McCotter’s Lake Anna Guide Service
December Fishing Forecast/Report

Lake Anna, Virginia – Some sub-freezing nights and a lot of rain have changed the game here on Lake Anna. If you haven’t kept up with the changes, you might be scratching your head. The lake is cold and muddy above the second bridges and just chilly between the bridges. This should clear up some, but what it has done is push fish down toward the mid lake region. Water temperatures are in the low 40’s up lake, around 48-51 mid lake and around 56 at Dike III. All this adds up to prime conditions to catch striper as well as bass if you know where to look for them. Here’s what you can expect on your next visit.

Largemouth bass – The mid lake region is the most consistent place to catch largemouth bass this time of year regardless of rain or water temperature. The top pattern is a shaky head worm on 6-8 pound test monofilament or fluorocarbon line. Cast it to 30 docks and you should have your limit and perhaps more for culling. If you know where some good offshore brushpiles are, they will help you fill the livewell, too now. There will be schools of largemouth in this region appearing soon. Expect them in Mitchell Creek, around the marinas and around the mouth of Sturgeon Creek. The down lake region has schooled fish on small threadfin and herring. Look for seagulls and you’ll find either largemouths or striper. When you find the fish swirling or on the depth finder try small swimbaits like the new 3″ Berkely Ripple Shad, small soft plastic jerkbaits, a Toothache spoon or Crazy Blade. Most of the down lake fish will be in short coves within a mile of Dike III. You can also start to throw a suspending jerkbait now for bass.

Striper – Too bad the rains came and messed up the fine fishing taking place around Christopher Run and Terry’s Run. These fish will try and stay in place, but more than likely they will relocate around the first two bridges as they usually do this time of year. By Christmas the fishing should be good from Holiday Mill Bridge down to Rose Valley as well as around the mouth of Plentiful Creek. There are already striper at The Splits and they are ranging down to the 208 region daily. Sea gulls are working the Dike III discharge and some striper are gathering there, too. The hottest lure of the season continues to the be the Toothache spoon. Vertical jigging and yo-yoing this bait to fish on your depth finder or under birds is good now. The Ripple Shad and Crazy Blade are two more good lure choices for December striper here. Live bait is good now too, but there are so many stripers the need for bait is marginalized.

Crappie/White Perch – Some crappie remain on up lake bridge pilings but most have pulled off shore and follow schools of threadfin around in open water in the up lake region. Deep brush and Fish Structures are holding fish in the mid and down lake regions. You can catch white perch at the mouths of mid lake creeks and flats around The Splits using Crazy Blades. You’ll have to jig right on the bottom in 28-38′ now.

To book your holiday or spring trip with McCotter’s call 540.894.9144, email mcfish@gemlink.com or visit www.mccotterslakeanna.blogspot.com for daily reports.

C. C. McCotter
Editor-In Chief
Woods & Waters Magazine
www.woodsandwatersmagazine.com
540.894.5960