Lake Gaston
By mid-May the water level on Gaston was around 200.31’ (200’ is full pool) and Dominion holding the level steady. Water temperatures ranged from 70-75 degrees with the up lake section just below Kerr Dam the coolest. Anglers can expect 80+ degree water temperatures for June.
Guide Rick Morris reports Gaston’s largemouth bass are transitioning to deeper water haunts this month. Deep to a largemouth on this lake is 12-18’. While there will always be bass shallow, more will hold deeper in June due to a combination of food, temperature, cover and boat traffic.
You can target shallow Gaston largemouth this month around willowgrass lines using Neko rig worms. Gastons’ plentiful spotted bass population likes deeper water – as deep as 50 feet. You can target them with different lures like Damiki rig or small swimbait off main lake points with rocks in the lower section of the lake. You can sometimes also pull both largemouth and spots up from offshore structure using a walking topwater bait this month.
Call or email Morris for guided trips on Gaston.
Holly Grove Marina is a family-friendly tackle shop on the upper end of Gaston with boat ramp and restaurant/gathering place, and we’re glad to have them with us. Holly Grove is located about 10 minutes off I-95 at the Bracey exit on Rt. 903.
Kerr Reservoir (Bugg Island)
The water level on Kerr Lake by the W2 late May deadline was 301.42’ and falling down from nearly 304’ on May 2. 300’ is full pool. Daytime water temperatures varied from 72-75 degrees depending on the region of the lake late last month. This month, anglers should expect a significant rise in water temperatures – to around 80-84 degrees.
Guide Rick Morris says anglers should target Kerr Lake largemouth in creeks like Nutbush, Rudds, Eastland, Grassy and Bluestone where they spawned but are now feeding ravenously on about anything that moves.
He likes to imitate crawdads with a War Eagle jig and a creature bait around docks and stumps. You might be able to use a shallow-diving crankbait around the lake’s many rockpiles, too, for largemouth bass.
Striper anglers will begin fishing the Clarksville area again this month as the striper make their annual migration back out of Roanoke River and head down lake. They will linger around the mouth of creeks near Clarksville to eat gizzard shad. Up in the Hyco you can still target the end of the white bass run early this month.
Before you head out onto the lake, be sure to stop by Bobcat’s Bait and Tackle to get a current fishing report and all the gear you could possibly need.
Bobcats’ staff are avid crappie anglers and they can help get you outfitted to fish one of the best speck fisheries in the country.
Congratulations to Team Whitlow for winning the final event of the VA/NC Cappie Masters Trail held April 21-22 with a two-day total of 14 fish weighing 22.58. This trail began in October ‘22 and featured seven events that drew some of the most talented crappie anglers in the mid-Atlantic region.
Stinger Supply in nearby Boydton is the area headquarters for Garmin gear. You’ll find excellent in stock supplies of Garmin Livescope sonar units, Force trolling motors and Alpha dog tracking collars.
