Mark Taylor

Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.

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Overview

Active fish and beautiful weather should combine to make this an excellent weekend for anglers.

With a new moon hitting Friday and water temperatures pushing and even exceeding 60 degrees on many lakes in the region, the big news on the bass fishing front will be the spawn.

This weekend should feature the first big wave of spawning fish to move up into the shallows. Spawners aren't actively feeding, but they're protective of their nests so they can be caught. The key is to focus on waters clear enough to allow for sight-fishing.

Elsewhere, trout fishing remains a big draw. Stocking is in full swing, while streams with wild trout are seeing an increase in the springtime insect hatches that fuel excellent dry fly action.

Lakes

With bass on spawning beds in many waters, sight-fishing will be a key pattern for many anglers. But with shad moving up toward the banks to spawn on many lakes, that will be a key pattern too, with spinnerbaits, topwater plugs and swimbaits taking fish. Targeting fish around docks with jigs and plastics should also produce some bass.

Striper action remains good at Smith Mountain Lake. Live bait behind planer boards is taking fish along the banks, but casting artificials such as plugs and bucktails will also take fish.

Streams

Spinnerbaits have been producing some good smallmouth action on the New River, reports Melissa Sadler at Tangent Outfitters in Pembroke. Sadler reported that this has been the best spring she recalls for muskie fishing on the river.

The James River was blown out earlier this week but is dropping and should be fishable -- think spinnerbaits -- by this weekend.

With many river smallmouth likely getting ready to spawn, action may hit a bit of a lull for the next week or so, though.

Tom Brown at Orvis in Roanoke said the South Holston River near Marion has had good dry fly action for trout, with March Browns and Hendricksons the current key patterns.

Saltwater

Flounder fishing remains solid in the lower Chesapeake Bay, while whiting (aka sea mullet) have been hitting well in the surf along North Carolina's Outer Banks.