Lake Anna - May 11-16 2024

HistoryNerd27 reply :

Hi Everyone,

I know there are several topics about Lake Anna here and I've been looking through them for some good information. I recently purchased a boat and am going to take it for a week on Lake Anna. My family is staying at a rental house uplake on Woodside Branch (according to google maps) and I'll probably be fishing around there mostly until I break the boat in a little at least. I've been looking at McCotter's facebook page and saw they are currently spawning but I don't know the area he was fishing. Was just wondering if anyone had some good information on what phase they would be in, if there are good spawning areas uplake, etc. My hope is that since we are in the shallower area of the lake the water temps will rise more quickly and maybe we will hit the postspawn. Thanks everyone for any helpful tips.

Nitrofreak reply :

Is that somewhere close to "Terry's Run" ?

If you call the marinas and ask to speak with any of the guides , there are a few that can give you some great details as to what the fish are doing that time of month , anyone at Fish Tales is usually extremely helpful , call and leave a message , they will call you back if you don't get an answer right away , Ask for Chris Craft or Dave Fauntleroy , Ron is also a good one to speak with , they have a pretty good fishing website ( Anna point marina ) that has the current fish activity for the month covering all species of the lake , so does Sturgeon Creek Marina , just let em know the dates and they will give you some pretty good clues as to where to try your luck for the area you'll be fishing .

The lake primarily fishes green , ( bait colors ) depending on sun and water clearity as to when to add some flaking or color to your baits , that time of month I would be focusing on some of the deepest grass lines you can find , if it's overcast , fish the outer edges and outside of boat docks , if it's sunny , focus on the bait getting under the boat docks , if you can skip a bait , put it as far under them as you can , if you find some thick vegetation pick it apart with a jig .

There are some good lay downs around the lake , don't pass up the opportunity to fish those as well , fish those at the outside and work your way in , especially with ones that extend out to deeper water at the top of the lay .

If the fish aren't chasing spinners and crank baits , don't be afraid to soak your baits with a T-Rig worm etc ... A grub hopped along the bottom works great for that time of year or swam slowly around boat docks with some intermittent pausing , otherwise , move them very slowly across the bottom or use some slow fall rate baits and watch your line closely !

Hope that helps and that you have a great trip to Anna !!!

HistoryNerd27 reply :

Thanks for all of the information. My understanding is I'm staying just a bit uplake from Terry's Run but I'll be probably be fishing in that area. I'm really glad to have that information and I might check in with some of the marinas when I launch to see if they can give me any info. Thanks again!

Nitrofreak reply :

I've fished a good bit up there , early in the morning you can usually find a good striper bite too , they will boil the surface and won't be hard to target , just about anything will catch em' , buzz baits work like a charm , flutter spoons , slightly weighted or weightless soft jerk baits , walking sticks , all work really well , I like the buzz bait the best if the water is stained , they hammer the snot out of those things LOL !!

Logan S reply :

General rule of thumb on Anna is that uplake is cooler and stained, downlake is warmer and clear...With midlake being in between (duh

). Downlake is warmer because that's where the water comes in from the hotside. Most people consider uplake as anything above the spilts, midlake as the splits down to about Sturgeon Creek, and downlake as Sturgeon Creek to the dam

Fishing should be pretty good all over at that time with most fish still in shallow water. Many techniques work at Anna, but the big 3 for me are shakeyhead, spinnerbait, and flat-side crankbait. Shakey around/under docks, spinnerbait on stumpy or 'woody' points/shorelines (especially windy ones), and the crank pretty much anywhere/everywhere.

If you don't get bit in an area pick up and run a mile or so down the lake, keep doing that until the action picks up. That's usually how I zone in on which section of the lake is the most active (start at one end and work up/down). Sometimes it's the same everywhere, sometimes one section is noticeably better (IE, Midlake could be better than up or downlake). I generally fish mid and downlake because it suits my style a little better than uplake, that's the cool thing about Anna...Big enough to have 3 distinct sections but small enough to be able to run to each throughout the day without burning a bunch of time/gas.

