Fishing Report

Day Date High Low High Low A.M. P.M.

Saturday 3/01 0153 0711 1345 2039 0613 1828

Sunday 3/02 0251 0814 1450 2139 0612 1829

Monday 3/03 0343 0920 1546 2233 0610 1830

Tuesday 3/04 0429 1024 1634 2320 0609 1831

Weds. 3/05 0508 1122 1717 - - - 0607 1832

Thurs. 3/06 0543 1214 1758 0002 0606 1833

Friday 3/07 0617 1302 1838 0042 0604 1834

Saturday 3/08 0652 1349 1919 0121 0603 1835

Sunday 3/09 0730 1436 2002 0200 0601 1836

• POTOMAC RIVER - D.C. -- The white perch should start moving in this weekend. A few small to medium perch were taken this week in the area of the 14th Street Bridge. Most of the fish were caught on nightcrawlers or blood-worms. Walleye anglers are taking 5-9 pound fish around Chain Bridge and Little Falls on live minnows and night-crawlers. Channel catfish anglers are taking good numbers of fish in the 2-3 pound class, along with a few over the 10 pound mark. Bottom fishing with smelt or cut bait is the key. Bass are moving into the prespawn stage. This means that they are holding in 10-15 feet of water and moving up on shallow banks or flats to feed. Jig 'n pig, small plastic grubs and slow-rolled spinnerbaits are the successful baits. Crappie are schooled and moving into shallow water. Live minnows and tiny jigs are the preferred baits. Carp are taking three inch, smoke metalflake grubs retrieved very slowly in a swimming motion. Outflows from the Alexandria power plant and Blue Plains are attracting schools of gizzard shad, followed by channel catfish and largemouth bass.

• POTOMAC RIVER - BELOW WOODROW WILSON BRIDGE -- Bass are being caught on main river points on jig 'n pig baits cast into the shallows and worked down the dropoffs. Plastic grubs, retrieved in a swimming motion, will take the smaller fish. Larger creeks are producing good catches on jig 'n pig baits, retrieved down dropoffs on outgoing tides. Crappie are schooled tight and holding in 8-12 feet of water, adjacent to shallow gravel banks with good cover. Live minnows and plastic grubs are the ticket. Blue catfish are foraging on flats adjacent to deeper water. Cut shad baits are taking the larger ones, with fish to 40 pounds being caught.

• POTOMAC RIVER - UPPER -- Smallmouth bass and channel catfish are beginning to move in the area from Algonkian Park to the mouth of the Monocacy. Live minnows, small hair jigs and plastic grubs are the more consis-tent producing baits. Lots of good size smallmouth are being caught along the Maryland shoreline below the Dickerson Power Plant discharge canal. Crappie schools are located around the mouth of Broad Run and Goose Creek. Small minnows are working best for these tasty fish. Reports of white suckers are beginning to filter in from the White's Ferry area. A good number of walleye are being taken at the base of Great Falls on live minnows and nightcrawlers. A couple of nice largemouth have also been reported in the past week. Most of the fish are com-ing from the area west of the Loudoun County line. Only one report of walleye above Great Falls, and that was taken just below the mouth of the Dickerson Power Plant discharge. It is only a matter of a week or so before they start biting throughout the upper river, assuming that the rains or melting snow don't raise the water level too much more.

• OCCOQUAN RIVER -- Lots of yellow perch were being taken on medium minnows and Silver Buddies, fished on the bottom in 17-20 feet of water, before the commercial fishermen deployed their nets. If you can work your way in between the nets perhaps there are a few left......buy don't count heavily on it.Crappie are suspended around boat docks throughout the river. Bass are hugging bottom along the rock walls on the north side of the river and on the rocky points on the south side. Small grubs, jig 'n pig or slow-rolled spinnerbaits, fished slowly along the bottom, will take the bass.

• OCCOQUAN RESERVOIR -- Water temperatures are in the low to mid forties, with fair fishing success. A little warmer weather this weekend should find main lake points producing bass for anglers fishing jig 'n pig and large spinnerbaits, very slowly from shallow to deep water. Most of the fish should be caught in 3-5 feet of water on a 15-20 dropoff. The bass should be staging for the spawn and moving into the coves. Crappie are staging and mov-ing from deep to shallow water near brush. Crappie fishing is fair on live minnows and tiny jigs.

