American fishing holidays

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American Fishing Holidays

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SPECIES INFORMATION, HABITAT PREFERENCES, SPAWNING DETAILS AND THE BEST BAITS TO USE.

Largemouth Bass

Common Names: Black bass, Bigmouth

Best Fishing: Lakes: Anna, Gaston, Kerr Lake, (Buggs Island), Chickahominy, Chesdin, Smith Mountain, Prince, Briery Creek, Western Branch and Flannagan. Rivers: James (below the fall line) and most coastal or piedmont rivers and streams.

Fishing Techniques: Fly, medium spin casting, spinning or bait casting rods and reels can all be used. Plastic worms and other plastic imitations, crankbaits, spinner baits, surface lures, jigs and other lures imitating minnows, crayfish, frogs, salamanders and nightcrawlers. For fly fishing there's streamer flies, bucktails and large poppers. Live bait includes small bluegills, minnows of many kinds, crayfish, nightcrawlers, frogs, etc.

Identification: Sunfish family. Basically dark greenish above fading to a whitish belly, but variable depending on the water it lives in. Shows a series of dark blotches that form a dark horizontal band along its midline to its tail. Named because of its big mouth. Upper jaw extends well beyond the eye. Dorsal fin deeply notched. Average weight is 2 to 4 pounds, with up to 10 pounds common. State Record: 16 pounds, 4 ounces from Conner Lake in Halifax County.

Feeding Habits: An opportunistic feeder, it eats other fish, frogs, crayfish, tadpoles, aquatic and terrestrial insects, small rodents, snakes and ducklings.

Habitat: Native to south-eastern Virginia, but introduced state-wide. Inhabits warm, shallow lakes, ponds and slow-moving streams, with plenty of submerged vegetation, brush, stumps and logs, usually in depths of less than 20 feet. It prefers temperatures of 68 to 78 degrees F. Has adapted well to large reservoirs where it orients to drop-offs, ledges, underwater islands, sunken timber, boat houses, docks and bridges.

Spawning Habits: Spawns in late April to early June as water warms to between 62 and 78 degrees F. Male fans out a saucer-shaped nest along a protected shoreline area of gravel, sand or mud. Following spawning, the females leave the nests and the males remain to guard the eggs and the fry for a time.

Smallmouth Bass

Common Names: Bronze back, brown bass, black bass, smallie.

Best Fishing: Lakes: Claytor, Smith Mountain, Philpott, Moomaw, and South Holston Rivers: James (above the fall line); New; South Fork, North Fork, and mainstem Shenandoah; Rappahannock (above the fall line); Maury; North Fork Holston; and Clinch.

Fishing Techniques: Fly, spinning, spin casting and bait casting rods and reels with 4 to 8 pound test line are all suitable for taking this scrappiest of freshwater game fish. Live crayfish, hellgrammites, "spring lizards" (salamanders), madtoms, and minnows are best live baits. Artificials include jigs, small crank baits, small spinner-bucktail combos, minnow and crayfish imitations. For fly rodding, hair bugs, poppers, and streamers are good.

Identification: Sunfish family. Coppery-brown above, with greenish-brown sides with darker vertical bars. Three dark bars radiate from the eye on the cheek and gill cover. Dorsal fin is not as deeply notched as the largemouth. Upper jaw extends back only in line with the middle of the eye. A 4 or 5 pound fish is considered a trophy. State Record: 7 pounds, 7 ounces from the New River.

Feeding Habits: Crayfish are a favoured prey as are madtoms. Also feeds on adult larval insects such as mayfly nymphs, and hellgrammites, tadpoles and other small fish.

Habitat: Native to Ohio River drainage streams of southwest Virginia. Introduced into most fast-flowing streams and cool lakes. Prefers clear flowing streams and rivers with rock, bedrock and gravel bottoms and numerous riffles, and cool deep water of large, clear reservoirs with boulders and gravel bottoms. Most active in 67 to 72 degree F. water, and intolerant of silty, warm and polluted water.

Spawning Habits: Males build nests on sand, gravel, or rubble bottom, usually 2 to 4 feet deep, as water temperatures stabilize above 55 degrees F. Spawning occurs in late April to early June as temperatures exceed 60 degrees F. Males guard the nest and fry up to two weeks after the fry leave the nest.

Spotted Bass

Common Name: Kentucky bass

Best Fishing: Lakes: Claytor and North Fork Pound. Rivers: Appamattox, New, Pamunkey, and South and North Anna.

Fishing Techniques: Light to medium spin-casting and spinning outfits and medium bait casting rods and reels. Similar baits as for largemouth, but smaller. Spinner baits, top water plugs, crankbaits and fly rod popping bugs.

Identification: Sunfish family. Much like the largemouth and the smallmouth, it is called the “in-between” species. It is distinguished from the smallmouth by the dark, blotchy lateral band from head to tail. The conclusive difference with the largemouth is jaw length. The back of the spotted bass’ upper jaw lines up with the middle rear of the eye, while the largemouth jaw extends past the eye. It derives its name from the black spots on its belly scales. Most are about a pound or less. Two pound-plus fish are rare. State Record: 3 pounds 10 ounces from Claytor Lake.

Habitat: Native to the New River, and the Tennessee and Big Sandy drainages. Found in warm, slow-moving streams and stream-like areas or riverine arms of reservoirs.

Feeding Habits: Crayfish, small fish, larval and adult insects.

Spawning Habits: Spring, when water reaches 63 to 68 degrees F. Males sweep silt from gravel or rock bottom to make nests near brush or logs, and guard eggs and fry for up to a month.

White Bass

Common Names: Silver bass, stripes

Best Fishing: Rivers: New, South Holston, and the Dan and Staunton (during spawning). Lakes: Buggs Island, Smith Mountain, Claytor, South Holston, and Leesville.

Fishing Techniques: Spinning or spin casting outfits with live minnows, or artifcials imitating minnows, including jigs, spinner baits, streamers, spinner-bucktails, crankbaits, spoons. Easily caught during the spawning runs, also below dams in the tailraces, and by jump fishing in open water where schools are roaming.

Identification: Temperate “true” bass family. Light greenish back, light yellowish-green to silver sides to a silvery white below. Has 6 to 8 broken horizontal lines. Front dorsal fin is distinctly separated from the rear dorsal; lower jaw protrudes beyond upper jaw. Deeper bodied silhouette, though considerably smaller than its striped bass cousin. Commonly reaches ½ to 2 pounds. State Record: 6 pounds, 3 ounces from Lake Orange, (which is also a world record).

Feeding Habits: Thrives on open water baitfish. Travels in schools pursuing concentrations of gizzard and threadfin shad and other small fishes. Also feeds on insects such as mayflies, crayfish and other aquatic animals. Active feeders during their spawning runs.

Habitat: Native to the Tennessee River drainage streams of Virginia. Open water of moderate to large rivers and reservoirs with large connecting rivers.

Spawning Habits: Migrates upstream in rivers or tributary rivers of reservoirs to spawn. Spawns below dams, in riffles or other upstream barriers over gravel or rubble bottoms, typically from mid-April to late May when water temperatures range between 58 to 64 degrees F. The eggs are broadcast and fertilized in the current where they sink and stick to gravel, rocks or vegetation. Females leave after spawning while males remain for a time. Before moving back downstream.

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