Lowrance HDS Technology

 This is a picture off of a HDS-12 with traditional sonar on the upper half of the screen and Side Scan on the bottom half. DP was collecting bait for a trip early in the morning. In the sonar portion of the picture the boat is over 35 feet of water and shows some small Stripers in the upper water column with plankton stratified between 20 to 25 feet on the left side and on the bottom on the right side of the sonar screen. Very little bait is showing up on the sonar. The bottom half of the picture shows Side scan in a 60 foot scale [looking out 60 feet to the right and left side of the boat]. It clearly shows bait to  the left of the boat. It also shows very clearly DP's 10 foot net and rope sinking into the bait. At this point there was one bait in the net but after letting it fall he caught about 2 dozen baits. We use this technology daily not only catching bait but also while we are on fish to track the direction the schools are moving.

 This is a cropped view of the picture above showing the net falling into the bait.

 This screen shot shows traditional sonar on the left side of the screen, side scan on the upper right and bottom scan on the bottom right of the screen. The Stripers are suspended between 22 to 35 feet. The line in the middle of the pic is us dropping our bait down through the Stripers. On the side scan  you can see Stripers not only under our boat but more Stripers to the left side of the boat. Down scan is simply is confirming the fish under the boat. We caught about 15 fish in just a few minutes while fishing this school. If you look at the upper portion of my sonar it shows my history of the previous few minutes. The purplish square is the same as the current sonar and the further you look back to the left  the further back in time we go. With the touch screen I can simply touch any area in the history, it pulls the screens back to that moment so I can view what I previously went over and if I wish I could touch that area again and way-point it to return to the exact spot.

This shot of my Lowrance shows the boat in 16 feet of water. This is a massive school of bait.

We threw the net and caught about 60 beautiful baits.

Lowrance HDS-12 Pics

 This picture shows a brush pile with a school of Crappie suspended just above and to the right of the pile.

 This is a school of Stripers that we worked that were suspended in 15 to 20 feet of water.

 This is a brush pile that rises off the bottom about 12 feet.

This is a hole in a flat that if work quite often. There are 4 screens on the Lowrance. The extreem left screen is in bottom lock at 3x zoom. The next part of the screen is traditional sonar showing Stripers near the bottom with gizzards above the fish. The bottom right screen is downscan showing a clear picture of the fish and bait.

Tires Unlimited

 Billy, Bill, Larry and Floyd

Billy...20 inch  Bass

Sunny and Pleasant, Water Temperature 70*and Clear.

I got out very early and caught bait then picked up my clients at 5:15 at High Point. We made a short run and I put out a set of 10 planner boards and 6 or 8 downlines pulling flats. We had an earthquake yesterday and I was wondering if it would affect the fishing today like it did a couple years ago. [When we had the earthquake and aftershocks we would only catch half the fish that we were normally catching.] I put my boards up on the bank expecting to catch the fish shallow but we only took a couple hit the first 20 minutes of the morning but when I pulled out a little deeper we started getting Jammed. The guys didn't expect that kind of action and they were quite shell-shocked by 7:10 this morning. We had taken 100 hits and put over 30 fish in the boat! Our boating ratios were down because we had a clown on the boat today that thought he could do it his way. After loosing too many fish to count and knocking the largest fish of the day off his sons hook with the net he settled down somewhat resulting in us landing more fish. We left at 7:20 and looked for some more fish and bait then picked up Bill at the docks around 8. We fished the rest of the day but never had the kind of action that we had in the morning. It sure was a lot of fun for all of us today, we boated well over 50 Stripers, a couple Bass and a few Catfish.

Fibertech

 Daren

William

Daren, Brad and Dale Roop

Sunny, cold in the morning , Water temperature 66* and clear.

