Lake Anna

[Nitrofreak]

On 5/17/2021 at 2:41 PM, Str8BraidPowa said:

My fishing buddy and i took our first shot at Lake Anna yesterday. It was pretty cool to fish in 5'-6' of clear water, we are used to the Chickahominy lake and river with little to no visibility. We caught 5 lost the last one, would have been the 6th and my best fish of the day. Most were only 1-2 lb, one of my buddies was close to 3. We both caught one on a brown jig, I caught two on a jerk bait, my buddy caught his second on a white spinner bait. we spent most of the day in the lower section of the lake. It was fun we shall return soon!  

That’s great to hear, glad y’all had some fun on the ol girl, down lake I hear is slowing a bit but the boat traffic is appalling up lake (not unusual) let us know when your coming back and maybe we might have some current reports going out at that time for you guys !!

[Str8BraidPowa]

50 minutes ago, Nitrofreak said:

That’s great to hear, glad y’all had some fun on the ol girl, down lake I hear is slowing a bit but the boat traffic is appalling up lake (not unusual) let us know when your coming back and maybe we might have some current reports going out at that time for you guys !!

Will do! We tried the Pamunkey river Sunday, was also good. We are trying to broaden our horizons in VA and get off the lakes and river we grew up on.

[Nitrofreak]

1 hour ago, Str8BraidPowa said:

Will do! We tried the Pamunkey river Sunday, was also good. We are trying to broaden our horizons in VA and get off the lakes and river we grew up on.

Study the maps up in the rivers arms, look for areas where the old river channels kiss the banks, work those areas thoroughly and you will get rewarded for your efforts.

 

Lots of luck and as always be safe !!

[Str8BraidPowa]

7 minutes ago, Nitrofreak said:

Study the maps up in the rivers arms, look for areas where the old river channels kiss the banks, work those areas thoroughly and you will get rewarded for your efforts.

 

Lots of luck and as always be safe !!

Instant credibility right there, my buddy and I caught each of our bigger fish for the day (both over 3) in areas like that. Will look more into the maps for sure. Thanks!

[Nitrofreak]

30 minutes ago, Str8BraidPowa said:

Instant credibility right there, my buddy and I caught each of our bigger fish for the day (both over 3) in areas like that. Will look more into the maps for sure. Thanks!

Keep us posted on how you guys get along please, thanks so much for the kind words !!

[SkunktimesN]

Reporting back from my Lake Anna trip. I fished Lake Anna on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (6/15-17th) from a kayak. On Monday morning I started by fishing docks and drop offs, got 8 fish in total and the largest one was 3.6 pounds. On Tuesday I paddled all the way passed Elk Creek bridge (took me 40 mins from my vacation house) and found multiple bait balls between the bridge and Carrs Bridge Rd. I caught 13 and lost about 6-7 as I was constantly being blown away by the wind. Somehow they didn't want any types of crank bait and preferred jerk baits. On Wednesday I went to the same areas and found 5 bass boats there - I guess it must be a community hole. I fished for about 2 hours and caught 11, but they were all small (around 0.5-1.5 pounds). I feel I got more bites chasing bait fish but the big ones were probably lurking somewhere else. The water temp was close to 93 degrees around Elk Creek bridge and about 89 degrees towards the end of the creek arm. 

[Nitrofreak]

12 hours ago, SkunktimesN said:

Reporting back from my Lake Anna trip. I fished Lake Anna on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (6/15-17th) from a kayak. On Monday morning I started by fishing docks and drop offs, got 8 fish in total and the largest one was 3.6 pounds. On Tuesday I paddled all the way passed Elk Creek bridge (took me 40 mins from my vacation house) and found multiple bait balls between the bridge and Carrs Bridge Rd. I caught 13 and lost about 6-7 as I was constantly being blown away by the wind. Somehow they didn't want any types of crank bait and preferred jerk baits. On Wednesday I went to the same areas and found 5 bass boats there - I guess it must be a community hole. I fished for about 2 hours and caught 11, but they were all small (around 0.5-1.5 pounds). I feel I got more bites chasing bait fish but the big ones were probably lurking somewhere else. The water temp was close to 93 degrees around Elk Creek bridge and about 89 degrees towards the end of the creek arm. 

Sounds like a great outing regardless my friend and thanks for the awesome report !!

