IT IS TIME

The author with a 5-pound early spring largemouth
caught on a lipless crankbait.
Photo by Phillip Morone.

The big snow of 2013 is behind us, and if the weather report is right, there may be yet another one on the way.  But the warming air has brought water temperatures into the 50s; the action will begin to pick up across the region--we're in the home stretch.

My first outing of the spring brought tell-tale success, and what I hope to be an indicator of what is to come. The water and air temperatures today made wet hands comfortable, rather than numbing, and the kayaks were due for some exercise.  So my brother and I put them on a local reservoir around noon, hoping the warmer temperatures of the afternoon and the impending cold front would turn on feeding fish.

We caught three fish.  The first was a decent 5-pounder still holding onto a winter belly (pictured on the right).  The others were much smaller.

March still hasn't metamorphosed into a lamb in Central Virginia, and we fought a slight breeze throughout the day.  Still, the weather is on the upswing, and so is the fishing.  Get out and enjoy the action as it warms, and send us pictures of your catches!  You may find yourself on the site or in the paper!