Today I got out early and caught bait so that we could have our spread out at first light. I caught the bait but one of the guys was late because he had to work till after 2 last night. We started to put our spread out around 6 but it was already too late, I could only get a bait or two out before it got hit. [I wanted to have 15 lines in the water so when the fish turned on we could have numerous hook-ups] We had constant action for about an hour, that is when I finally got all my rods baited. We hit areas nearby and picked up a few fish but the major feed was over. I set up over a few more areas before I had to take William back early to the dock so he could go to the airport. I popped a quick picture of him with a few fish, threw the fish in a cooler and sent him down the road. We went back out but our good luck charm had left us, seemed William on board was the key to catching fish. We fished different areas for 4 more hours only to catch punks and a few keepers. At 2 I decided to look for some fish in a different area and the move paid off. We had to get off the water by 3 and we had about 35 baits left. We baited our hooks and the madness began. For the next hour we had constant hook-ups and used every single bait in our tanks. We got back to the dock and snapped a quick picture of the guys holding a couple of fish each from the livewell then they had to rush off. Today we caught over 40 Stripers and a few catfish. The cold front had positioned the fish out near or over the channel today making it difficult to catch everything we saw on my Lowrance. Daren is pictured holding a couple of the fish we caught early this morning.

Happy Mothers Day

This being Mothers Day Tony and I thought we would let the "Moms" sleep in so we woke up Tony's son Alec and my grandson Michael and took them fishing for a few hours this morning. Michael is pictured holding up a very nice Bass he caught and in the bottom picture both boys are doing battle with two Stripers at the same time. In the first 45 minutes of the morning they landed a dozen Stripers.

We would like to wish all Moms out there a happy and wonderful 

MOTHERS DAY.

Sport, Money and Huffy

Guide DP took these guys out today for a morning of Striper fishing and looks like they had plenty of action.

Steve, Bill, Steve and Brad

Sunny, Warm,  Water Temperature 70* and stained.

I got out early to catch bait then picked the guys up at 5:30 at the dock. I threw for another 45 minutes till I had the baits I needed then we went fishing. I set out a spread of boards pulling flats and right away we had 5 or 6 fish rise our baits and swirl them numerous times but never hooked up. After a couple hundred yards with out a fish I moved out just a little deeper and we put 4 or 5 fish in the boat within a couple minutes. We worked that pattern for a while then went and caught more bait. We set up fishing yet another pattern and everything we had out started taking hits. After 15 minutes I had to retie some rods and rebated everything and hit it again. We had a great day catching well over 20 Stripers, a Bass and a few Kitties. Today was a celebration of Bill's birthday, his loving wife Joan had bought this trip for him as a surprise birthday gift.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL

A good day of fishing

 Eric Norby, Ae Yon, and Chris

Erron, Paul, Bob, Jay and Ron

Rainy morning turning into pleasant afternoon, Water temperature 66* and Stained.

Tony and myself both had trips this morning so we hit the water at 4am, caught bait and picked our clients up at the crack of dawn. Tony worked one side of the lake and I hit the other side. We both pulled big spreads of planner boards rigged with big Gizz. Both boats caught 20 Stripers each and everyone went home with great Memories and good table-fare. Fishing was spotty today, there were times of chaos when every rod would get hit as well as times of 30 to 45 minutes of no action. The weather probably had a lot to do with the action today.

A few recent catches

 DP took Rich and Chad out Sunday for a great day of fishing.

 Here is Matt holding up a couple nice Stripers from our trip on Friday.

This is Dr. Frank Lewis holding a Citation bass that he caught fishing with me on Thursday.

Chris, Pat, Rory and Kyle

Pat

DP took Rory Sullivan and his family out today for a great day on the water. Pat showed the Boys how it was done by catching the big fish of the day.

Dan Whetsell

Sunny and Pleasant, Water Temperature 65* and Clear

Dan took his family out today to catch some fish and to celebrate his birthday. Dan not only caught the largest Striper of the day but also a beautiful Largemouth Bass. We boated well over 20 fish today for a enjoyable day on the water. What a great way to spend your birthday,  beautiful weather, great fishing and a wonderful time with your family and Pastor.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAN

Tony's trips last week

Jensen

Jensen

 Here are a couple of  Tony's charters from last week. He took Jensen out for a successful morning Spring gobbler hunt then took him fishing after the hunt for a great catch of Stripers.

Bill Irwin

HDS Pics

This is a picture of my boat going over some shallow structure. As you can see in the upper right side scan picture the structure is on the left side of my boat and so tall is shows a shadow behind the structure.

