Driving Map to Lake Anna - Click to Enlarge
| Lake Anna citation striper caught with Jim Hemby - July 2006 |
| Bob Hargis and friends with stripers and catfish caught with Jim Hemby of Lake Anna Striper Guide Service |
| Click Photos to Enlarge |
Lake Anna Overview
Lake Anna is a 9,600 acre impoundment located in the Northern Piedmont region.
It provides cooling water for the North Anna Nuclear Power Station. It is renowned
for its largemouth bass fishing and also offers excellent opportunities for
landlocked striped bass and crappie. It provides the best trophy largemouth bass
fishing of any of the major reservoirs in the state. Numerous citation fish (over 8
lbs) are caught each year and 10 lb fish are possible (an 11 lb 8 oz fish was
caught in 2003 and the lake record is 13 lbs). Due to its proximity to major
population centers (Northern VA and Richmond), the pleasure boat traffic is very
heavy during the summer months; however, fishing is still enjoyable from daylight
until around 11 am on summer weekends.
It provides cooling water for the North Anna Nuclear Power Station. It is renowned
for its largemouth bass fishing and also offers excellent opportunities for
landlocked striped bass and crappie. It provides the best trophy largemouth bass
fishing of any of the major reservoirs in the state. Numerous citation fish (over 8
lbs) are caught each year and 10 lb fish are possible (an 11 lb 8 oz fish was
caught in 2003 and the lake record is 13 lbs). Due to its proximity to major
population centers (Northern VA and Richmond), the pleasure boat traffic is very
heavy during the summer months; however, fishing is still enjoyable from daylight
until around 11 am on summer weekends.
Jim Hemby of Lake Anna Striper Guide Service provided the following Fishing
Report for November 2011. Visit Jim at www.jimhemby.com or call 540-967-
3313.
November is a transition month with all species of fish feeding well fating
themselves up for the winter months ahead. November brings some of the best
fishing of the year and fisherman can pattern fish easily this month with a little
understanding of the fishes movements. November weather fluctuates from cold
nights to warm afternoons, warm spells to cold fronts and the fish move and feed
with the weather. When the temperatures are warming fish move up onto the flats,
points, heat absorbing clay banks and rocky structures feeding aggressively and
conversely when the cold fronts hit the fish follow the bait right back to the first
breaks in deeper water nearby their feeding areas and still feed but their strike
zone is much smaller. Use larger baits in warming trends covering large areas of
water quickly and when the fish pull back to the break lines slow down and
downsize your offerings. Fishing this month is usually more productive in the
afternoons once the water has warmed a little.
STRIPERS: The lake is in great shape this year filled with plenty of fresh water
holding plenty of Oxygen and the temperatures ranging from upper 50’s up lake to
mid 60’s down lake. Stripers will be feeding throughout the lake but the three
most productive areas will be down lake at the third dike even though the plant is
not running, mid lake from Sturgeon up to Stubbs and Holliday Mill and then all
the way up either arm of the lake. In the current it is hard to beat the Pencil Popper
worked on the surface. When the fish sound convert to swim baits and spoons to
catch the Stripers. There are nice schools working the mouths of Sturgeons and
Boggs and around the power plant. Mid lake fish are turning on strong with the
gulls exposing the numerous schools of Stripers. When approaching gulls
working fish cut your big motor off at least 100 yards before getting to the area of
the gulls and use your trolling motor to take you into the area. Not only does your
big motor spook fish and make them sound but you most likely will encounter fish
well before you reach the area of the birds. Also remember to be courteous to
other anglers and not encroach on them while they are working the schools. The
Stripers are schooled well around the splits chasing bait to the surface in low light
conditions and schooling deeper in the 20 to 30 foot flats during the day. Run live
bait on down lines or jig Spoons and flukes at the depth you see the arches on
your depth finder to catch these Stripers. The pattern that produces the best this
month for the larger Stripers is running Big Gizzard Shad behind planner boards
in the upper water column over water depths ranging from 25 feet right up to the
bank. The fish want to fatten up and will attack the larger baits driving the shad up
to the surface with explosive strikes. It is not uncommon to catch 15 to 20 Stripers
a day using this technique. Later in the month once the water temps drop below
50 degrees the Stripers will focus on feeding on the smaller Herring and
Threadfin Shad.
