Lake Gaston

[jc9652]

Guys, I am a saltwater fisherman. I have done my share of smallmouth/largemouth and catfishing years ago, but I am going to Lake Gatson (never fished it before) for a managers meeting and my boss has rented a boat (poontune) for Sunday. i figured I would buy a few large minnows and some crappie minnows, I will get some night crawlers also. Plan is to catch a panfish and use for fresh bait for catfish (cut in half). The large minnows I plan to free line 1under a float and the other just let it go. I will bring a few lures, but with these guys, i assume difting. Any ideas if I am doing somthing wrong please correct. We always have a spot open for someone to go saltwater fishing in va beach/chape charles. Just looking to catch something and entertain. Sorry do not even know where we are staying.

[FishRxDr]

dont know how far away you will be but if you can head up to behind the dam (kerr dam) the stripers and blue cats have been biting up there pretty good
drifting those minnows out to produce bites the panfish (bluegill, redbreast, largemouth, and tons of small ring perch are loaded up there in what looks like a creek off to the left about a mile or two below the dam (it really isnt a creek its and island that runs all the way up to right behind the dam)
its really fun to fish that "creek" behind there and catch fish un ultralights
tons of largemouth and all the fish you could ever want to catch on ultra lights back there
huge bluegill also (up to citation size)
little tube jigs (crappie tubes) work the best
hope this post helps
I put in at the steel bridge and fish up there pretty often
fishrxdr

[BBCroaker]

Was coming home from Charlote a couple of years ago . I heard abouta ramp at the steel bridge and got off of Rt 85 at Bracey exit and went a ways on Rt 903 but couldn't find the steel bridge but there was a ramp on the west side of the Rt85 bridge.
How do you get to the steel bridge?

[tq1coleman]

If you have some people onboard that do not want to use live bait you can't go wrong with mister twisters on 1/32 jigs and a spinner. You can usually get them in a combo pack at Walmart. You may will have to get the spinners seperately but in combination with the jigs they are deadly against pan fish. They are also really easy to use for begginers because all you have to do is cast and retrieve. Beetle Spins are pretty much the same and just as effective.

I just took a friend and his wife out on the Chick river yesterday. It was her first time fishing and I had her use this setup and she ended up outfishing her husband.

Best of luck to you!

[FishRxDr]

the steel bridge is on rt 1
I live off of highway 58 in halifax county virginia. it runs down buggs island (kerr reservoir) from east to west. I turn off of 58 right onto route 1 and the bridge is just a few miles down on the right going south on rt 1. its not far below kerr damn. Its a good ramp with plenty of water and great access to the dam area.

[mini moe]

I need some general area information on fishing for flatheads and bluecats on buggs island. Boat ramp info. would be nice.

Thank You.

Mini Moe

[halifax]

Moe as far as flatheads this time of year (my opinion) your best bet is up the Dan or the Staunton river. Launch your boat from staunton river state park off 360 west or Staunton view from route 15. This puts you at the intersection of the two rivers.Just be particular where u run, lot of snags and flats. Also the rivers can be tricky to run cause of the shallow water. Mapquest the park and it will give you an idea to where you'll be at. Can't help with the blues much this time of year, once I caught a few flatheads tunnel vision would set in. We would catch a few blues flathead fishing just really didn't target them.

[mini moe]

Thanks Halifax, we may give that a try.

[FishRxDr]

moe,
see ya on here all the time. I have grown up fishing with halifax and agree with him. Staunton River state park is the best place to put in right now as far as location to fish. The rivers are gonna be where the flatheads are right now. I will say though they are starting to spawn and the bite is slow. We have catfish tournaments the next two weekends on Saturday nights, so the lake is gonna be full of catfisherman. A lot of blue cats are in the rivers also, mostly juveniles though in the 5-20lb range. They say some monters up to 50lbs are way way up river and you will never get there now with low river conditions from the lake. Some more blue cats are being caught down the lake in the deep water drifting shad and floating shad on corks. This is another option for ya. I have been catching tons of big flatheads over the last few weeks but I think it is starting to fall off. If ya want to come at the best time of the year to catch lots of big flatheads, wait til september and october when they are coming back out to the lake and it is really fun. Much safer too as far as the boat motor. The lake is a flood control reservoir and supplies water to gaston and virginia beach so they drop in looooooooowwwwwwwww once the stripers spawn and get out the rivers. ITs dropping fast right now. Once you get into the river the water gets really shallow. Some spots out in the flats are shallow now too. Kinda need to know where you are going.
Dont mind helping out if you come up. I fish a few nights a week and keep up with the fish pretty good.
Fishrxdr