[TnRiver46]

On 6/20/2021 at 11:49 PM, SkunktimesN said:

Reporting back from my Lake Anna trip. I fished Lake Anna on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (6/15-17th) from a kayak. On Monday morning I started by fishing docks and drop offs, got 8 fish in total and the largest one was 3.6 pounds. On Tuesday I paddled all the way passed Elk Creek bridge (took me 40 mins from my vacation house) and found multiple bait balls between the bridge and Carrs Bridge Rd. I caught 13 and lost about 6-7 as I was constantly being blown away by the wind. Somehow they didn't want any types of crank bait and preferred jerk baits. On Wednesday I went to the same areas and found 5 bass boats there - I guess it must be a community hole. I fished for about 2 hours and caught 11, but they were all small (around 0.5-1.5 pounds). I feel I got more bites chasing bait fish but the big ones were probably lurking somewhere else. The water temp was close to 93 degrees around Elk Creek bridge and about 89 degrees towards the end of the creek arm. 

Holy cow that’s some hot water! Nice work putting some fish in the kayak 

[Nitrofreak]

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Holy cow that’s some hot water! Nice work putting some fish in the kayak 

I have seen that place get in the triple digits before, this is a nuclear plant lake and where he was fishing is the first cooling channel out to the ponds from the plant.

[SkunktimesN]

17 minutes ago, Nitrofreak said:

I have seen that place get in the triple digits before, this is a nuclear plant lake and where he was fishing is the first cooling channel out to the ponds from the plant.

The closer I got to the main lake area, the higher the temperature. I'm sure it will reach 100 degrees in July/August. Maybe fish in the private side are smaller on average as their metabolism is higher compared to the public side where the water is cooler? 

And thanks for all the information you and Toxic provided! 

[Nitrofreak]

3 hours ago, SkunktimesN said:

The closer I got to the main lake area, the higher the temperature. I'm sure it will reach 100 degrees in July/August. Maybe fish in the private side are smaller on average as their metabolism is higher compared to the public side where the water is cooler? 

And thanks for all the information you and Toxic provided! 

Not necessarily, you almost have to treat the hot side like a river system at times with the differing amounts current that the plant produces in order to find better quality fish, not unlike the private side which produces a reverse current as well

Big bass are lazy as we all know and they will move to find current breaks during higher flow rate times, this could mean that they might be behind bridge pilings or deeper brush piles or ledges, deeper creek arm pockets, it is very important to pick things apart and make multiple casts to these areas, in lower flow times it is important to make casts in multiple directions once you find something you think may hold bass, the more current there is, the more predictable they become, the less current, the more freely they roam which in turn makes finding them more difficult, it’s no different really than the public side, the only real difference being the mass of water one has to cover, trust me, there are PLENTY of dink’s on the public side also ?

 

By the way, your welcome, I don’t have a lot to share with those that fish the private side but I’m more than willing to share what I can.

[TnRiver46]

Half private half public, boiling hot water, wild storms, would you say this is the weirdest lake in America?

[Nitrofreak]

17 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Half private half public, boiling hot water, wild storms, would you say this is the weirdest lake in America?

HAHA !! No not at all, the state however may be a topic for that discussion ??

[TOXIC]

I don’t fish the hot side as much anymore since my friend who lived on that side passed away and his wife sold their property but I still like it in the winter.  There’s just something about catching a bass on a buzz bait in a snowstorm.?. I used to guide clients who lived on that side and would not take anyone else over there out of respect for their water.  Summer is tougher but as has been said, you just need to fish deep in the main pools and run up the big creeks (Elk, Compton, etc.) and target them as you normally would.  The bite is always better if the power plant is pumping.  There’s been talk about adding a 3rd reactor.  That might change things up a little.  

[Nitrofreak]

19 hours ago, TOXIC said:

I don’t fish the hot side as much anymore since my friend who lived on that side passed away and his wife sold their property but I still like it in the winter.  There’s just something about catching a bass on a buzz bait in a snowstorm.?. I used to guide clients who lived on that side and would not take anyone else over there out of respect for their water.  Summer is tougher but as has been said, you just need to fish deep in the main pools and run up the big creeks (Elk, Compton, etc.) and target them as you normally would.  The bite is always better if the power plant is pumping.  There’s been talk about adding a 3rd reactor.  That might change things up a little.  

I have heard that as well, I have not heard much about it for about 8 months though, you really think a third will help?

[TOXIC]

3 hours ago, Nitrofreak said:

I have heard that as well, I have not heard much about it for about 8 months though, you really think a third will help?

I don’t know how it will “help” but if it means more constant pumping/current, then it might.  As for water temperature, there are federal regulations that determine the temperature the water has to be that gets pumped back into the cold side. I don’t know how much they fudge those numbers but it gets really, really warm over there in the summer months.  As has been said, triple digits is not uncommon.  

