BY BRIAN BOOG
Welcome back to Small Waters. This month I had plans to talk about Lake Airfield, a 105-acre lake/pond in Sussex & Southhampton Counties. It’s perfect little lake with all the cypress trees and lily pads you could dream about – a reall flippin’ and frogging heaven. I spent a whole day there, trying to catch a bass, and at the end of the day all I had was a 10” largemouth and a two- pound bowfin to show for it – not much of a report. I didn’t see a thing on the electronics all day. Nada. Sometimes places just don’t work out. That’s fishing.
I stopped back to Harwood’s Mills for a few hours one day last month and caught a good one on a Whopper Plopper 190 (giant size). I finished my cast and was pulling the WP out of the water and the fish came up straight vertical from below the lure about 5-6” and grabbed the bottom hook and hooked itself. I boat flipped her and she was 6-5. I’ve never had that happen before. It was awesome.
So, rather than putting more time at Lake Airfield, this month I’m going to be writing about Diascund Reservoir in Lanexa on the New Kent/James City County line.
I’m sure everyone reading this has fished Diascund at one point or another. Everybody I’ve talked to since I started fishing it has told me to go to a different part – either their favorite part, or they’re sending me as far away from their spot as possible. I’ve seen the parking lot packed on numerous occasions and they host several tournaments every year — it’s a popular place.
If you’ve never fished it, I’ll give you the details on the place, and if you have, you’re probably already laughing at me.
Diascund Reservoir is an 1,110-acre water supply for the city of Newport News. It’s electric only and receives a bit of fishing pressure. It’s free to fish, has a solid boat ramp with a fishing dock (located at 9551 Diascund Reservoir Park in Lanexa) and has plenty of parking. Fishing is allowed sunrise to sunset. DWR website states that they’ve got largemouth and spotted bass, bluegill, black crappie, carp, bowfin, longnose gar, perch, pickerel and the catfish who love to destroy my brand-new Jackhammers. According to the DWR website, there’s also blue back herring and gizzard shad.
The simplest and broadest way to break down Diascund is this: there’s the boat ramp section, go under the first bridge and that’s the second section, and go underneath the second bridge and that’s the third section. All three sections are big. Bring an extra battery.
How do you start talking about Diascund? I’ve fished here more than any other place around and each time I’ve caught them a different way. Each of the three areas has long tapering points, trees on the bank to pitch a jig to, steep banks, expansive flats, brush piles, sand bars, rip rap, a few docks, deep grass patches, humps etc. I’ve seen depth’s up to 25-28” feet. It has everything you want in a fishery.
Section 1: On to the fishing. Let’s break it down by section. I’ve had good days fishing the first section. Skipping a 1/2oz Bizz Bait jig in and around the laydowns and buck brush on the sides of points has produced five or six bass over four pounds, and I have had a few good mornings on a ½ oz Yellow Magic popper catching schooling bass up to 4-12. Shakey heads, Jackhammers and spinnerbaits on humps have done the trick as well. The few docks have yet to produce for me.
You can travel quite aways up the reservoir. There’s endless shoreline. I recently casted off a custom painted (crappie pattern), $40 big, flat side crankbait way into the bushes on one of the islands. If you find it, be sure to let me know. Ouch.
Section 2: Definitely the section I’ve spent the most time in. I’ve yet to catch anything off those bridge pilings. I’ve made many a cast to the rip rap on the left. The fish always seem to be around the point on the rocks. Some days they’re up shallow, some days they’re off in 6’ of water. If there’s a constant at Diascund, there always seem to be bass somewhere around that rocky point. I’ve caught a ton on a Megabass S crank 2.0 in sexy shad. The biggest I’ve caught on the rocks is a 4-8 spot.
Then I usually cross, go to the right and hit the far shoreline and have had success cranking a Rapala DT-10. The big laydowns can usually produce a fish or two. The area that leads into the creek arm is always good for me. It has depths of 5-10 feet. This is where I like to mess with my small crankbaits.
I had an afternoon killing them on a Spro John Crews Little John 50 in clear chartreuse, a Spro Outsider crank SR55 in phantom bluegill and a Shimano Macbeth flat in ghost shad. This is a blast on a BFS set up.
Last time I was fishing this area, I was throwing a Lucky Craft LV500 lipless in French pearl and caught a few three- to four-pound spots. There always seems to be someone posted up on the backside of the island right there.
Moving on to the cove to the left of the bridge leading into the third section. I’ve had some success there. Squarebills, Jackhammers and small wakebaits, like the Strike King Hybrid Hunter Shallow jr. in clearwater minnow. They all do the trick. There always seems to be a fish or two hanging out.
Section 3: I spent a whole day back there trying to figure it out. There was so much bait everywhere (in the whole reservoir). Making my loop around, I threw the whole tacklebox at em’. Fish were blowing up all around me. There’s no clever way to write about not catching them. I topwatered and fluked them to death. No takers. I eventually made it to a large flats area in 2’ of water and started covering water with a DEPS Buzzjet in midnight black and caught a 4-3 largemouth. Finally!
I fish like a northerner, fast. That might be my problem. I might have better results if I slowed down and dragged a worm or drop shot. Who’s to say?
Diascund Reservoir is challenging and fun. There’s so much real estate to work with. It seems to never end. Every day is different. It can be tough at times, and she’ll make you work for them, but when you catch one, it’s usually a quality fish. On a good day, I end up with 5-10 fish in the two- to four-pound class.
I love Diascund, and man, those spots are fun to catch. Make the trip, it’s worth it. If you have any suggestions where I should fish email woodsandwatersmagazine@gmail.com
