LAKE ANNA GAINS A NEW SPECIES

        Since its creation in 1973, central Virginia’s Lake Anna has offered anglers the chance to fish for many species of fish, from the regional change-of-pace that is the striped bass to the small but feisty table fare, the white perch.  But this spring, in partnership with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, biologists from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will enrich further the angling opportunities present in Lake Anna, through the pioneer stocking of 96,000 hybrid striped bass.

Meet the Fish

        The hybrid striped bass—or “wiper”—is a striped bass-white bass cross.  The family lineage endows the hybrid with the deep, humped body of the white bass and the larger potential size of the striped bass.  Broken black stripes, reminiscent of both parental species, seems indicative of the species’ engineered existence.  They typically weigh 5-10 pounds, though the Virginia state record is 13 pounds, 9 ounces, and potential exists for even larger specimens.

Why Lake Anna?

        Hybrids currently fin the waters of just two of Virginia’s impoundments—Claytor Lake and Flannagan Reservoir—thanks to stockings elsewhere in the Piedmont; but certain characteristics also make them a perfect match for Lake Anna. 

        “Hybrids are being added to the mix due to their tolerance of lesser water quality than pure stripers,” reports Virginia state fisheries biologist, John Odenkirk, the project lead.

        Pure stripers require an abundance of cold, oxygen-rich water to grow to large sizes; and Anna does not offer such an environment.  However, Odenkirk reasons, “Hybrids should grow faster due to increased vigor and reduced metabolic demands for gonad development.  Larger fish should better tolerate the marginal temperature and oxygen conditions.”

        “It takes stripers about 30 months on average to reach the legal 20-inch minimum, notes Odenkirk.  “I would expect hybrids to get there a few months faster.  Max size should be well over 12 pounds.”

        Given the appropriate forage base, these 10-pound-plus fish will grow, in time.  Hybrids stocked in Claytor Lake in 1992 have only recently acquired such size. 

        Additionally, Lake Anna is well-known for its abundance of baitfish, a detail vital to the success of the new predator species.  Lake Anna guide ChrisCraft is very aware of this asset, and welcomes the addition of hybrids to the waters where he makes his home and business.

        Craft, believes that there is “entirely too much bait in the lake,” a common complaint among Lake Anna fishermen, and hopes the introduction of another pelagic species will help control the number of baitfish present in the lake.  “It will also provide opportunities to be able to target another predatory game fish when others may not be cooperating,” and “provide anglers with great memories and even better table fare,” says Craft.

What Does it Mean?

        The principle benefit of the addition of hybrids to the Lake Anna fishery is increase biodiversity.  Hybrids don’t vary much from their parental species.

        Anglers will have success with hybrids fishing as if for stripers, though with slightly lighter tackle.  Choose lures mimicking the preferred forage species of gizzard shad and blueback herring.  Crazy Blades and Toothache Spoons, available at Anna Point Marina, as well as soft plastic swimbaits are Lake Anna favorites, as are Zara Spooks and Jitterbugs, provided you can find fish feeding on the surface.

               

        Like their parents, hybrids are schooling species, and can be found following bait in the winter and early spring months when the water temperature and oxygen levels are more to their liking.  It is during the winter that fish can be found busting bait on the surface in the early morning and late evening hours.  Hybrids may continue this feeding pattern longer into the year than pure stripers due to their physiological difference in water tolerance.

        During the warmer months, both hybrids and stripers will seek out the thermocline, where the oxygen level and temperature is most suitable.  Again, the warmer water-tolerating hybrids may deviate into thinner water during this time, and at longer intervals; but their pattern is largely to be generalized with that of the stripers.□

Originally published in the Rural Virginian

NEW SPECIES COMING SOON TO LAKE ANNA

Lake Anna, the 9,600-acre reservoir on the North Anna and Pamunkey Rivers, is one of the most bio-diverse impoundments in the state.  Anglers of all pursuits can find opportunity there, from America's favorite largemouth bass to the regionally-sparse walleye.

But this year, another aquatic citizen will be introduced to the wide-open waters of Lake Anna.  Look for more info in an upcoming column, or check back here in the coming weeks!□

ANNA'S SPRINGTIME SLABS

    Two weeks ago, spring sprung.  Air temperatures are clinging to the 70s; and water temperatures, making progress towards 60.  The shadberry has bloomed, and fish are beginning to spawn.  The action yearned for through the winter is here and waxing quickly.

Springtime crappie, in all stages of the spawn, are very
predictable.  Photo by Genevieve Reilly.

    It was my dedicated fishing partner and brother, Phillip, who made the request:  “I want to catch something I’ve never caught before.”  Quicker than the leaves popped, my mind was full of crappie.

    Several lakes within an hour’s drive of our Fluvanna County home offer quality crappie angling, Lake Anna and Lake Orange being the most predominant, often yielding fish larger than a pound.  And with the spawning ritual well under way, these fish are very predictable.

    As I am more familiar with Lake Anna, we planned to paddle the lake’s Pamunkey branch the following day.

               

    After a late-morning start, we arrived at Fish Tales Tackle Shop at Anna Point Marina around 10 O’ clock.  With our ‘yaks in the truck, the plan was to launch at Hunter’s Landing on the Pamunkey, and fish coves—after stocking up.

