Thursday, August 13, 2009
Top catches of the week
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
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Fishing Briery Creek Lake pretty much weekly, Tommy Brown has boated plenty of nice bass, including a couple in the 9-pound range.
But he could never connect with one of the truly monstrous bass for which the lake is known.
Until now.
On July 22 the 62-year-old from Catawba was casting a Rapala plug to some swirling bass when he hooked up. When he got the fish next to the boat he was shocked.
"It didn't even look real," Brown said.
The fish weighed 12 pounds, even, and was 26 inches long.
Like most bass anglers, Brown typically releases his fish. This one, however, is headed for the wall.
Lakes
Although a few fishermen are having success, fishing is generally tough at the region's lakes, where heavy recreational boat traffic and recent hot weather are conspiring against anglers. In short, it's typical August fishing, and we can expect it for at least a few more weeks until things start cooling down in September.
At Claytor Lake, bass anglers are picking up a few fish around docks with finesse presentation. Stripers can be found in the lower lake at depths around 40 feet. Even catfishing has slowed down some, reported Glendon Jones at Rockhouse Marina.
Blaine Chitwood at The Virginia Outdoorsman said that Smith Mountain Lake's stripers are still in the midlake area. Trolling umbrella rigs will take fish right after dawn, but bait on downlines has been the best bet. Bass are deep, with soft plastics fish in 15 to 30 feet tricking a some good fish.
Early morning trolling is taking some trout at Lake Moomaw.
Streams
Wes Hensley at H&H Outdoors in Buchanan said live hellgrammites continue to be the best bet for smallmouth, though artificial hellgrammites are working OK.
Live bait is also working on smallmouths on the New River, where small soft plastics and topwaters are also producing.
Saltwater
Keith Tongier at TW's Bait and Tackle in Corrolla reported that the Outer Banks surf is full of spot and croaker. Flounder action should pick up the when the next east wind arrives.
