Contributed by Local Guide Jim Hemby (540) 967-3313.

Stripers: This has been one of the hottest years on record, water temperatures have been near 90 degrees all of July, but the striper fishing has been hotter than the weather. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries have done a spectacular job of managing the lake and our catches this year reflect this excellent work. We have been catching our limits all year, and in July we have been limiting out usually before 9 a.m. August fishing should prove to be as good but the stripers will be moving more, working their way to shallower and more oxygenated waters. Fish will be moving toward the backs of creeks and further up lake following the bait migrations especially if we experience some cooling rains. Most any bait will catch these fish but Pencil Poppers and Pop R's will work the best. The deep bite is still on and once you locate the fish on your depth finder you can troll Deep Diving Redfins, drop rigs or umbrella rigs to catch fish. Some days the stripers will move right up on the bank to feed, especially in low light conditions. Both herring and gizzards will catch stripers this month, we have been using the herring on downlines when the fish are deeper and the gizz on boards to catch the larger fish.

Bass: There are two basic patterns to rely on this month that will put bass in the boat. Main lake points, humps, roadbeds and bridges hold bass with numerous techniques catching fish. Deep diving crank baits are working well now along with 10 to 12 inch worms rigged either Texas style for cover or Carolina style for covering larger areas. If you prefer shallow water fishing, bass are feeding heavily in the backs of the creeks on humps, rocks, stumps and ledges. The fish will be extremely shallow up the rivers and creeks. Shallow running crankbaits and spinnerbaits work excellent in these stained waters. Bass will be up on the flats when they are aggressively feeding and will pull back to the ledges of the creek or river channel in adverse conditions. The baitfish will tell you where the bass are; find the bait and the bass will be nearby. Good areas that are holding bass are at the bridge in Contrary and also the humps and ledges back by the proposed golf course, all the way up the rivers as far as you dare to travel, back behind the bridge in Christopher Run, the back of Terry's, and main lake fish are schooling on many of the fish structures.

Crappie: Nice crappie are being caught on the bridges, ledges and deep docks that have brush underneath them. At night, crappie are all over docks with lights on them. I can't keep the crappie out of my net when I am throwing for bait in the mornings. Later in the month the fish will move very shallow and can be caught in 4 to 10 feet of water. They will be feeding on threadfin shad about 2 inches in length. Keep your baits small this month to imitate the shad they are feeding on.

Catfish: Cats are everywhere feeding on everything in sight. Simply use a fish finder rig with either live minnows, cut bait or stink baits fished on the bottom. They love this water temperature and are probably the easiest fish to catch this month.