Upcoming Bear Creek Lake (Va) Trip

[waskeyc]

I’m going to Bear Creek Lake State Park in Virginia for a few days around the 10^th of November and I’d like to be prepared. I went last year around the same time and had no success with bass. For those unfamiliar, it is a 40 acre lake in the central Virginia piedmont with several small coves and a couple feeder creeks. I’d guess it is 30 or so feet deep, water clarity of maybe 2 feet or so, and surrounded by woodlands. There are no aquatic weeds to speak of, but there are fallen trees and brush piles in the water. I don’t know for sure that the trees were cleared before the lake was built, but there are no trees sticking out of the water. I will have a canoe, and bank access is pretty good, but I don’t have any electronics. I have several specific questions, but I welcome any suggestions.

1. Are topwaters a total waste of time that late in the season? I’m guessing the water temp will be in the low 50s, and the grasshoppers and other large insects will all be gone for the year.

2. Spinnerbaits are supposed to be good in cold water. What structure should I look for, how deep should I fish them, and how should I retrieve them?

3. Plastic worms are great for pulling through brush and heavy cover. Will bass be up in laydowns near the bank, or will they only be in deeper brush piles? What is a good amount of weight to use for a Texas Rig? Is a slow jigging retrieve better, or a steady swim?

4. If I want to use Rat-L-Traps and deep diving crankbaits, what structure should I look for? How deep might I expect to find fish?

5. People say throwing a jig and just letting it sit for several minutes can often be successful, but if I don’t have confidence that a fish is nearby, I don’t have much patience. Where should I throw a jig that is likely to be productive?

6. What time of day is best, afternoon when temperatures are the warmest (assuming some sunshine is present), or some other time?

7. Does anyone have any lake-specific knowledge they’d like to share?

[Sam]

1. Are topwaters a total waste of time that late in the season? - Throw your buzabaits first thing in the morning. Try poppers, too.

2. Spinnerbaits are supposed to be good in cold water. What structure should I look for, how deep should I fish them, and how should I retrieve them? - White and chart/white. Throw everywhere you want. Experiemetn with retrieves.

3. Plastic worms are great for pulling through brush and heavy cover. Will bass be up in laydowns near the bank, or will they only be in deeper brush piles? What is a good amount of weight to use for a Texas Rig? Is a slow jigging retrieve better, or a steady swim? - Go with the Shaky Head technique. 3/16 max jig head size with a 1/0 or 2/0 hook. Use these colors depending on water clarity: watermealon, green pumpkin or junebug.

4. If I want to use Rat-L-Traps and deep diving crankbaits, what structure should I look for? How deep might I expect to find fish? - Just throw them. Over, around and through structure. Be ready to lose some. The fish will tell you how deep to go.

5. People say throwing a jig and just letting it sit for several minutes can often be successful, but if I don’t have confidence that a fish is nearby, I don’t have much patience. Where should I throw a jig that is likely to be productive? - Anywhere. Once again, give it a try.

6. What time of day is best, afternoon when temperatures are the warmest (assuming some sunshine is present), or some other time? - All day long although the bite will probably slow down around noon to 2 or 3. Throw the Shaky Head.

7. Does anyone have any lake-specific knowledge they’d like to share? - Fished it once. Nice place. Lots of wood. Smaller fish are there if you want to use live bait for the kids. They can fish off the dam.

Have fun and watch your speed on Virginia highways. State Police and local sheriff departmetns are raising money via traffic stops. And be sure to:

1. Carry your Virginia fishing license with you.

2. Have one seat cushion OUT ON DECK for each person in the boat.

3. Have an up to date fire extinguisher on the boat.

Let us know how you do and be sure to throw the Shaky Head or Wacky Senkos.

[waskeyc]

Thanks Sam. I'm glad there are so many Virginians on this forum.

Anyone else have input for me?

[Wayne P.]

1. Are topwaters a total waste of time that late in the season? - Throw your buzabaits first thing in the morning. Try poppers, too.

2. Spinnerbaits are supposed to be good in cold water. What structure should I look for, how deep should I fish them, and how should I retrieve them? - White and chart/white. Throw everywhere you want. Experiemetn with retrieves.