• LAKE ANNA -- Big fish are on the move and are beginning to feed heavily. Live bait is at it's best now for trophy bass. Lots of fish are being graphed in 10-40 feet of water. They are making their way into the shallows. The water temperature throughout the lake is in the mid 40's, but should continue to warm up over the next two weeks. As it approaches the 55 degree mark, the fishing will get better and better for the larger bass. Shad-imitating crankbaits, jigs and grubs are taking good numbers of bass, but live jumbo shiners are producing best. Walleye action is fair throughout the lake. Gitzit grubs and live shiners are the best baits for the walleye. Crappie are schooled up and taking small shiners and jigs. Best action is found under the bridges and suspended over creek channels. Yellow and white perch are found on dropoffs adjacent to deep points. These fish are taking small min-nows, jigs, and Hopkins spoons. Stripers are taking four inch Sassy Shads in pearl color. Early and late in the day, Zara Spooks and Cordell Redfins are productive.

• BURKE LAKE -- This Saturday should see many anglers out, and some fish caught. Some warm, sunny days should turn them on, with bass being taken on crankbaits and spinnerbaits, retrieved slowly. Water temperatures are in the mid forties, but hopefully, will increase this weekend.

• RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER -- White perch fishing has started, downriver, with bloodworms being the bait of choice. Yellow perch are still biting well on minnows and nightcrawlers, in the downstream sections. Crappie fish-ing is good in the tidal sections, as is largemouth bass. Lots of good bass are being caught on jig 'n pig near the blowdowns on the South shoreline. Some good sized blue catfish are being caught on cut bait, fished in the main river channel bends. Above the city, smallmouth fishing is red hot, with trophy fish taking large crankbaits, live minnows, plastic grubs and hair jigs with pork rind trailers. Best area is around the I-95 bridge and upstream.

• SHENANDOAH RIVER -- Some smallmouth bass action is reported, mainly on live minnows and Rapalas. Most of the action centers around catfish. These fish are feeding heavily on cut bait, live minnows and nightcrawlers.

• JAMES RIVER -- Above the city, some smallmouth bass are being caught on live minnows and jig 'n pig. Tidal sections are showing largemouth bass action on jig 'n pig, spinnerbaits and plastic grubs. Most of the good fish are coming from rocky points or wood cover. Catfish are biting well on cut bait, fished on the bottom of the outside river channel bends. Best action on big cats is around the Dutch Gap Power Plant.

• LAKE CHESDIN -- Largemouth bass fishing is good on crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jig 'n pig. Points and coves in major creeks are producing 3-4 pound bass, with a number over the six pound mark. Crappie fishing is excellent on live minnows and power grubs, in the grass. A couple of citations were weighed this week.

• CHICKAHOMINY RIVER -- The mouths of the feeder creeks are producing well for anglers drifting live min-nows. Lots of jumbo yellow perch are being caught on medium minnows, while largemouth bass to five pounds and blue catfish to thirty pounds are taking jumbo minnows, cut shad and eel chunks. Crappie fishing is slow, but some large fish are being taken from the Walkers Dam area on live minnows.

• CHICKAHOMINY LAKE -- Largemouth bass, 2-6 pounds, are taking jumbo minnows on the main lake points and over brushpiles in deeper water. Pickerel, 2-5 pounds, are also taking jumbo minnows throughout the lake. At the dam, some yellow perch are being caught on small minnows, in addition to large numbers of good sized crappie.

• LITTLE CREEK RESERVOIR -- Hopefully this lake will be opening in the next couple of weeks.

• BACK BAY -- Tabernacle Creek is giving up plenty of crappie, while anglers are catching lots of yellow perch, some white perch and catfish in Hellspoint Creek. On West Neck Creek, white perch appear to be the best bet, with large catfish running a close second. Occasional bass are taken, but most are small.