Should be fun, good luck!

HistoryNerd27 reply :

Sorry it took me awhile to get back into the swing of things after vacation but I wanted to thank everyone for their help. We ended up having a solid fishing week as we caught multiple fish in the 3 lb range though nothing too huge. My week started off pretty rotten as I broke the tip off my Fenwick after pulling through some grass (A little dissapointed but hopefully I'll be getting a replacement soon) and then found faulty line on another rod which caused me to lose two fish. But I ended catching a few nice ones and really enjoyed fishing there. Most everything was on soft plastics off cover.

I am hoping next time to maybe try a little striper fishing too. Again, thanks for all the help and making the trip a fun vacation.

Kyle46N reply :

Anyone fished Anna lately? I'm going to head down there Friday. Planning on fishing above the splits. My game plan as of right now is docks, docks, and more docks.

Nitrofreak reply :

Kyle , that's a good plan , especially in the arm of Anna , (old Anna River ) don't pass up the grass areas along the way , if it's overcast , I'd focus on the grass , if the sun is high , focus on the docks , specifically under them as far as you can get .

Look at a lake map and seek out Points with some interesting features , some of the points have a good bit of grass that bait fish use for cover , they make really good morning and evening spots , keep an eye on the waters in the middle and just off of some of the points entering the arm and on your way back toward Christopher run , you are likely to see stripers as well as LMB breaking the surface , good clues to some of the better spots and areas for later in the day when the morning bite comes to an end .

Good luck and be safe !!!

Kyle46N reply :

Tough day Nitro. I fished some grass on points, etc for the first hour of daylight, with nothing to show for it. Then spent the next few hours skipping wacky rigged senko's and shaky heads under docks. Nothing at all. Had my 6 year old boy with me, so I gave in and we hit bridge pilings for a bunch of little crappie the rest of the day. Got some swimming in too! Good day all in all. Surprised I didn't get bit at all with the dock fishing. We hit ALOT of docks.

Nitrofreak reply :

Where were you ? Anna arm of the lake ?

Choporoz reply :

Thanks for the update, Kyle. Appreciate it!

I am thinking about heading down this weekend. I'll be renting one of Sturgeon Creek's boats, if I do. I think they're around 8HP, so my range out of there will be limited.

Nitrofreak reply :

Good luck and be safe Chop !!!

everythingthatswims reply :

On 7/15/2015 at 12:32 AM, Choporoz said:

Thanks for the update, Kyle. Appreciate it!

I am thinking about heading down this weekend. I'll be renting one of Sturgeon Creek's boats, if I do. I think they're around 8HP, so my range out of there will be limited.

Don't even leave Sturgeon Creek. Plenty of re-treds from tournaments in there. After a tournament this spring I witnessed a guy catch three off of his boat as he was getting ready to trailer it. Boats being pulled out of the water left and right and the fish were under the dock between the ramps. Crazy.

Choporoz reply :

Thanks Sonny and ETS!

Assuming I make it down there, I'll post up how I killed 'em.

Dave

Nitrofreak reply :

Good deal looking forward to your report sir !!

Since our last outing Chop , I haven't been to Anna , found out the Nitro actually burned up the No.1 piston and damaged the cylinder beyond repair .

I just bought a new to me ride , I'm heading down to bugs island for lakefest this weekend , should have the title and tags all done by next weekend but I am going to be at the Potomac for Reel American Heroes foundation helping them out .

Looks like the 1st and 2nd of Aug . I will finally be on the water again (hopefully) and send some reports y'all's way .

Don't forget for those thinking about Anna to visit Anna point marinas website , Chris and everybody does a fantastic job of posting the current conditions and fishing reports for all species .

God bless and be safe !!!

Lendiesel22 reply :

How is the fall largemouth scene on the lake? I have a vacation in September. I have never been to the lake so its gonna be fun being amped up to hit it. I have an image of how it's going to go but any info would be helpful.