[Nitrofreak]

41 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

I don’t know how it will “help” but if it means more constant pumping/current, then it might.  As for water temperature, there are federal regulations that determine the temperature the water has to be that gets pumped back into the cold side. I don’t know how much they fudge those numbers but it gets really, really warm over there in the summer months.  As has been said, triple digits is not uncommon.  

That was actually my point, I should have been a bit more specific with current, that place moves some water when the pumps are running already with two of them, I wonder about adding a third if they can not regulate the temps as “promised” or as “federally regulated” with two.

 

Those triple digits I mentioned were in the teens, I can only imagine adding a third ?

[ninerlife]

Just moved to our new home that is 7 miles from sturgeon creek marina and I've never fished Anna before.  Anyone have any pointers for a newb to lake anna fishing out of a kayak?  Is sturgeon creek a good starting point?  Any locations better suited for kayaks than others?  Any non-public ramp combat launch spots?  Obviously this is a huge lake for a kayak'r so just looking for some advice!  Thanks and happy holidays!

[Choporoz]

Welcome, @ninerlife.   I've fished Anna from a kayak less than two dozen times and I could write volumes....Sturgeon Creek Marina (or Rocky Branch) is as good a spot as any much of the time.   I have only used public ramps and there isn't one that I'd say to avoid...Anna Point, Hunter Landing, Pleasant Landing, Christopher Run, State Park...and others....each has access to good fishing at various times.  My best advice is to avoid main lake and big creeks between 11AM and 4PM from mid May through September.   Crossing the lake in a kayak at 2PM on an August Sunday is about as terrifying as a fishing outing can possibly be.

[Avalonjohn44]

7 hours ago, Choporoz said:

Welcome, @ninerlife.   I've fished Anna from a kayak less than two dozen times and I could write volumes....Sturgeon Creek Marina (or Rocky Branch) is as good a spot as any much of the time.   I have only used public ramps and there isn't one that I'd say to avoid...Anna Point, Hunter Landing, Pleasant Landing, Christopher Run, State Park...and others....each has access to good fishing at various times.  My best advice is to avoid main lake and big creeks between 11AM and 4PM from mid May through September.   Crossing the lake in a kayak at 2PM on an August Sunday is about as terrifying as a fishing outing can possibly be.

Crossing that lake at that time in my 19 ft tracker is pretty harrowing too.  Wakeboarders, jetskiers, oh my...

[TOXIC]

Since it is the lake I guided on, I have spots all over and it wasn’t uncommon to run from the dam up into either or both river arms.  Fishing from a yak would totally depend on fish movement and specific time of year and conditions.  For example right now I would say launch at the state park and go out in front of jets island with blade baits.  Spring might be totally different.  Summer would definitely be different.  And probably different week to week. ?

[Bird]

Have a friend who fishes Anna often, from a bass boat though. 

He has one technique and does rather well......skipping wacky rig under docks. 

[ninerlife]

On 12/14/2021 at 12:32 PM, Choporoz said:

Welcome, @ninerlife.   I've fished Anna from a kayak less than two dozen times and I could write volumes....Sturgeon Creek Marina (or Rocky Branch) is as good a spot as any much of the time.   I have only used public ramps and there isn't one that I'd say to avoid...Anna Point, Hunter Landing, Pleasant Landing, Christopher Run, State Park...and others....each has access to good fishing at various times.  My best advice is to avoid main lake and big creeks between 11AM and 4PM from mid May through September.   Crossing the lake in a kayak at 2PM on an August Sunday is about as terrifying as a fishing outing can possibly be.

? I hear ya Chop! I wouldn't dare venture out in the main lake, especially in the times you mentioned!  Talk about frogger!  LOL.  Thanks MUCH for all the info!  Plan is to start exploring come spring!  Unless I get time, and some nice weather breaks, I may try some winter fishing....

Thanks much again!  Happy Holidays!

[Choporoz]

Taking kayak to Anna tomorrow.   I'm torn between three launches.   Looking for opinions on which you'd take:

-Anna Point/Pigeon Creek

-Sturgeon Creek

-The Cove/Hunters (Terry's Run/Plentiful)

 

I like them all, but curious if anyone favors one over the others for this prespawn, spawn, maybe some post-spawn...kinda week  

[TOXIC]

You don’t have anything down lake.  There are more coves and areas to fish out from Dukes.  Just something to consider.