Lake Anna Bassers, please take a look

[lknbassman]

Guys, my dad is a senior citizen, lives up on Lake Anna, and he's not much on fishing other than from his dock so he's pretty limited with regard to his total lake fishing knowlege and does not understand patterns and seasonal migration etc that much. He's never been on a bass boat and I'm coming up to take him fishing and hoefully really put a smile on his face.

I on the other hand do understand fish movement, seasonal patterns, etc and do fish competitively. But I live down on Lake Norman in NC. I'd like to bring my boat up to Anna for Fathers Day and take him out for a couple of days fishing but don't know squat about the lake, never fished it other than from his dock now and again, so all I'm bringing with me has to do with general post spawn and Summer patterns and I'll be starting from scratch.

I do have the Navionics Platinum chip in my boat so I'll have a lake map and the contour lines as well as the 3D rendering of the lake bottom so I won't be totally clueless but what I don't know is what depths are the fish generally and on what kind of cover or structure?

I know Anna is relatively shallow compared to some other lakes but it does have channels, boat docks, grass, etc so they are in there somewhere. Just need to know where to start looking so me and the old man have some fun and I can make Fathers Day great for him.

I have to imagine that the lake is in a post spawn pattern and early Summer pattern now so are points, outside grass lines, and docks the places to look for them or will I find them off shore on structure? Any advice and general locations to locate some fish would be much appreciated.

Again, if you need ANY information on Lake Norman just look on this site under the NC/SC Bass Club link or the Fishing Reports By State link and you will see the detail that I provide. I'm all for helping guys have a great time and a successful tournament. I'll sure be grateful for anyone who could do the same for me and my pops. Thanks to each of you!

If posting makes you uneasy re: your secrets please send me an email at cdaymude1@windstream.net I'll completely respect that fact that you want your comments to be kept confidential if you wish. Thanks again for any help!

[JCrzy4Bass]

Hey LKN, there are some guys that practically fish this lake all the time that will hopefully chime in here but I can give you a few confirmations/pointers for this lake as my dad and I fish in 3-5 times a year. Sometimes more.

They are definately on a post spawn pattern here as of now and I think that all fish have pretty much moved over to this pattern by this time except maybe, MAYBE a few fish on the lower upper lake where the temps are typically cooler than the lower lake. There may still be a few stragglers left here that are in spawn mode but I wouldn't count on it. The river is also up this way if you decide to try your luck here. I however would stick to lower lake.

The temps at Dike three will be the warmest as usual as the water here heats more so than the rest of the lake. My dad and I have luck mid-lower lake tossing to boat docks that re on main stretches of the lake where deeper water is nearby. It helps if there is grass around the docks as well. Can't go wrong if you find this combination.

The fish at Anna can be spooked quite easily as the water here is almost always pretty clear. The few times I have been this year visibility has been over 3'. So as the saying goes put the lure right inside the area where you can't quite see your bait (depth wise) as this is normally where the fish will hold. You can catch shallow fish but it is VERY difficult and boat positioning is definately important.

My dad and I almost always keep the boat in a minimum of 5-6 feet of water here but most of the time 10-11 feet and cast in. I haven't had a whole lot of luck on a variety of baits here. It's pretty much senkos and spinnerbaits for me when I fish here. Vertical presentations seem to be the best bet on most days and one of the favorite late spring patterns which I'm not quite sure will carry over into summer pattern is spinnerbaits on main lake points. Shad is a common baitfish here so you can't go wrong with white skirted spinners. Plus the clear water almost always makes this color a good bet.

Hopefully some of the other guys chime in but if you use that depth finder and work that post spawn pattern I'm sure you'll do fine.

One other tip is don't spend a lot of time in one given area, at Anna if the fish are not there, they are not there. You have to be constantly moving until you find a productive spot and then REALLY REALLY work it.

They call it one fish Anna because typically that is what you get, but if you study the maps, use your depth finder and most importantly find the fish you can have a good day.

I'd recommend checking reports on another site, Duke's Creek Marina (online) and Sturgeon Creek (online) as well as any guides that have been out there as of late. You can google most of these places.

Good luck.

[lknbassman]

JCRZY4BASS, thanks so much for that information.  I really really appreciate it.  I'm doing as much prep for this as I would any major tournament as I really want him to have a ball while we are out there.  He's never been on a bass boat or been on the water with an angler who can pattern fish so I'm hopeful that I don't get skunked and want to do as much preparation for this trip as I can.  I really appreciate your help.  It's getting to the point where I don't know how many days we'll get to share together on the water and I want to make sure he has as much fun as I used to when he'd take me fishing.  It comes around full circle and it's my turn now to make sure the trip is great.  Thanks again!

[JCrzy4Bass]

LKN, no prob man.  Enjoy every day with him man.  I know how you feel.  I enjoy all trips with my dad as you never know how many more you'll get together.  

Foremost make sure you have a great time, take plenty of pictures because those serve as memories forever, and then catch fish.  Hopefully you guys make out.  I'm sure with your prep you'll do fine.  Have fun man.

[outdoorsman]

Does he live on the public side or private side? Reason I ask , the fishing is so much better on the private side as one would imagine.

This is just my experience on the lake.

Deep water docks either close to or on the points.

If you can find grass in about 10-15 of water and easy access to  a flat . If all else fells hit every point that looks good to you.             This time of year they should be feeding like crazy.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          I got access to the private side this weekend and could do no wrong in catching fish. I found two good spots where they busting groups of shad at cetain times of the day. I'd say between all of us we caught 40 fish. We just couldn't seem to get any size , they were all 1#-2# and one fish that was pushing 3.8 #  Hope this helps and good luck.

[Sam]

Remember, One Fish Anna.  Not Lake Anna, but One Fish Anna.

Here are some suggestions to consider:

1.  Purchase a GMCO map of Lake Anna.  You will need it to find some places, etc.

2.  Where are you putting in?  I need to know as Anna is a B-I-G lake.

3.  Let me know via PM and I can share some secrets with you.

Now, will you catch fish?  Who knows, but at least I can give you some information and coupled with the other guys data you will be ready to attack One Fish Anna.

Sam

P.S. Bring lots of water and Gatorade as it can become extremely hot in the sun on Anna.

[roadwarrior]

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