BASS: By far the best way to locate Bass this month is to start in the backs of the
creeks going as far as you dare then finding the slightest channel depression and
working it back out targeting stumps, rocks or humps nearby the channel. Shallow
running crank baits and spinner baits covering water quickly keying on areas
where bait is present will get the job done. If the fish will not cooperate in the back
of the creeks and rivers go directly to the mouths of the creeks working primary
points and flats working deeper diving Crankbaits and especially Jerkbaits as the
water cools. Bass also will hold on docks this month.
CRAPPIE: The Crappie are also moving with the weather conditions. For the last
month I have been catching citation size Crappie throwing for bait all the way up
the rivers and creeks in 2 foot of water or less! On warming trends they are
moving up on the points with brush on them in 5 to 10 feet of water, on colder
days the larger slabs can be caught on the deeper drops on primary points with
structure [boulders or brush] on them. They will also move to the bridge pilings in
the colder spells and congregate in large numbers. Later this month once the
water temps drop below 50* the Crappie will remain on the bridges and primary
points. The points around Christopher Run and Hunters Landing will produce
well this month. The nicer Crappie are feeding on 3 and 4 inch Threadfin Shad so
try larger baits.
Report for November 2011. Visit Jim at www.jimhemby.com or call 540-967-
3313.
November is a transition month with all species of fish feeding well fating
themselves up for the winter months ahead. November brings some of the best
fishing of the year and fisherman can pattern fish easily this month with a little
understanding of the fishes movements. November weather fluctuates from cold
nights to warm afternoons, warm spells to cold fronts and the fish move and feed
with the weather. When the temperatures are warming fish move up onto the flats,
points, heat absorbing clay banks and rocky structures feeding aggressively and
conversely when the cold fronts hit the fish follow the bait right back to the first
breaks in deeper water nearby their feeding areas and still feed but their strike
zone is much smaller. Use larger baits in warming trends covering large areas of
water quickly and when the fish pull back to the break lines slow down and
downsize your offerings. Fishing this month is usually more productive in the
afternoons once the water has warmed a little.
STRIPERS: The lake is in great shape this year filled with plenty of fresh water
holding plenty of Oxygen and the temperatures ranging from upper 50’s up lake to
mid 60’s down lake. Stripers will be feeding throughout the lake but the three
most productive areas will be down lake at the third dike even though the plant is
not running, mid lake from Sturgeon up to Stubbs and Holliday Mill and then all
the way up either arm of the lake. In the current it is hard to beat the Pencil Popper
worked on the surface. When the fish sound convert to swim baits and spoons to
catch the Stripers. There are nice schools working the mouths of Sturgeons and
Boggs and around the power plant. Mid lake fish are turning on strong with the
gulls exposing the numerous schools of Stripers. When approaching gulls
working fish cut your big motor off at least 100 yards before getting to the area of
the gulls and use your trolling motor to take you into the area. Not only does your
big motor spook fish and make them sound but you most likely will encounter fish
well before you reach the area of the birds. Also remember to be courteous to
other anglers and not encroach on them while they are working the schools. The
Stripers are schooled well around the splits chasing bait to the surface in low light
conditions and schooling deeper in the 20 to 30 foot flats during the day. Run live
bait on down lines or jig Spoons and flukes at the depth you see the arches on
your depth finder to catch these Stripers. The pattern that produces the best this
month for the larger Stripers is running Big Gizzard Shad behind planner boards
in the upper water column over water depths ranging from 25 feet right up to the
bank. The fish want to fatten up and will attack the larger baits driving the shad up
to the surface with explosive strikes. It is not uncommon to catch 15 to 20 Stripers
a day using this technique. Later in the month once the water temps drop below
50 degrees the Stripers will focus on feeding on the smaller Herring and
Threadfin Shad.
BASS: By far the best way to locate Bass this month is to start in the backs of the
creeks going as far as you dare then finding the slightest channel depression and
working it back out targeting stumps, rocks or humps nearby the channel. Shallow
running crank baits and spinner baits covering water quickly keying on areas
where bait is present will get the job done. If the fish will not cooperate in the back
of the creeks and rivers go directly to the mouths of the creeks working primary
points and flats working deeper diving Crankbaits and especially Jerkbaits as the
water cools. Bass also will hold on docks this month.
CRAPPIE: The Crappie are also moving with the weather conditions. For the last
month I have been catching citation size Crappie throwing for bait all the way up
the rivers and creeks in 2 foot of water or less! On warming trends they are
moving up on the points with brush on them in 5 to 10 feet of water, on colder
days the larger slabs can be caught on the deeper drops on primary points with
structure [boulders or brush] on them. They will also move to the bridge pilings in
the colder spells and congregate in large numbers. Later this month once the
water temps drop below 50* the Crappie will remain on the bridges and primary
points. The points around Christopher Run and Hunters Landing will produce
well this month. The nicer Crappie are feeding on 3 and 4 inch Threadfin Shad so
try larger baits.
