Fishing report for July 18, 2013

Courtesy of John Cash

John Cash of Buena Vista tangled with this big muskie during a late June outing on the Maury River.

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Fishing tip

When your favorite big river is running a bit high and murky for good fishing, try fishing the lower limits of its tributaries. The water will be lower and clearer. Just make sure you're not trespassing.

--Mark Taylor

Mark Taylor | 981-3395

Thursday, July 18, 2013

I was standing in a hardware store Tuesday evening when the skies opened up, huge raindrops pelting the parking lot and the metal roof.

“Well,” the guy standing next me in line said, “we do need the rain.”

At this point it’s tough to do much more than joke about the wet weather. And, while those affected by flooding would likely beg to differ, it’s probably better over the long run than a drought such as the one hitting out West.

Fed by high and off-color rivers, the region’s reservoirs remain full and stained, the color varying throughout the lakes. At lakes, such as Claytor, where clear water typically can make the fishing extra tough this time of year, that color can work to an angler’s advantage.

On the flip side, fishing under the constant threat of potentially dangerous thunderstorms is frustrating.

Lakes

Evening and night bass tournament anglers at Smith Mountain Lake are catching decent limits of largemouth bass by working big plastics such as Zoom Brush Hogs and 10-inch plastic worms around rocky main lake points, according to Dewayne Lamb at Captain’s Quarters Marina.

Brent Anderson had 15 pounds fishing solo to win Tuesday night’s tournament at Captain’s Quarters.

Finesse baits on drop shot rigs are working around deeper docks.

Stripers are in tight schools, mostly in the lower lake and at depths of 20 to 25 feet. Lamb said he had a report of an angler catching two citation stripers on live bait Tuesday. Trolling Sassy Shad-type plastics on umbrella rigs and lead core line is taking some smaller stripers, including plenty in the 15-inch range.

Stinkbaits are catching good numbers of channel catfish.

At Claytor Lake, the catfish bite is also fair for those using cut bait and prepared catfish baits.

Drop shot rigs are working OK for bass, but action is generally slow, reports Seth Dalton at Rock House Marina.

Blue cat action has been good at Buggs Island Lake, according to Scotty Fears at Bobcat’s Lake Country in Clarksville.

Streams

The New and James rivers continue to run high and off color. As the water clears up, the smallmouth fishing should be excellent.

Guide Matt Miles (www.mattmilesflyfishing) reports that working nymphs through riffles is taking some trout on the Jackson River tailwater near Covington.

Saltwater

Deep trolling and drifting is taking some nice flounder around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

Monday, August 12, 2013