For more information on guided trips with Marty Shaffner, contact him at www.tristateangler.com, marty@tristateangler.com, or (336) 957-4630 or 902-0044. Marty works closely with Britt and Leigh Stoudenmire at Canoe the New Outfitters in Pearisburg, www.icanoethenew.com. Mike Smith of Greasy Creek Outfitters is highly recommended as well, at www.greasycreekoutfitters.com, as is John Tipton at fishing1@ntelos.net.

MOOMAW: MOSSYBACKS MARAUDING AFTER MIDNIGHT
A summertime delight that I try to experience every few years before I go back to teaching school in the middle of August is to take a pilgrimage to Lake Moomaw for some after sundown angling for largemouths and smallmouths. Like Claytor, this impoundment outside of Clifton Forge and Covington hosts a dedicated cadre of after-hours fishermen.

Jerry Paitsel, a trucker from Alleghany County and a long-time Moomaw regular, works the night shift at the lake through the dog days.

"When night-fishing at Moomaw in August, I like to start on gradually sloping flats with deep water nearby," Paitsel said. "First, I'll try a Midnight Special spinnerbait in 3/8-ounce and go with a slow, steady retrieve. That speed gives the fish an easy target to home in on and grab.

"If after fishing a couple of banks with no hits on the spinnerbait, I back off to the deeper water dropoffs and fish a black 7-inch Berkley Power Worm with a rattle inserted. I fish the dropoffs very slowly."

Paitsel adds that he also fishes a jig with pork trailer on the steep bluff banks, letting this bait descend down the ledges and rocks as deep as possible until he loses contact with the jig and has to retrieve it. Rattle jigs work particularly well for this type of fishing. Interestingly, one of Paitsel's best lures is one that was highly popular in the years after World War II but has fallen out of favor now.

"One lure I've been using over the past couple of years is the Jitterbug," Paitsel continued. "It's been around forever but still works. If I have a fish miss the Jitterbug, I throw the spinnerbait and often catch the fish."

For those anglers who have never experienced the thrill of a largemouth or smallmouth smashing a Jitterbug in the dark, here are some quick tips.

• The Arbogast Jitterbug is a rhythm bait. Use a moderately slow retrieve and don't vary it.
• Do not impart any twitches or stops and starts with this artificial.
• Do not set the hook until you feel the fish on. One of the easiest ways to foul up while employing a Jitterbug is to set the hook when you hear a strike in the dark.
• Bass will follow Jitterbugs for great distances, even right to the boat.
• Check the hooks when you remove the lure from its box. Often the factory hooks will have to be replaced.
• Practice with this lure during the daytime before using it at night. When the Jitterbug is working at its peak, it is "riding high" and sending forth a wake across the surface.

Paitsel added that a black light and a good depthfinder are very important when night-fishing on the clear, deep waters of this highland impoundment. The former aids in an angler being able to tie on lures, prevents bass from being spooked by standard lights, and does not attract insects as much as regular lights do. Finally, Paitsel suggested that anglers always return to the same banks where they earlier experienced poor fishing. Work the same places and concentrate on tossing a spinnerbait. The second stopover is often more productive, and for whatever reason, Paitsel has found that a spinnerbait is the most effective artificial during these return visits.

"The fish can move up and get aggressive anytime," Paitsel concluded.

PONDS: POTENT LARGEMOUTH FISHERIES
On Labor Day last summer, having a hankering to go fishing but not wanting to deal with the crowds on our local lakes, I drove to ponds in Roanoke and Franklin counties. Vegetation covered almost the entire surface of the Roanoke County mini-impoundment, so I stirred up the slop by churning a buzzer across it. Several largemouths found this commotion to their liking and burst through the vegetation to bash the buzzbait.

Around 10 a.m., I drove to the Franklin County farm pond, which featured clear channels among the vegetation with the occasional downed tree extending out from the bank. I tied on one of the new generation of soft-plastic frog baits and was rewarded with a strike from a largemouth that easily would have measured some 2 feet long, had it not managed to bury itself into some vegetation and escape.

The point is that I likely would not have experienced largemouth action like this on any of our lakes unless I had been on them before sunrise or after sunset. Most landowners I have encountered have let me fish their ponds, especially if I promise to release all bass caught. August is not a time to give up on bass fishing for the season, providing, that is, that we become a little creative with where we go and how we fish.

(Editor's Note: Bruce Ingram is the author of the following books (cost in parentheses): The James River Guide ($15), The New River Guide ($15), and The Shenandoah/Rappahannock Rivers Guide ($18.25). To obtain a copy, send a check to Ingram at P.O. Box 429, Fincastle, VA 24090.)

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