Post by 31Airborne on Nov 30, 2020 6:22:50 GMT -5
Had to get out of the house after being trapped inside for the past few days. Hard to pass up on weather like this. Got a little bit later start than usual so I could see family off, say good-byes (yep, we defied the orders but were all COVID tested in advance).
Put in at the state park and was surprised to see 58+* water. Water had a nice stain to it - maybe 3-4' of viz. Perfect for me. Started off ~2 miles down lake in some of the mid lake stuff I've been working this year. Water was clear in my first 2 stops. Easily 6-7' of viz. Picked up my first one on a DT-16 off of a long, tapered point. Not big but a start. Next one jumped on my jig off of an adjacent dock. He was holding right on the front post looking for a meal. Jig did not hit the bottom. That was it for the clear water. Made my way back up lake and into the stained water. Picked up my next one on a DT-10 off of a rock bluff. From there I bounced around looking for bait. Stopped in a couple places to fish some history. Managed to bang out 2 on a c-rig and one on a jerkbait. Again, nothing big. It was good enuff just to get bit.
Observations: 1) Water temps remain warm, even after the recent colder weather. I suspect the cold front this week will cool things down a bit more. WTs ranged from 58 at launch to 60 around midday just below the 122 bridge. 2) Water clouds up the further up lake you go. Clearer water is closer to the confluence. I did not go into the BW River but suspect it's the same over there. Did not see any floaters or debris. 3) Bait was hard to find. I searched a number of creeks and deeper coves. Found scattered bunches of bait but no big schools. The little bit of bait I saw was suspended over creek channels for the most part. I saw a couple of small pods in the back of coves but not enuff to call it a pattern. Only bird activity I saw was on the main lake and it was sparse. 4) 8-12' was the magic range for me. Fish were either tight to the bottom or suspended just off the bottom. 5) Secondary points were better than main lake points. Points with some rock were best. 6) Very little boat traffic. Only people on the lake were fisher-doods. Love fishing this time of year.
I will continue to take advantage of the warmer weather as long as it holds out but I'm hoping it gets cold at some point. The seasonal changes are an important contributor to the overall health of a lake. Mother Nature has a way of culling the herd to keep things in balance. I always read the Farmers' Almanac forecasts to get a feel for what the winter will be like. This year the forecast depends on which version of the FA you read. One says warm winter with lotsa rain, the other says cold winter with more snow than usual. I'd settle for a normal SW VA winter.
I'll continue my piece-by-piece study of the lake as the new year approaches. Will use this last month of 2020 to wrap up my mid lake study, then I'll transition to the BW River. I haven't seen anything of the BW much beyond Gills Creek. The map study I've done in advance has me kinda excited. The hard turns and steep bluffs are things I've had a lot of success on in other places. Curious to see if any of that holds true for the BW. As I wrap up the BW work I'll ease my way down to the lower end of the lake. Too much good stuff down there to let the clearer water scare me away. My map study shows several boat ramps on the BW but I'm not sure any of these are public. I know about Gills Creek. Is there a public access ramp further up? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
With Thanksgiving behind us we're officially into the holiday season. I love this time of year. The food, the colors, the food, the holiday movies, the food, time with family, and the food. Will be a challenge managing the COVID restrictions but if we think and plan ahead we can all do this smartly, safely. I wish for all a blessed holiday season filled with family, friends, good health, and kind thoughts.
peace,
B
Put in at the state park and was surprised to see 58+* water. Water had a nice stain to it - maybe 3-4' of viz. Perfect for me. Started off ~2 miles down lake in some of the mid lake stuff I've been working this year. Water was clear in my first 2 stops. Easily 6-7' of viz. Picked up my first one on a DT-16 off of a long, tapered point. Not big but a start. Next one jumped on my jig off of an adjacent dock. He was holding right on the front post looking for a meal. Jig did not hit the bottom. That was it for the clear water. Made my way back up lake and into the stained water. Picked up my next one on a DT-10 off of a rock bluff. From there I bounced around looking for bait. Stopped in a couple places to fish some history. Managed to bang out 2 on a c-rig and one on a jerkbait. Again, nothing big. It was good enuff just to get bit.
Observations: 1) Water temps remain warm, even after the recent colder weather. I suspect the cold front this week will cool things down a bit more. WTs ranged from 58 at launch to 60 around midday just below the 122 bridge. 2) Water clouds up the further up lake you go. Clearer water is closer to the confluence. I did not go into the BW River but suspect it's the same over there. Did not see any floaters or debris. 3) Bait was hard to find. I searched a number of creeks and deeper coves. Found scattered bunches of bait but no big schools. The little bit of bait I saw was suspended over creek channels for the most part. I saw a couple of small pods in the back of coves but not enuff to call it a pattern. Only bird activity I saw was on the main lake and it was sparse. 4) 8-12' was the magic range for me. Fish were either tight to the bottom or suspended just off the bottom. 5) Secondary points were better than main lake points. Points with some rock were best. 6) Very little boat traffic. Only people on the lake were fisher-doods. Love fishing this time of year.
I will continue to take advantage of the warmer weather as long as it holds out but I'm hoping it gets cold at some point. The seasonal changes are an important contributor to the overall health of a lake. Mother Nature has a way of culling the herd to keep things in balance. I always read the Farmers' Almanac forecasts to get a feel for what the winter will be like. This year the forecast depends on which version of the FA you read. One says warm winter with lotsa rain, the other says cold winter with more snow than usual. I'd settle for a normal SW VA winter.
I'll continue my piece-by-piece study of the lake as the new year approaches. Will use this last month of 2020 to wrap up my mid lake study, then I'll transition to the BW River. I haven't seen anything of the BW much beyond Gills Creek. The map study I've done in advance has me kinda excited. The hard turns and steep bluffs are things I've had a lot of success on in other places. Curious to see if any of that holds true for the BW. As I wrap up the BW work I'll ease my way down to the lower end of the lake. Too much good stuff down there to let the clearer water scare me away. My map study shows several boat ramps on the BW but I'm not sure any of these are public. I know about Gills Creek. Is there a public access ramp further up? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
With Thanksgiving behind us we're officially into the holiday season. I love this time of year. The food, the colors, the food, the holiday movies, the food, time with family, and the food. Will be a challenge managing the COVID restrictions but if we think and plan ahead we can all do this smartly, safely. I wish for all a blessed holiday season filled with family, friends, good health, and kind thoughts.
peace,
B