• SUFFOLK LAKES -- Western Branch anglers are catching a few pickerel, yellow perch, large crappie and bass 5-9 pounds. Lake Prince reports excellent bass fishing on live minnows, jig 'n pig and spinnerbaits. Fish in the 2-7 pound range are being caught. Chain pickerel and walleye are also taking live minnows. Crappie are also biting well on smaller minnows. The lake is also producing crappie, pickerel and yellow perch. Lake Meade anglers are taking a few striped bass. Lake Smith reports mostly catfish and white perch in the 48 degree water, but a few me-dium bass are also being caught. Pickerel and crappie dominate the fishing at Lake Whitehurst. Some small bass, white perch and catfish complete the package.

• BRIERY CREEK & SANDY RIVER RESERVOIRS -- Numerous bass in the slot limit were weighed this past week at Briery Creek. Crappie anglers are doing well. Fishing at Sandy River improved a bit this past week, as bass in the 2-5 pound class were reported, along with some crappie and bream.

• LAKE GASTON -- Bass fishing is picking up, with fish taking jig 'n pig and slow-rolled spinnerbaits, fished on main lake points. Pea Hill Creek is also giving up bass on Speed Shads and C.C. Shads in clear water. Crappie are aggressive once found, but finding them is the trick. Check main creek channels and bends for sus-pended schools. Stripers are being caught at the lower end of the lake on live shad and bucktails. Most of the lake is still stained, with downlake creeks being clear. Below the dam, white perch are taking red wigglers.

• BUGGS ISLAND LAKE -- Largemouth bass fishing is fair on main lake points in six feet of water, near rocks. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits and five inch chartreuse/pepper grubs are the preferred baits. Crappie fishing is excellent over brushpiles and in the shallows. Slow trolling, with small minnows, in the backs of coves works well. Stripers are taking cut shad in 8-15 feet of water, on the bottom. The schools are located off major creek points. Stripers are also working off buoy 4. Surface action is best at midday, using bucktails and drifting live shad. Watch for gulls.

• SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE -- Stripers are being caught with some regularity on bucktails and live shad. Musky are also taking bucktails, while smallmouth bass are being caught on spinnerbaits. Crappie fishing is excellent on small minnows and jigs in 2-10 feet of water.

• LEESVILLE RESERVOIR -- Some stripers and walleye are being checked in. Most of the stripers are being caught on Cordell Redfins, although Storm swim baits are coming into their own. The Staunton River, below the dam, is producing walleye up to 4 1/2 pounds on jigs. Largemouth bass fishing is slow, using jigs and crankbaits.

• LAKE MOOMAW -- Crappie anglers are catching a few large crappie on live minnows, but the best action is on yellow perch, to 1.5 pounds. Some largemouth bass and pickerel are also reported. Tiny black midges are producing for fly fishermen, below Gathwright Dam, in the Jackson River.

• PHILPOTT LAKE -- Smallmouth bass are taking baits, fished in 5-35 feet of water. The recent snows have slowed activity, but the few anglers on the lake are catching some fish. Shallow water anglers are having success with small shad-imitating crankbaits, plastic worms and large, slow-rolled spinnerbaits, while deep water anglers are jigging up bass on Hopkins spoons. Anglers fishing for trout in the Smith River are taking some trophy trout, in addition to a large number of smaller fish. Berkley Power Baits, meal worms and salmon eggs are the most popular baits.

• SOUTH HOLSTON RESERVOIR -- Crappie fishermen are doing well around the water intake, on jigs. The lake level is up with water temperatures in the mid forties. Fairly consistent success is had by largemouth, smallmouth and trout anglers throughout the lake. Live bait is the best producer, although slow-rolled spinnerbaits and jig 'n pig are also catching bass.

• CLAYTON LAKE -- A few stripers are being taken by the handfull of anglers out. Blue catfish are biting on nightcrawlers and cut bait. Walleye are being caught where the New River flows into the lake. Occasional large-mouth bass are also reported.

• TROUT STREAMS -- Excellent trout fishing is available in the Smith and Jackson Rivers. Anglers are using size 22 and 24 blue wing olives, weighted nymphs in sizes 10-14 and size 10 streamers. The streams should be in good condition by Saturday, but care should be exercised. Wild streams had very good reproduction last year and fly hatches are already starting. Nymphs will probably be the best lure for flyfishermen, while small spinners in the 1/16th ounce class will work best for spin fishermen.