Post by Charlie Bowles on Jan 19, 2008 12:52:34 GMT -5
Catching BIG Lake Anna Largemouth and Striped Bass
in the month of January...
The lure of catching a monster bass or striper keeps anglers coming back to Lake Anna time after time. Best of all, you don’t need 60 degree water in the peak of spring to catch big fish. If you have the patience (and a warm pair of coveralls) January can be a great time to produce that Lake Anna Lunker!
As always, day to day weather conditions will play a huge roll in your ability catch winter time bass and striper in Lake Anna. It has been relatively warm and theLake has been cooling down slower than it has in the past years. This has offered a long period of fall feeding and really allowed the fish to fatten up nicely. Fish can be caught all over the lake, but some of the hotspots will be around the splits area, Plentiful creek, and Rose Valley. As the water temp in the river systems fall to the low 40’s and below, focus on the lower end of the lake. Take advantage of the warmer water from the power plant down to Dike 3. Mornings and evenings are great times to fish due to the lower light conditions. Make sure to take into account that the water at the lower end of the lake will be very clear, pushing the fish deeper during bright sunlight. For catching big Bass and Striper It doesn’t get any better than a cloudy day, with little bit of rain or snow.
The Bass are nice and fat from the fall feeding frenzy and tend to become more structure oriented than they were in the fall. Focus on deeper brush, rocks, and channel edges in about 18-25 feet. Fishing very slow and deliberate is a must for big winter bass. Try using a ½ ounce jig head with a 4 inch pearl Shad body. Let it sink to the bottom using a very slow retrieve, bumping into whatever structure your keyed in on. If you are fishing heavy brush try a Texas rig with a four inch finesse or senko style worm. Try to “dangle” your bait off of some of the branches, barely lifting it about 6-8 inches, then letting it fall. This technique also works very well with one of my favorites - a 3/8 ounce Black jig with a blue trailer. The bite can be very light or just feel like dead weight, So you’ll need to have contact with your bait at all times and be ready to “pull the trigger” on that possible fish of a lifetime.
Striper fishing will be hot around the dike 3 area early in the morning. Start by casting a 3/8 ounce jig head with a 4 inch pearl shad body or a 3/8 ounce white buck tail. As the sun gets brighter use your sonar to find schooling fish at the mouths of major creeks or dike three. Once you find them, try jigging a ¾ ounce strata sthingy or blade bait and hold on tight! Trolling can also produce some very large striped bass this time of year. One method is to use 12 lb test with XPS LEC 15’s or DD22’s. Another is to troll a 6 arm umbrella rig with 4 inch shad bodies (with swivels, no hooks) and up to a 10” weighted swim bait like a Tsunami on a 1.5 to 2ft leader. I use 20 lb test with a heavy action rod and troll at about 3 mph. This method has produced more BIG stripers for me than any other method.
So there you have it… grab your coveralls, an insulated thermos full of hot coffee, and some hand warmers and head out on the lake. You might just bring back one of the biggest catches you’ve ever had!
in the month of January...
The lure of catching a monster bass or striper keeps anglers coming back to Lake Anna time after time. Best of all, you don’t need 60 degree water in the peak of spring to catch big fish. If you have the patience (and a warm pair of coveralls) January can be a great time to produce that Lake Anna Lunker!
As always, day to day weather conditions will play a huge roll in your ability catch winter time bass and striper in Lake Anna. It has been relatively warm and theLake has been cooling down slower than it has in the past years. This has offered a long period of fall feeding and really allowed the fish to fatten up nicely. Fish can be caught all over the lake, but some of the hotspots will be around the splits area, Plentiful creek, and Rose Valley. As the water temp in the river systems fall to the low 40’s and below, focus on the lower end of the lake. Take advantage of the warmer water from the power plant down to Dike 3. Mornings and evenings are great times to fish due to the lower light conditions. Make sure to take into account that the water at the lower end of the lake will be very clear, pushing the fish deeper during bright sunlight. For catching big Bass and Striper It doesn’t get any better than a cloudy day, with little bit of rain or snow.
The Bass are nice and fat from the fall feeding frenzy and tend to become more structure oriented than they were in the fall. Focus on deeper brush, rocks, and channel edges in about 18-25 feet. Fishing very slow and deliberate is a must for big winter bass. Try using a ½ ounce jig head with a 4 inch pearl Shad body. Let it sink to the bottom using a very slow retrieve, bumping into whatever structure your keyed in on. If you are fishing heavy brush try a Texas rig with a four inch finesse or senko style worm. Try to “dangle” your bait off of some of the branches, barely lifting it about 6-8 inches, then letting it fall. This technique also works very well with one of my favorites - a 3/8 ounce Black jig with a blue trailer. The bite can be very light or just feel like dead weight, So you’ll need to have contact with your bait at all times and be ready to “pull the trigger” on that possible fish of a lifetime.
Striper fishing will be hot around the dike 3 area early in the morning. Start by casting a 3/8 ounce jig head with a 4 inch pearl shad body or a 3/8 ounce white buck tail. As the sun gets brighter use your sonar to find schooling fish at the mouths of major creeks or dike three. Once you find them, try jigging a ¾ ounce strata sthingy or blade bait and hold on tight! Trolling can also produce some very large striped bass this time of year. One method is to use 12 lb test with XPS LEC 15’s or DD22’s. Another is to troll a 6 arm umbrella rig with 4 inch shad bodies (with swivels, no hooks) and up to a 10” weighted swim bait like a Tsunami on a 1.5 to 2ft leader. I use 20 lb test with a heavy action rod and troll at about 3 mph. This method has produced more BIG stripers for me than any other method.
So there you have it… grab your coveralls, an insulated thermos full of hot coffee, and some hand warmers and head out on the lake. You might just bring back one of the biggest catches you’ve ever had!