3. Plastic worms are great for pulling through brush and heavy cover. Will bass be up in laydowns near the bank, or will they only be in deeper brush piles? What is a good amount of weight to use for a Texas Rig? Is a slow jigging retrieve better, or a steady swim? - Go with the Shaky Head technique. 3/16 max jig head size with a 1/0 or 2/0 hook. Use these colors depending on water clarity: watermealon, green pumpkin or junebug.

4. If I want to use Rat-L-Traps and deep diving crankbaits, what structure should I look for? How deep might I expect to find fish? - Just throw them. Over, around and through structure. Be ready to lose some. The fish will tell you how deep to go.

5. People say throwing a jig and just letting it sit for several minutes can often be successful, but if I don’t have confidence that a fish is nearby, I don’t have much patience. Where should I throw a jig that is likely to be productive? - Anywhere. Once again, give it a try.

6. What time of day is best, afternoon when temperatures are the warmest (assuming some sunshine is present), or some other time? - All day long although the bite will probably slow down around noon to 2 or 3. Throw the Shaky Head.

7. Does anyone have any lake-specific knowledge they’d like to share? - Fished it once. Nice place. Lots of wood. Smaller fish are there if you want to use live bait for the kids. They can fish off the dam.

Have fun and watch your speed on Virginia highways. State Police and local sheriff departmetns are raising money via traffic stops. And be sure to:

1. Carry your Virginia fishing license with you.

2. Have one seat cushion OUT ON DECK for each person in the boat.

3. Have an up to date fire extinguisher on the boat.

Let us know how you do and be sure to throw the Shaky Head or Wacky Senkos.

Sam, only one throwable devise is required. Everyone on board has to have an appropriate wearable life preserver.

[s13john]

I live about 3 miles from bear creek and ive never had much luck. Ive seen dgif shock some solid fis out of their though. The other lakes arrowhead,oak hill and winston produce some good # winston is full of pads and has a lot of laydowns. Good luck

[Sam]

Wayne, yes, only one cushion is required.

But speaking with a Conservation Officer she suggested one cushion for everyone on the boat just in case you and your partner are thrown out.

For some reason the Conservation Officers like to stop me at least once a year. I guess it is my professional looking profile!!!!!!

[Fifteen]

Wayne, yes, only one cushion is required.

But speaking with a Conservation Officer she suggested one cushion for everyone on the boat just in case you and your partner are thrown out.

For some reason the Conservation Officers like to stop me at least once a year. I guess it is my professional looking profile!!!!!!

What if a person is fishing alone. I mean if they fall in who is going to toss it to them.

[Sam]

Casper the Ghost will throw it to you if he is around.

The law is the law.

You are correct, of course, but if the boat overturns or you and the cushion are thrown out you at least have a chance to get to the cushion before you go under.

Then again.......

[heyitskirby]

I have my cushion stowed away, but its the first thing you see when you open the compartment....CG said it just couldn't have anything on top of it.

Sam, being our resident expert on throw cushions, does this work?

Fished Bear Creek from the bank last summer and had luck with a senko on every piece of wood I found fallen into the water.

[waskeyc]

Friday (11/11) I spent 4 or 5 hours in the canoe and caught a lonely 1.3 lb. largemouth bass on a blue and white spinnerbait on the main body shoreline near the dam. My friend caught a 10” bass in a cove on a chatterbait. The weather was post-cold front with gusty NW winds and high temps in the mid 50s. The water ranged from 50 to 52F. The lake was shallower than I expected, with main basin depths around 15 feet or less. Visibility was 18" maximum, probably closer to 12".

Saturday (11/12) the wind reversed direction and it warmed above 60, but was still gusty and not much action. My only fish was a 10” LMB on a deep diving crankbait near the fishing pier. My friend caught a good sized bass, about 18”, on a chatterbait on the main body near the upper end. Someone in another boat caught a 4 lb. bass on a chatterbait near the dam.

Sunday (11/13) I didn't spend much time fishing for bass and goose-egged. The winds were still gusty from the south and the weather warmed up to the mid 60s.

My general impression is that very few fish were actively feeding. The fellow that caught the 4lb’er had sonar and said most of the fish were near the bottom, and not necessarily tied to any cover. The fish that were caught were all some distance from shoreline cover, not under or in it. I’m not sure if the fish hadn’t recovered from Thursday’s cold front yet, or if most of the fish had already started their winter patterns.