    The clerk at the counter introduced a man whose name escapes me, but who introduced himself as the tournament partner of Chris Craft, a guide on the lake (CC BASSN Laka Anna Guide Service).  He gave us the scoop on the crappie movements, and set us up with the Kalin grubs that have produced so well as of late.  “Fish along the grass lines,” he advised, “and retrieve slowly.”

    Less than an hour later, we were on fish.  Phillip found them first.  In the back of a shallow cove, a small school hid itself among some wooden boat docks and provided our first keeper.

    It’s very rare that I don’t forget something.  This time, (besides my kayak’s drain plug that I patched with duct tape and a 3D glasses wrapper) it was ice for the cooler.  So upon returning from the No Wake Zone convenience store at Hunter’s Landing, we opted to abandon the smallish school in the back of the cove and pursue some with more table and trophy value.

    We found just that when my brother, again, came through.  A solid 12-incher came from the end of a boat slip adjacent to a patch of grass.

    As the sun climbed to its apex in the sky, the fishing slowed.

    After searching a few docks on the main river, it was evident that shade was a necessary factor, and not just that which was offered by the docks.  So we made the move to one in a slight inset of the bank, surrounded by trees.  As I had hoped, we were fast to several more keeper fish, and the pattern became more defined.

    The majority of fish were between 8-10 inches; but several measured 12, with the largest being 13—Phillip’s, caught on a dock bordered by shallow grass.

    This remained the pattern for the larger fish; and though it seemed our average catch would have been larger had we fished grass edges, I couldn’t recall the location of any significant grass beds, and because we were dependent upon ourselves for power, and were consistently boating table-worthy fish, we decided the effort was unnecessary.  We kept fishing docks.

    Several of these structures provided numerous keeper-sized fish.  One in particular produced seven over 11 inches.

    It is also worthy of note that the structures that are most light-restricting (hint: the ones with garage doors) fish best at midday when the sun is the highest, provided you can skip a jig far enough under it.

    The kayaks provided a critical edge in this way.  At a lower angle, with a smaller craft and presence, one can get closer without spooking fish, and launch a lure several feet into the shade of a dock.

    I also came to appreciate the “restrictive” nature of the man-powered craft on the expansive lake.  In a bass boat, the angler is free to motor about looking for fish, whereas the kayak fisherman is forced to fish areas thoroughly as a result of wind drift and the effort required to move large distances.  Fishing “smaller” has its rewards.

Of course, catch a mess of specks, and you've got a mess of
cleaning to do!  A good scaler can do wonders here.
Photo by Genevieve Reilly.

    We packed in after five hours of fishing.  Of almost 80 “specks,” 22 slabs were in the cooler, and will make for a nice campfire meal in weeks to come.  If you’re looking for a close-to-home crappie fishing destination, don’t count ‘Anna out.  Fish in numbers and size can be caught; and the local authorities are friendly and ready to help.  Look for structure—docks, grasslines, and rock piles.  If kayak fishing, don’t be intimidated by traffic from bigger boats—stick to the bank, and wear a life jacket. 

    If you’ve got pictures, success stories, or both, send them in via the Facebook page or the contact link on the blog!

First published in The Rural Virginian

Another Day on the Lake with McFish

 
    The last day we spent on LKA with Mr. McCotter was spent chasing Striper on a cold, late December day.  Our trip was informative, fun, and rich in fish.  This trip, unlike the last, was just a half day, and this time, with my younger brother.
    We arrived at High Point Marina around 12:15, we were to launch at 12:30.  The wind was blowing slightly, adding a few degrees to the already chilly air.  I grabbed my pack from the back of the Suburban and made my way inside the marina store to get a parking pass.  On the way, I bumped into Mr. McCotter, carrying a bucket of minnows.  He quickly asked if I'd like to include some Crappie fishing in today's mix of objectives--I could already tell it would be a grand day on the water.
 
    In the first couple of hours, we hit a few shady docks and rock piles, catching a few decent speckled fish here and there, but mostly fish smaller than 12".  The three of us did however manage to boat a keeper each.
    The next fish that came was a skinny, 19" Striper caught by my brother on a small swimbait off of a sloping, clay bank.  On the next pass, he again boated a chunky, two pound Largemouth.

    We fished from here until dark, in friendly conversation, but adding no more fish to the boat.  Darkness found us about two miles up the Pamunkey, and we made good time back to High Point, with the full moon overhead.

Thanks Chris!

Waiting in the Weeds

    Our last trip to Lake Anna was, sadly, one of our most successful trips.  There was an up-lake pattern that had been holding for about a week--the fish were up shallow, in the willow grass.
    We were taking a friend of my dad's form work out on the Nitro for a days fishing on LKA, and the easy pattern would have made easy fishing--had it not been windy and rainy.  We started pitching to the grass around the No Wake Zone in the Pamunky.  The first fish, a small bluegill, fell to a 3" Rippleshad.  The next fish took an hour and a half to catch.
    About a half mile up lake, a creek, with willow grass on one bank, and wood on the other, brought most of our other fish.  Four Largemouth, and three Channel Cats all fell to a pearl Rippleshad.  Sorry, no pictures.
    Around the point, up lake, a few more bass were caught in a small flat.  a few minutes later, we observed a bait ball, most likely Gizzard Shad, being rounded up by a school of Striper.  Just before the action should have started, it all ended as smoothly as it had developed.