[mini moe]

Thanks for the info., Josh. I tried to send you a Private message, I wanted to send you a map of the area we fish here, but yours hasn't been activated for some reason. I have foregotten how to activate it, it may be in the profile section, maybe someone that knows can help you with it, if you want them to. Thanks again.

mini

[FishRxDr]

moe,
I coulnt figure how to activate that. I dont mind helping ya out if ya come up here though. Aint many secrets anymore with gps and guys seeing ya fish and all. Let me know when you are coming up and I will give ya my contact info and be glad to help out. I will be on the lake all this weekend fishing. We have a big tournament saturday night, a hundred boats or more so the catfishing spots will be loaded with boats.
Maybe see ya on the lake sometime.
Fishrxdr

[fish-n-pitch]

I was thinking of doing the same this as mini moe and coming to Buggs to flathead and blue fish from the clarksville bridge up to the mouth of the rivers, but it sound like all of the fish are way up in the rivers. I have a 20ft. CC and don't really want to go way up the rivers if i don't have to, are all of the big blues and flatheads really way up the rivers? Can you not catch them on main lake humps, flats, or long points, was just wondering before i make the trip up thier and definitly don't won't to was a trip to catch small fish or no fish with the way gas prices are. Any light shined on this would be great, thanks.

fish-n-pitch

[mini moe]

'preciate the help Josh, it may be a long time, maybe even next year. It's hard for my fishing buddies to get off work, and the cost of a trip right now is sorta rough. We have been fishing a local lake latley and catching a few in the 20's and 30's. A friend and his partner won a tourny. on Lake High Rock last weekend with a 5 fish total of 138lbs. Their big fish was 35lbs. and the big fish for the tourny. was 47lbs. Wayne said they had over 300lbs. with all the blues and channels, but only weighed the flatheads. I know what you mean about people finding your fishing spots. We were fishing last night and a guy rode by me twice and then parked his boat about 45yrds. from me and fished for about an hour. I caught a 22lb. flathead while he was there, bad timming. That was one of our honey holes, I guess he'll be in it from time to time. I realize we don't own the lake but he was running around all over our lines and getting too close to set up. I hope you do well in your tourny. comming up. Hope to see you on the lake one of these days.

Dennis

[fish-n-pitch]

Mini-moe i am who Wayne has been fishing with in the tournaments with as well as alot just for fun fishing for the past 4 or 5 years, and i know exactly what you mean when you say people get to close when you are fishing. The night of the tourny we were anchored and catching fish and another tournament boat came an anchored no more than 100ft. beside us, that a little to close in a tournament. If you are looking for someone to go to Buggs with i would be happy to go a split the cost and i can go pretty much any time you want. Give Wayne a call he will vouch that i know what i doing from time to time.I will leave my name a cell below if you think you might want to do something just give me a call.

Spencer Hodges/336-469-0177

[mini moe]

Josh and Spencer,

I'm not trying to push private messages on you , but I found out how to activate them if you want to use them. You click on my account at top left then under the heading Settings&Options click on Edit Options then under the heading Message&Notfication in the middle of the page, about halfway down, click the box that says Enable Private Messages

mini

[FishRxDr]

thanks moe,
I enabled the private messages. Yes, most of the fish are way up the river. I went up last weekend farther than any boat and caught the most fish but nothing really big, right at 30lbs. My dad won the tournament with a flathead 38 lbs. The fish did not cooperate at all last weekend in the tournament for most. Very few big fish weighed in. The blue cats are scattered out, most up the river but some coming back and some in the lake. The flatheads are still spawning they say and not doing a whole lot. Its hit and miss. I think some of the females have spawned and are on their way back to the lake. We are cathing some in the usual spots on the way out and at the mouth of the river. The fishing just is not hot right now. About august it gets really good and gets even better in september as far as the flatheads go. If I was gonna come just once this year, late september would be my choice.
Again, hope this helps yall out.
Fishrxdr

[mini moe]

Thanks RX,

The fishing is hit or miss around here too. I went last night and didn't catch a thing. The last two trips before last night we did catch a few. Like you said in the fall it picks up a lot. After a big frost or cold weather for a week or so in the fall, they slack off, and I can't catch any big ones ater that. It may just be that I don't try to fish deep, maybe that's where they go. I'm guessing that they (flatheads) kinda shut down in cold weather. Good luck to you.

ps A good feature to private mail is checking the box that enables elerting you when you go into the TF board that you have a private message. That way you don't have to open your P.M. and search, a message will appear telling you you have a private mess.

moe