Bruce Ingram.

OCTOBER
Black Crappie
Flannagan Reservoir
Without a doubt, 1,143-acre Flannagan Reservoir is the most isolated impoundment in the entire Commonwealth, tucked away as it is near the Kentucky border in Dickinson County. Lying in one of the most rural parts of southwest Virginia, Flannagan also receives less fishing pressure than most state lakes over 1,000 acres.

That isolation hasn’t prevented the body of water from developing a fine black crappie fishery. VDGIF fisheries biologist Tom Hampton told me that the department, with assistance from a local bass club, has improved crappie habitat by sinking brush and fish shelters.

Additionally, shoreline trees have been hinged so that they remain attached to their bases but fall over the water. These efforts apparently have paid off, as Hampton said that catch rates for black crappie have improved from one fish per every three hours of sampling in 1998 to 12 papermouths per hour of sampling in 2006. What’s more, many crappie run from between 10 and 13 inches. For more information, consult the VDGIF Web site.

NOVEMBER
Panfish
Tidewater Lakes
If you want to experience some of the best action for panfish in the entire South, head for Tidewater lakes, such as Prince, Western Branch, Kilby, Meade and Cahoon, this November, maintained VDGIF biologist Chad Boyce.

“I think the lakes in Tidewater offer the best overall habitat for panfish in the state,” he said. “Our winters are not as cold, growth rates tend to be a little better, since our waters tend to warm earlier and cool later in the year than the northern and western parts of the state. Also, the abundance of woody debris in these lakes makes great habitat for macro invertebrates, the sunfish’s main prey item.

“The fish tend to hang a little deeper in the fall, especially in the morning, but they will also readily move into shallow water when the temperatures rise during the day. Think about how fish react in the spring. Then they are waiting for water to warm before heading into the shallows to spawn. In the fall, they are seeking warmer water as well but not to spawn. But quick drops in the air temperature overnight will often send them to deeper water.”

DECEMBER
Striped Bass
Chesapeake Bay
The past few years the fishing for striped bass has been so phenomenal in the Chesapeake Bay that it’s impossible not to include a trip there for this game fish. Guide Ferrell McClain said that in December when the water temperature dips into the 50s, the linesides become very aggressive.

“The stripers have moved down from New England, following the water temperatures,” McClain explained. “So when they arrive in the Chesapeake Bay, they are ready to eat. Many of these fish are over 40 inches long.

“Stripers move around a whole lot, but if you can find what they’re feeding on, which is usually menhaden, you can find the stripers. The fish are grouped together, but I don’t think that they are in actual schools. The fish just seem to have come together to attack the menhaden.”

The December lineside action is noteworthy for another reason. McClain said that if a congregation of fish is located, before the flurry finishes, everyone on his boat is likely to have a hookup, many of them at the same time.

At one point in The Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade exclaims, “Why should I sit around here . . .” My point exactly -- the trips described here are indeed the stuff that angling dreams are made of. See you on the water.

Find more about Virginia fishing and hunting at: VirginiaGameandFish.com