves to fish this way will be putting fish in the boat when most others are sitting home watching fishing shows and wishing it was spring. When it comes to fishing plastics in the winter, just remember…less is more.
Here’s our choices for catching frosty bass; The Craw D’oeuvre rigged on a shakey head and/or rigged on a 5/16 oz finesse jig as a trailer, The Finicky Tickler rigged on a shakey head or drop shot (with a short lead), the JP Hammer Shad rigged on a drop shot (with a short lead) or rigged on a small football head, the Grub rigged on a light jig head, and the 3.5” Texas-Rig Jig rigged on a light football/arkie head. All of these baits can be fished on spinning gear, so yes, you can wear gloves! And to help you detect the subtle hits and spongy weight of the sluggish winter bass, for ultimate sensitivity we recommend using 15lb to 20lb braid topped off with a 6 to 8ft section of 6 to 12 lb fluorocarbon leader. So if you decide you want to do some cold water bassin’ with plastics, dress for the conditions, downsize your bait, SLOW your presentation, be patient and the results can be surprisingly rewarding.
SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
February 2012
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.com
John Jones from Vinton,Va. with a 22 lb. striper caught 1/17/12 while fishing with Capt. Dale Wilson.
OVERVIEW: Fishing continues to be excellent for stripers, crappie and largemouth bass. The weather has been extremely warm for this time of the year and water temperature is above normal making for great winter fishing! Water temperature will be 40’s.
Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be good. Best lures will be jig & pigs, Carolina rigs, spinnerbaits, Alabama rigs and jerk baits. Most largemouth bass will be caught on points, rocky areas, creek channel banks and docks. Largemouth bass will start to relate to shallow structures this month. Best depths will be from the 5 to 30 feet deep. Try using a slow retrieve and find areas with large concentrations of baitfish .
Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be humps, rocky ledges and main points. Best lures will be jig & pig, blade baits, jerk baits and floating-fly-rigs. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass will be suspended this month. Cloudy days and windy days are good times to try your luck!
Striped Bass– Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught in mid to upper areas of the lake. The best areas will be in the larger creeks and main river channels. Best lures will be Alabama rigs, swim baits, buck tails, spoons and Zoom flukes fished with 3/8 to 3/4 oz. lead heads. Live bait will also be productive. The best depths will be from 5 to 50 feet deep. Vertical jigging with spoons and heavy lead heads tipped with flukes will be productive this month. Some stripers will surface. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish. Seagulls are a good way to locate feeding fish.
Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be good. They will be found 5 to 25 feet deep this month. Best areas will be in the main creeks around deep docks, fallen trees, and brush piles in the mid to upper parts of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 ½ inch tubes fished on 1/16 to 1/8 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month.
TIP OF THE MONTH: The Alabama rig is a great new creation to catch both stripers and bass. It is made by several companies. The 5 arm is the most popular. It can be fished with flukes, swim baits, grubs and numerous other baits. You will need to use 60 to 80 lb. braided line and a 7 to 8 foot heavy action rod to be successful when fishing this lure.
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