[ Post a Response | StriperChaser Fishing News and Views ]
Posted by }<)))*> StriperChaser on January 8, 2006, 9:53 am Buggs Island Lake lies mainly in Mecklenburg County in Southside. Part of the lake, Vic DiCenzo, fisheries biologist with VDGIF, said, "The overall opinion of Buggs' striper To aid in that effort, VDGIF is now stocking 350,000 stripers annually, and they monitor Buggs' linesiders average 20 inches in length by age 2 1/2; 5-year-olds average 28 Buggs, like most big lakes, has a diverse size range for stripers, and different parts of "The most productive areas of the lake are up lake in the spring because of the When asked what he thought of the outlook for stripers at Buggs, DiCenzo said, "From Richmond-area striper guide Roger Jones likes to pound away at linesiders while many "I'm looking for live gizzard and threadfin shad in the 4- to 6-inch range," Jones said. Jones prefers to hook his bait through both nostrils. He believes live shad hooked this "Stripers are going to hit that shad from the side or the front, and the hook through the To further aid in high-percentage hook-ups, Jones always uses medium-size circle The striper guide almost exclusively targets main-lake points this time of year, from "I vary the depths I fish, but I rely heavily on my depth finder to find stripers. The fish He likes to position his boat in roughly 30 to 35 feet and troll his live baits in that As for points, Jones doesn't necessarily prefer the red clay or rocky points. "Just find "It's no problem for anglers to catch their limit of four 20-inch stripers in a day's outing, Jones also trolls a white or white and chartreuse combination bucktail. To this he "I vary the depth of the bucktail the same way as live bait, focusing on 10 to 25 feet No striper angler's arsenal would be complete without a set of stretch crankbaits. Jones Jones places his rods in rod holders when trolling and clips a line counter to the rods to Jones doesn't employ a run-and-gun approach to striper fishing like he might when "I truly believe the windblown side of the lake, or points, is the most productive Although Buggs isn't known for giant stripers, evidenced by DiCenzo's comments, Jones Launch ramps in Rudds Creek, Occoneechee State Park or Island Creek are within close Link: Read the article
4.152.231.186
BUGGS' LINESIDERS
Buggs Island Lake has much to offer. Its 800 shoreline miles and almost 50,000
acres certainly make it huge. Some of the creeks on Buggs Island cover more
surface acreage than many other Virginia lakes' total size. It can be intimidating for
anglers to try to sort out such big water, no doubt, but also very rewarding.
approximately 25 percent, is located in North Carolina straddling Granville, Vance and
Warren counties. North Carolinians typically refer to Buggs as Kerr Reservoir, named
after that state's congressman who was the project's main booster, John H. Kerr. The
land was acquired in the 1940s and was impounded and filled by the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers in 1952. Buggs Island's purpose, besides providing anglers with
exceptional bass fishing, is flood control downstream and hydroelectric power, which is
sold to local power companies.
population is rated only fair to good because of recent poor spawns. Buggs is one of a
few lakes in the U.S. where striped bass successfully spawn."
its effectiveness, which should help stabilize recruitment and increase abundance,
DiCenzo said.
inches, according to DiCenzo. Stripers have an assortment of gizzard and threadfin
shad, alewives and blueback herring from which to choose for meals. The biologist said
the top-end range for Buggs' stripers is approximately 38 to 40 inches, or in the 18- to
20-pound class, although on rare occasions anglers have caught larger ones.
the lake are better at certain times of the year, particularly for big fish.
spawning run," DiCenzo said. "In the summer, the dam up to buoy 10 is good, and I
recommend keying on the thermocline. During the fall and winter, try from Goats Island
to Clarksville."
our perspective, the future is bright for the Buggs Island striper fishery. We are
optimistic that stocking will help offset the recent poor spawns. As striped bass
abundance improves, we fully expect to see angler effort, catch and harvest increase."
anglers have given up for the year. Jones, 52, fishes for winter stripers by using live
shad that he collects with a cast net.
"This size works well for keeper-size stripers. It's important that the shad are alive;
dead bait doesn't catch them nearly as well."
way stay alive longer and that aids in his hook-up percentage.
nostrils helps a great deal with hook-ups."
hooks when live-bait fishing.
Panhandle Creek up to the Clarksville bridge.
can be anywhere from 10 to 25 feet deep during late fall through early winter. I troll
and alternate depth ranges and cover the points by casting out four to six rods - all at
different depths to find the magic zone. I'll also use one rod to free-line shad," Jones
said.
magic 10- to 25-foot range. Each point is different, but under normal water levels, he
sticks his boat in 30 to 35 feet. With the drought of 2002 and the flooding rains of
2003, it's hard to say what's "normal" anymore, but Buggs at normal pool is 300 feet.
the stripers on your depth finder and you'll score regardless of the point composition.
no matter the weather," Jones said. "This time of year the stripers are active and I
really don't worry about what the weather is doing regarding sun, clouds or rain."
attaches a white grub or shad body.
from late November through early January. Additionally," he added, "I'll troll a 3-ounce
Silver Buddy."
favors those that dive in the 20-foot range to dig out the stripers he believes are
hanging around this depth. A shad pattern is his preference, with a white bait and a red
nose as his backup.
monitor the depth. He uses mostly bait-casting reels, spooled with 15-pound-test
monofilament line on a medium-action, 7-foot rod.
chasing bass; instead, he'll stay put if he's marking fish on the locater.
because the bait will be there," he said. "Unless I'm trolling, I let the wind or current
push me across a point I'm fishing."
said it's typical to catch a limit, with occasional stripers pulling down the scales into the
teens.
range to the spots Jones fishes.
Message Thread:
« Back to thread