Virginia Outdoors - A Resource for Virginia Anglers and Hunters
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Fishing Lake Anna
Lake Anna Fishing Guides
Largemouth Bass: February - April provide the best chance at a trophy; however,
the bass fishing is normally good throughout the year. In the summer months,
bass congregate at predictable locations near structure. These areas may be
fished slowly and methodically. Deep diving crankbaits and Carolina and Texas
rigged plastics work well. During the spring and fall, it is important to cover more
water. The lake is heavily developed. Flipping and skipping soft plastics around
boat docks is always a good bet - especially for newcomers to the lake - and the
water willow beds in the mid-lake region and North Anna arms are worth a try with
spinnerbaits and weightless plastics. Uplake (above the "Splits" area where the
North Anna and Pamunkey arms come together) typically has stained water while
the water becomes increasingly clear moving downlake. The uplake region has
the highest density of bass and crappie.
Striped Bass: Several hundred thousand fingerling striped bass are stocked each
year. The striper fishing continues to improve and attract more anglers. In the
spring and fall, the stripers move uplake where they may be targeted by casting
swim baits (Sassy Shad, Shad Assassin, Storm Lures). In the summer months,
the fish are most commonly targeted in the mid-lake region using live bait and
trolling deep-diving crankbaits (Cordell Redfins and Norman DD-22s). Live bait
may be caught using a cast net. An easier choice is purchasing jumbo minnows
sold by the major marinas on the lake. Throughout the year, low light conditions
(dawn, dusk, overcast days) are the best times to fish.
the bass fishing is normally good throughout the year. In the summer months,
bass congregate at predictable locations near structure. These areas may be
fished slowly and methodically. Deep diving crankbaits and Carolina and Texas
rigged plastics work well. During the spring and fall, it is important to cover more
water. The lake is heavily developed. Flipping and skipping soft plastics around
boat docks is always a good bet - especially for newcomers to the lake - and the
water willow beds in the mid-lake region and North Anna arms are worth a try with
spinnerbaits and weightless plastics. Uplake (above the "Splits" area where the
North Anna and Pamunkey arms come together) typically has stained water while
the water becomes increasingly clear moving downlake. The uplake region has
the highest density of bass and crappie.
Striped Bass: Several hundred thousand fingerling striped bass are stocked each
year. The striper fishing continues to improve and attract more anglers. In the
spring and fall, the stripers move uplake where they may be targeted by casting
swim baits (Sassy Shad, Shad Assassin, Storm Lures). In the summer months,
the fish are most commonly targeted in the mid-lake region using live bait and
trolling deep-diving crankbaits (Cordell Redfins and Norman DD-22s). Live bait
may be caught using a cast net. An easier choice is purchasing jumbo minnows
sold by the major marinas on the lake. Throughout the year, low light conditions
(dawn, dusk, overcast days) are the best times to fish.
Lake Anna Fishing Report
|
| Great catch of stripers and a citation largemouth by clients of Jim Hemby in April 2008 |
| Beautiful 21 lb striper caught by client of Jim Hemby on April 3, 2007 |
| Copyright © 2009 Virginia Outdoors, LLC Ruckersville, VA |
Virginia Outdoors - Lake Anna
Other Useful Links and Info
Marinas and Boat Ramps:
Sturgeon Creek Marina: (540) 895-5095
Anna Point Marina: (540) 895-5900
High Point Marina: (540) 895-5249
Hunter's Landing: (540) 854-5756
Lake Anna State Park (Boat Launch, Swimming, Picnic Area): (540) 854-5503
Camping and Lodging:
Christopher Run Campground: (540) 894-4744
Lighthouse Inn: (540) 895-5249
Sturgeon Creek Marina: (540) 895-5095
Anna Point Marina: (540) 895-5900
High Point Marina: (540) 895-5249
Hunter's Landing: (540) 854-5756
Lake Anna State Park (Boat Launch, Swimming, Picnic Area): (540) 854-5503
Camping and Lodging:
Christopher Run Campground: (540) 894-4744
Lighthouse Inn: (540) 895-5249
| Featured Article: Where to Catch Virginia's Trophy Largemouth Bass |
| Owen Burkholder with a 16", 2.5 lb citation crappie caught April 5, 2008 |
| Steve Will with a 30" striper caught April 5, 2008 |
