Pacemaker Fishing Forum

Got out after the rain for an all-dayer.  Launched just after 9:30am.  The water on the VA side was muddy, but the MD side and main stretch were clear.  The day on the water was awesome.  The fishing was weird.  I thought the bite would be fire, but it was tough most of the day, with periods of action.

First spot I finally got the skunk out after a few missed bites.  I somehow lost my bunkboard my last time out, but most of the fish were small.



Then I got 2 on the Chug Bug.



I ran upriver after that.  Second spot was a bust, so I moved up a little.  I saw some fish surface over a deep water hole.  I tossed the Chug Bug out and it got blasted, but did not hook up.  I did end up catching one after that behind a mid-river rock.



The bite got slow again.  It was hard to see in the water with the clouds.  The fish were not eating moving baits or craw-style baits dragged for some reason.  I did get swipes at the Chug Bug and Whopper Plopper, but did not connect.  I ate my lunch and put a Berkley flat worm on.  That made a difference.  I caught a few small fish on that.  This one was chunky.



I had the river to myself.  It was very relaxing.  Saw some sort of critter crossing the river (mink/otter).  I came to an area that two cormorants were working.  It was a little deeper and had lots of grass.  I was throwing a Big TRD in a baitfish color and got a good hit.  This fish thought he was 18"+.  It went around the boat and was trying to bury in the grass.  I finally got it in the net.  I tried to measure it with a yardstick I brought, but it would just slide off.  It was my big fish of the day at maybe 16-16 1/2 inches.







I kept throwing that lure and getting bites through that section.











I heard the crew team coming upriver.  The bite slowed and it was getting to dinner time.  I ended up heading in with 15 smallies total.  The river was red mud on the VA side by the launch from Broad Run I guess.  Off the water by 6pm.