Nitrofreak reply :

I can't be much help to ya since I haven't been in a while , not real sure what the fish are doing , keep checking with Anna point Marina and their fishing report , I was hoping to get out last weekend but that didn't happen either , if I get over there before then I will try and provide a detailed report for ya , hopefully someone has been recently and can help ya out .

Lendiesel22 reply :

Sounds good to me thanks, i have time.

Lendiesel22 reply :

Anyone have any updates about the lake? I am 2 weeks out from vacation. Any info is appreciated

CrazyFluker reply :

My buddy fishes Anna a lot, over July and early August he was struggling a bit but here lately he's been catching better bags. The water is still warm but dropping and will continue. I would think it will only get better from here on out. He won't give a lot of info has he's always fishing tournaments so not worth asking lol. I know he prefers the middle of the lake, staying away from the clear and the mud.

Lendiesel22 reply :

Ok thank you

Lendiesel22 reply :

Great fluker thanks. I am staying in the south end so i will be working north until i find a pattern.

Lendiesel22 reply :

I have an image of what should happen, but its all about adjusting to what is going on

Nitrofreak reply :

I was just there this past Saturday , water temps were in the mid to upper 80's depending on where you were , up in the Anna arm the water was stained , mid lake the water was somewhat clear , lots of boat traffic still so be prepared for that , I really didn't fish much at all because I was getting used to my new to me ride but when I finally did I was in pigeon creek , found two schools of bait and one small school of bass on a secondary point with hard bottom , I managed to make 5 whole casts before the VDGIF showed up and checked us over , I did manage this one little feller on the second cast however but by the time we finished up we needed to get home so that was the end of my day .

I'll be there from the 16th through the 20th , fishing the wounded warriors tournament , best of luck to ya and be safe !!!

Lendiesel22 reply :

Very cool, thanks. Looking foward to it and the info is appreciated. Anyone know Bones island? My house will be right there.

Jigfishn10 reply :

On 9/3/2015 at 9:00 AM, Nitrofreak said:

I was just there this past Saturday , water temps were in the mid to upper 80's depending on where you were , up in the Anna arm the water was stained , mid lake the water was somewhat clear , lots of boat traffic still so be prepared for that , I really didn't fish much at all because I was getting used to my new to me ride but when I finally did I was in pigeon creek , found two schools of bait and one small school of bass on a secondary point with hard bottom , I managed to make 5 whole casts before the VDGIF showed up and checked us over , I did manage this one little feller on the second cast however but by the time we finished up we needed to get home so that was the end of my day .

I'll be there from the 16th through the 20th , fishing the wounded warriors tournament , best of luck to ya and be safe !!!

Nice to see you fishing again my friend...that the new rig?

Nitrofreak reply :

On 9/3/2015 at 9:02 PM, Jigfishn10 said:
Nice to see you fishing again my friend...that the new rig?

It is big guy and thank ya much !!!

Jigfishn10 reply :

On 9/3/2015 at 11:12 PM, Nitrofreak said:
It is big guy and thank ya much !!!

Nice rig Nitro...BTW, my phone didn't exactly blow-up for even a ride...you cheapskate!

I'm very happy for you Bud, it's been a long time coming. Congrats old friend!!!!

Nitrofreak reply :

On 9/3/2015 at 11:38 PM, Jigfishn10 said:

Nice rig Nitro...BTW, my phone didn't exactly blow-up for even a ride...you cheapskate!

I'm very happy for you Bud, it's been a long time coming. Congrats old friend!!!!

Thank ya much , means a ton , by the way , here is a standing invitation for you , you say when and I'll be on the water waitin on ya !!!

Nitrofreak reply :

On 9/3/2015 at 8:47 PM, Lendiesel22 said:
Very cool, thanks. Looking foward to it and the info is appreciated. Anyone know Bones island? My house will be right there.

Not sure exactly where that's located , that somewhere near Dukes Creek ?

Don't remember seeing that one but there are a slew of islands down around Dukes is the reason I ask .

