Thursday, September 04, 2008
Fishing report
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
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Overview
Here we go again.
As the weekend approaches, so does another tropical weather system. By now we know the drill, with scenarios ranging from a weekend washout to no impact at all.
In the event of a washout, it doesn't really matter what the fishing could be like. So this report will focus on what we might expect should the worst of the weather miss us.
Prospects are decent.
Despite really warm temperatures the past couple of days, nights have still been pretty cool, so water temperatures also remain cooler than normal for this time of year.
Those modest water temperatures haven't done a whole lot to fire up bass fishing. But as water temps keep dropping over the coming weeks, it could trigger some good action as bass school up to hammer pods of bait fish.
River bass fishing should also continue to improve.
Although panfish such as bluegills don't get much attention this time of year, it's a great time to catch a bunch on tiny jigs, fly rod poppers and baits such as worms and crickets.
Lakes
Smaller stripers and hybrids have been hitting well at Claytor Lake, reports John Zienius at Big Z's. Bass action hasn't been very good. Teams that have been filling livewells with limits of 2-pounders have been winning tournaments. The lake is hosting a big tournament this weekend, and that may provide some insight into productive patterns.
Larry Andrews at The Bait Place says trout fishing pressure remains light at Lake Moomaw, and he hasn't had any reports about trophy fish. He added that bass fishermen continue to hit the lake hard and are doing fairly well.
At Smith Mountain Lake, striper fishing is still spotty, reports Mike Snead at the Virginia Outdoorsman. Anglers who can find schools, which can take some time, are managing to catch some fish. Bass fishing is also tough, although there have been a few signs of fish crashing bait on the surface. Vinton catfish enthusiast Travis Patsell said he continues to do well on flathead catfish around flats and points with good structure.
Streams
When the New River was up over the weekend, smallmouth bass action was excellent. "They really killed them," said Zienius, who added that spinnerbaits were excellent producers. Smallmouth action has also been good on the upper James River.
Saltwater
Spanish mackerel and puppy drum action has been steady at Cape Point on the Outer Banks.
Cobia action has been good in the lower Chesapeake Bay.