Here is a picture of Punk Stripers mixed in with some Herring. Notice the shadows in the Side scan of the Stripers.

This is a picture of a large rock pile.

Here is a picture showing bait on the extreme left of my sonar and downscan 

along with a Striper feeding on the edge of the bait.

Gary, Dave and Bob

Gary

Guide DP offered a full day trip to benefit the Moss-Nuchols elementary school PTA at a silent auction and Gary had the highest bid. Not only did Gary win the trip he caught the 2 largest fish of the trip. Thanks DP for giving a day on the water to the school.

Gary and Anna Clay

Cloudy and Pleasant, Water Temperature 66* and Clear

I met my clients at High Point this morning, caught 70 pieces of bait then set out our spread pulling 20 baits on boards. We fished the morning taking hits about once every 20 minutes or so then after 11 the bite died. Gary is pictured holding his big fish of the day.

Mike, Mike, Andrew, Katie and Wes

Tony took these Guys and Gall out on Sunday for a great day of fishing for Stripers. Not only was the fishing good the weather was beautiful. Looks like they forgot their Suntan Lotion!

Mark Dudley family reunion

Lynn, Robin, Andre, Derick, Richard, Bill, Nigel, D'Andre, Mark, Darren

Mark, his family and in-laws [some out-laws also] had the opportunity to rent a house on the lake to get everyone together for a beautiful weekend on the water. Tony and myself took them out for a day of fishing. Although fishing was slow and boat traffic was heavy everyone caught fish and tonight fish is for dinner. It was a pleasure to spend the day with Mark and his family.

Chris

Chris is from California and while he was visiting here in Va. he wanted to try some Striper fishing on the lake. Guide Anthony took him out and showed him how it is done.  Looks like some fat fish! 

Lane Technology Inc.

Johnny, Joey, James, Brian and Donnie

Sunny and warm, Water temperature 65* and Clear.
I met the guys at High Point at 6 and took off to catch bait. Bait had moved because the lake temperature had risen 15* in 2 days! It was certainly nice not to have ice on the deck this morning. Bait collection was a little tough, last week I would make 3 throws for 70 to 80 baits, today I looked for about 30 minutes till I found enough to throw on then had to cast a dozen times or so. We ran back downlake and put out a spread pulling flats and points for about a mile only to catch one fish. We moved to a different area and put out 25 baits and before long we started hooking up. We hit a stretch where we would take hits every five minutes or so and worked it for an hour till we went through 50 baits. I hated to leave to catch more bait because the fish were feeding and as luck would have it after catching bait we hit the same area only to catch a dozen catfish.We eventually made one final move to the splits and caught 5 or 6 more Stripers before running completely out of bait again. Today we caught 12 Stripers, 12 Catfish and lost another dozen Stripers. The water temperature has change so drastically it may take a day or two for the Stripers to adjust, but once they do the game is on.

Hilltop Consultants

Mike, Randy, Paul, Joseph, Ashu, Jim Turner, Diane, Nain, Bob and Sal

$100 Big Fish winner Nain

Paul

Cold and windy morning, Water Temperature 50* and Clear

Jim Turner wanted to take his company out on a fishing trip on Lake Anna so DP and myself met them at the marina this morning, divided the group up and made the cold run to catch bait. We both caught bait relatively easy and were able to start fishing by 7. I had only gotten 3 baits out when Nain hooked up and landed the big fish of the day. Before I could get all my baits out the wind got up out of the north and made it quite uncomfortable for my group where we were fishing. Dp's group could not feel the cold, probably due to the Beer they were putting away plus all the fish they were catching were keeping them warm. The bite was fairly steady for a couple hours then slowed for an hour mid morning. DP got on some nice fish around 11 then we all met back at the marina at noon to see who won the big fish contest. There was a lot of trash talk going around but in the end Nain topped Paul's fish by a couple pounds. Even though it was cold for some this morning it was a fun time for all of us.