Lendiesel22 reply :

Looks like its in david creek and dannys hole is close by

Nitrofreak reply :

On 9/4/2015 at 9:30 AM, Lendiesel22 said:
Looks like its in david creek and dannys hole is close by

OH , your staying on the private side then , that's a pretty decent area to fish , hope you have a great time and catch lots of fish !!!

Good luck , be safe and God bless !!!

Lendiesel22 reply :

Awesome! Honestly day 1 will be spent in that creek just getting settled. I will go adventuring during the week in the hopes boat traffic will be less. 90% will be large mouth searching, i need a few stripers for the table too. I am fired up to go and work is an absolute pain in the back side right now so i need the break. The info is appreciated and i will update as i get going down there.

Lendiesel22 reply :

Dad and I will be on the water 15 min before sun up everyday and fish until 11am. In for lunch and family time then back on the water from 4 to dark. Tell me that is not a beautiful vacation!

Nitrofreak reply :

Anytime with family is a beautiful time , mix that with other venues we love and it's just that much better , you should have some pretty good days in that area , there is a good mix of current and structure , only been invited to fish that side a handful of times , it's beautiful in that area , there are some hazards you need to be on the lookout for across from where you are staying there are a few submerged humps , the water level is down so they might or might not be visible , just ease around if you don't have a good lake map and if your unsure of the surroundings there .

Enjoy yourself and your family bud !!!

Lendiesel22 reply :

Agreed, thanks alot bud. Really appreciate it.

CrazyFluker reply :

I fished Anna Friday, we caught most fish around rock. Drop shot caught the most fish. We were on the public side though.

Lendiesel22 reply :

Thanks fluker, I will drop shot if i have to. I will be ned riggin quite a bit as well. I have a feeling the zman hula stick in mud minnow will do well. I would love to catch a few on a jig as well. I am losing sleep with the anticipation. Lol

Lendiesel22 reply :

Thanks so much for the info on this fellas. Looking forward to relaxing week.

Lendiesel22 reply :

We arrived yesterday and after unpacking went to the boat house. I got 2 fish for over 5lbs off the dock on a ned. We put the boat in for 30 min and i got 4 for over 11lbs and broke my H rod boat flipping a 4plus. Day 1 starts Now! If it's anything like yesterday its gonna be a long week with sore ribs and sand paper thumbs.

Lendiesel22 reply :

We have done ok to this point. We have found a few fish 2 to 3lbs cruising the shoreline. We have not been able to establish an off shore bite yet and really have not seen anything on the graph worth stopping on. The shorelines are really void of covr and the boat docks are only producing small fish. We are going to run out of our area and through one of the connecting canals and check out some new water this evening

Choporoz reply :

Thanks for the updates!

Lendiesel22 reply :

No problem, today was tough as well. I eeked out a limit in middlepond. 2 fish on the biggest boat dock by the bridge. 1 fish in 25ft at busbee island and 2 more in the canal coming back from pond 2 to pond 1. Going to the cold side 2mrw. Water Temps over here are 88 to 91 and we are not seeing much to be happy about. My best friend has been a half oz jig and calling it a hot bait would be overstating by a long shot.

Lendiesel22 reply :

Caught a few today up near tims restaurant. 15 ft of water dragging swing heads with plastics. Again not an easy day. The fish are not grouped up at all that I can find. Hunt and peck.

Choporoz reply :

I really want to love that lake....but I'm not there yet. Only been a few times, but it seems to have so much potential.

Thanks again. Wish you were catching more bass. Then again, sounds perfect -- weather couldn't be better and you're on the water...

Lendiesel22 reply :

It's a cool place. Very challenging. It fishes like 4 or 5 different lakes depending on where you are. Caught a few more today but had to Carolina rig to get a bite. 10 to 15 ft of water and had to be around stumps and shells. One more crack at it 2mrw morning and then packing up. Oh and Chris and bill over at fish tales are awesome guys. If i didn't wanna fish every minute i can here i would sit and talk to those guys for hours.

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Lake Anna - May 11-16 2024

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