Lake Level:  913.43
Water Clarity:   Stained to clear Point 15 to Point 9
Water Temp:  80 to 86 degrees

The extreme heat and lack of rain, to help cool the waters surface, have made bass fishing hard from time to time. Also the high sky’s have cleared away most of the cloud cover and mostly  the wind has not been there to help move the water. The best pattern has been the drop shot rig, baited with live night crawlers. The fish are hitting the rig on long extended flat gravel points and chunk rock bottoms. Bluff transition points and bluff banks that have ledges for the fish to attack from, in the upper James River and the channel banks in the mid James River.

One of our local guides, Dan Boyer, reported that he was fishing with clients, in the clear water down lake on an gravel and chunk rock point (18 to 25 feet). He had three clients. Two in the rear seats and one in the seat in the front of the boat. They were fishing live crawlers on drop shots suspended off the bottom. One person on the left side of his boat was catching blue gills and a white bass. The other person sitting in the right rear was catching catfish (channel, and flat head), some were nice size 3-5 pounds. The person in thew front of his boat was catching keeper bass. This was occurring at the exact same time.

Anglers are also using plastics on light jig heads, like the Ned Rig and 4, 5, and 6 inch worms fished along the mentioned channel banks. The best baits have been Senko type worms (natural colors) green pumpkin and green pumpkin with purple glitter.

There has been an active night fishing Bass bite. The fish move a little shallower and are also located in the same areas. More points are active early in the evening. The fish have been hitting numerous different baits. Seven inch worms, purple, black grape, and black are working.  If an angler finds the right bank, some nice size fish are being caught. A few have been caught on black and blue jigs with crawfish trailers. This bait has been catching some larger fish during the night fishing bite.

Blue Gill

Blue Gill bite has been good with a lot of small fish hitting near some of the shallower boat docks on live night crawlers. Fishermen need to fish the shaded sides of these docks and use light sinkers on the bait. Some nice size Blue Gills are being caught on deeper docks, same shade pattern still working, in 15 to 18 feet of water. Some average size Blue Gill are being taken on the bluff banks with standing timber. If you will use your electronics to locate the fish that are on the channel banks suspended near the top of flooded trees and in the brush beside those trees. Using a drop shot rig with live night crawlers, an angler has a chance to catch some Kentucky Bass and Blue Gill feeding in the same area. The size of these fish (Blue Gill and Bass has been really good). These fish are 15 to 18 feet deep in trees that are 25 and 30 feet deep.

Crappie

The Crappie are really hard to find, and when you do catch one they are small. The only good Crappie I have seen came on a drop shot rig while bass fishing. It was a keeper but that’s all.

Walleye

The Walleye have moved to their summer pattern. The fish are being caught on a drop shot rig with a live night crawler. These fish have been small and seem to be near shad schools. There are some walleye (not many) caught in areas where Kentucky Bass schools are feeding on a Shad.

Catfish

A lot of nice size Catfish (4 and 5 pound class) have been caught in 15 to 20 feet of water on flat points, with gravel and chunk rock fishing prepared catfish bait and cut bait. Fishermen should start in 8 to 10 feet and slowly move the bait into the target depth.

Jug fishing with cut bait floated over those same points have also been boating some good fish.

The spoon bite is also working under the deeper boat docks. The best color of spoons has been white, silver, gold and chartreuse and white. When fishing this spoon for catfish the fisherman can flip spoons around the edges of the docks or fish from the dock proper. The spoon should be dropped to the bottom, raised up about a foot and slightly moved up and down slowly. The fisherman will not usually feel a jerk but the bait will begin to move, then jerk.

Night fishing for catfish has been showing some great stringers, but the fish are in shallow water. Five to fifteen feet cut bait and prepared bait fished on the bottom is definitely working.

White Bass

Nothing to report.

 

Special Note to Fishermen:  There is no fishing around or from any commercial docks; if fishing around docks please be courteous and safe while doing so.               

Cape Fair Marina is open for business between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm Seven Days a week, the pumps are also open during store hours. Hideaway Marina Store and Gasoline Pumps are open seven days a week from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. For any additional information at either facility please contact the telephone information number at the respective marinas.

Note to Friends: Thanks for your patronage, please wear a life jacket, at all times. This report has been prepared by Don Cooksey for Cape Fair and Hideaway Marinas. Have a Blessed Day and a Safe Day on the water.