Lowrance HDS

 This picture was taken while driving 18.6mph. It is a good example of how well Lowrance Structure Scan works, even at higher speeds. The sonar on the left side of the page shows a 5 foot hump with 20 foot water nearby. There is a vertical white line that is barely seen at the top of the hump. The upper right picture is side scan shooting out 80 feet to the left and right side of the boat. In the middle of the picture you may notice an hour glass shape that turns bright yellow with a horizontal line in the middle of it. [The brighter the yellow the harder the bottom] The bottom right of the screen is downscan. It also shows the depths very clearly and picks up this 'mystery' line at the top of the hump. It also shows a fish 18 feet deep on the right side of the picture just before the bottom starts back up again. The 'mystery' line is actually an underground silo with a concrete bottom. Notice in the downscan pic the yellow line extending down under the water portion of the silo. [ an underground silo is where a farmer digs out a huge trough into a hill where he stores his silage for the winter then puts a cover on top of it to keep it dry.]

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 There are two sections to this screen, the left side is bottom lock. It it locked onto the bottom regardless of the depth and is reading 2,4,6,8 feet up off the bottom. It actually is set to show the bottom portion of my screen zoomed in three times larger than the sonar on the right side of the screen. Those arches are Stripers stacked right on the bottom of the lake.

 This picture is a sonar page showing a group of Stripers that are streaking [active] up on the flat and another group of Stripers out over the channel. The fish on the flat are catchable, the fish over the channel are inactive and will not feed.

The upper sonar picture is a classic feeding scenario for Stripers. They are on a flat looking to eat. The larger lines at 20 feet are the Stripers and above them are 10 inch gizzards.

The bottom picture is an area of the lake stacked with probably millions of Gizzard Shad. Notice in the top portion of the screen in my history that I had been marking the schools for a couple hundred yards. Think the fish have enough to eat?

Josh, Mike, Jonathon, James and Josh

Cold and Cloudy, Water Temperature 48* and Clear

I got up this morning and went outside to start my truck and it was 25 degrees! I picked the guys up at High Point at 6:15 and headed out to catch bait. After about 5 throws we had over 70 baits and we were ready to go fishing. I set out a spread of boards and a bobber pulling shallow flats. It was hard to walk in the boat because the deck was a sheet of ice. We worked an area for over 2 hours only to catch 1 keeper. The water temp had fallen overnight and I knew it hurt the bite. We made a move to catch more bait and set up in a different area. We worked it for the rest of the day taking hits about once every 15 minutes or so. The Stripers were off today, We caught 9 keepers and a punk, along with a dozen Catfish and a Crappie. We had a lot of fun today and it sure was nice not to have to fight the wind.

I expect the fishing to explode next week, I am seeing temperatures well into the seventies by mid week. The Stripers will feed heavily and start their spawn. 'Tis the season for catching Big Stripers!

Brad Price and daughter Kaci

Kaci

G

Brad has been booking trips with us for about 5 years now and always brings his daughter Kaci along. Brad sometimes doesn't pick the best days to fish, they have been out on some very cold days when most would not even think to venture outdoors. Guide DP took Brad and Kaci out fishing for Stripers and here are a few of the fish Kaci caught. You would be surprised how fast you warm up reeling in a big Striper!

Eugene and John

Sunny and cold, Water temperature 49* and Clear.

I picked the guys up early at High Point and set out for a cold run to catch bait. Thankfully all I had to throw was twice this morning to catch 71 beautiful baits. That was enough to turn the deck into a sheet of ice. We made a short run and attempted to set out a spread of boards but the Stripers kept interrupting us. We had some decent action for about 90 minutes then it subsided. I decided to go catch some more bait and try to set up in an area that I wanted to fish before the wind got up too bad. Well I put out 3 or 4 rods then the wind hit us like a sledgehammer and I had to put the trolling motor on 9 just to keep the boat going 7 tenths of a mph. It seems like the wind has to howl every day! We fished that stretch for about 3oo yards without a hit. Then I pulled up on a point and hooked up with 2 or 3 fish. We then went to another point and took 2 or 3 more hits. I turned to go back to those areas but the wind would not let me so I gave it up and moved elsewhere out of the wind. We worked this small area for about an hour only to catch a couple Stripers and 3 Catfish. This was not getting it so I decided to make one final move. We topped the bait tank off again and headed downlake to make one final last stand on something completely different. Our perseverance paid off and we popped the three biggest fish of the day. 

Active Stripers near the bottom