Fall is a gorgeous time to be on the water. Although the hunting is surely in full swing, so is the bite on a number of waters in the readership area. We found the best bets for a day on the water in each of three states -- Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.

VIRGINIA
Tidewater Region
Fishing in the Tidewater Region is full of surprises, particularly in the fall. This year we want to clue anglers in on a little-known fall fishery that is always a jackpot of variety. Try fishing the headwaters of small tributaries throughout the region from a small canoe or johnboat. Some of the best bream and pickerel fishing that can be had takes place in these areas in late September and October when the water begins to cool off. Small spoons, spinners and beetle spins on light tackle make for thrilling runs, amazing fun and good eating. Everyone knows that fish from cool or cold water are delicious. Live bait, such as red wigglers, crickets and shiners, are dynamite bait for both species of fish. Use little or no weight and a stick float if necessary to let the current carry the bait past fish.

Make casts to bends, around duck blinds, treetops and logs to draw strikes. Don't be surprised if you hook up with a fat largemouth or slab crappie either. Great places to fish for bream and pickerel in the early fall include Chickahominy River tributaries, sloughs off the Rappahannock above Port Royal, and the little rivers such as the Mattaponi or Pamunkey headwaters. Don't overlook beaver swamps either. The coloration of the fish at this time of year is amazing, so take a camera and a long stringer!

Southern Piedmont
Our nod this year for an October fishing trip in the Southern Piedmont would have to go to the James River from Lick Run to Richmond for smallmouth bass. Dan Wilson, one of the fisheries biologists in the region, noted that until the water temperatures hit the upper 40s, the bite is very good. Above Lynchburg, the fishery was slightly affected by the fish kill, but the fish kills have not affected fishing below Lynchburg. Action is very good with fish up to 16 inches being common with a few larger than that in the river too.

Tube jigs, crankbaits and live bait, such as crayfish, are particularly effective. Fish eddies behind rocks just below riffles and sunny spots and deeper water on cooler days. Make longer casts to avoid spooking fish. If we don't have much rain during the late summer, the water levels may be low, so keep that in mind.

Once November rolls around, anglers should consider taking a day off from hunting deer or small game and hit Smith Mountain Lake for striped bass. Wilson commented that the population is good with numbers of fish in the 10- to 15-pound range. The average striper caught at Smith Mountain is between 25 and 27 inches. The stripers take advantage of the shad population at Smith Mountain, so any lure that imitates a shad or even a live shad free-lined is a good bet for fishing at Smith Mountain.

Mike Snead operates The Virginia Outdoorsman a few miles from Smith Mountain Lake. Snead pointed out that the striper location and bite is very dependent on the water temperature. Once the water temperature dips below 50 degrees, the alewives go deep and the stripers go with them. At that point, umbrella rigs are the best bet or ¾-ounce jigs with flukes. Hopkins spoons and Kastmaster spoons will do the job too. Use your fish finder to find bait.