During early September, the water is not yet that cool and the fish will go deeper to locate cooler water. As October and November approach and bring cooler temperatures, the water cools and the fish are much easier to catch because they remain in shallower water a greater length of time. As a result, Hemby's favorite time of the year to fish for big stripers at Lake Anna is from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

In late August and September, anglers will find that trolling a deep diving Redfin with a 3-foot leader tipped with a 1/4-ounce bucktail at 20-30 feet will take fish in the midlake area. Hemby was quick to point out that the strategy will work well with any boat if the anglers troll slowly. Most of the hookups will be reaction strikes on the bucktail jig.

Once the water begins to cool in the latter part of September, the fish turn on in the uplake portion of Lake Anna above what is commonly called The Splits. This is where the North Anna and Pamunkey rivers feed into the lake. Anglers new to Lake Anna will find that fishing uplake is not as challenging because the water is not as clear and the fish do not spook as easy.

It is not uncommon to see birds working the backs of creeks or the headwaters of the rivers during the fall. Working birds are a sure sign that the fish are feeding and anglers should approach quietly and cast to the fish.

Jim Hemby offered the following creeks as good places to begin a search for baitfish and stripers in the fall.

"Plentiful Creek, Contrary Creek, Terry's Run and the Pamunkey are good locations where baitfish can be found in numbers. As fall turns to winter, anglers should key on any headwater area, especially the headwaters of the Pamunkey and the North Anna rivers."

Even though the fishing is good and even considered by some to be better or at least easier in the upper portion of the lake, Hemby pointed out that the schools of stripers roam the entire lake feeding on baitfish. He suggests that anglers access the lake at the midlake access points and then run up or down as needed to find the fish.

"Anna Point Marina is where I put in, but High Point Marina and Sturgeon Creek are also good midlake locations where anglers can slip their boats into the water," he said.

Hemby also mentioned that anglers who want to fish downlake can find really good fishing near Dike 3, which is the outflow from the power plant. Stripers like current and higher oxygen levels. The outflow from the power plant provides a bit of current for the fish. On cloudy days at Dike 3, the fish will tend to stick around in the shallows where they are easier to target. This is not the case on sunny days.

CATCHING THEM
The most effective way to catch Lake Anna stripers is to use live bait. Our local expert is a big believer in using live bait and spends whatever time is necessary to catch bait for his clients each day.

Hemby uses a cast net to collect herring, gizzard shad and threadfin shad. No bait is too large for a striped bass. Striped bass are very aggressive feeders and will smack anything even slightly smaller then they are. A 12-inch gizzard shad is more eye-catching to a 10-pound striper than a 3-inch threadfin shad. Use the largest bait that you dare use to catch the best fish.

Hemby has a neat system he uses to cover lots of water while looking for his client's next fish. He uses side planers to effectively and neatly fish up to 12 rods from his pontoon boat. The side planers pull the live baits out away from the boat in formation and cover up to 100 yards of water. Hemby suggests using a 10-pound leader with 12-pound line. He prefers Big Game line in the green color in those weight configurations for several reasons.