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