Thursday, July 01, 2010
July fishing report
Courtesy of Frank Dugan
Nine-year-old Emma Jarrett of Roanoke County with family friend Frank Dugan of Florence, S.C., caught this awesome striped bass on live bait at Smith Mountain Lake on Saturday morning. The fish was 39 inches long and weighed 18 pounds.
Mark Taylor is outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times.
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@roanoke.com
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Mark Taylor
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Overview
A welcome cool snap hit the region this week, but temps will start heading back up in time for the holiday weekend, which promises to be a busy one on the region's waterways.
On Virginia's larger lakes, anglers will have their work cut out for them as they try to find quiet fishing spots. The backs of remote coves might provide some respite from recreational boat traffic, but with water temperatures in the mid-80s those spots won't be holding many fish.
A better option is to get your fishing in during early morning hours.
For river anglers, those who set their alarm clocks to ring at 0-dark-30 stand the best chance of getting the first crack at water that hasn't already been fished.
Busy weekends also require extra caution. Be safe.
Lakes
The night surface bite for stripers is pretty much history, but topwater lures such as Storm Jointed Thundersticks and Heddon Zara Spooks are still catching some nice largemouth bass after dark, reports Dewayne Lamb with Captain's Quarters Marina. Soft plastics on Carolina rigs are also taking some bass off points, Lamb reported, with fish being found at depths ranging from 10 to 18 feet.
Lamb reported that stripers are being found 25-30 feet deep around the mouths of feeder creeks. Live alewives on downlines are taking some fish, including some citation-sized trophies. A few anglers are trolling with umbrella rigs with some success.
At Claytor Lake, some anglers are having success with buzzbaits during low-light periods. The lake's bass fishing is generally pretty tough, as is the norm this time of year.
Catfish action at Claytor is fair and should improve as the fish come out of the spawn.
Trolling is taking a few keeper trout at Lake Moomaw.
Streams
Smallmouth bass fishing has been steady on the New River, reports John Zienius at Big Z's in Radford. Small Senkos and crankbaits will produce steady action on smaller fish, with spinnerbaits a favored method for larger fish after dark.
The same patterns are working on the James and Maury rivers, as well as other streams.
Saltwater
Shrimp, bloodworms and Fish Bites are producing a mixed bag of small fish in the surf.
