Austin and I made our first trip of the year to Claytor Lake. It was perfect weather for fishing, mild temperatures coupled with overcast skies, a slight breeze and warm water made for and enjoyable and comfortable experience. The fish weren't hitting lights out, but the bite was pretty steady. Early in the day we caught several fish on top water lures such as buzz baits and Zara Puppies. Later I switched to my in-line spinners to go after fish in shallow water just below the surface and caught several spotted bass, as well as, a decent little large mouth. I even managed to catch a small striper on a crawl fish colored 300 series bandit crank bait. We were fishing near a submerged man made fish structure when the striper hit the crank bait just as I had nearly retrieved it all the way to the boat. As the day wore on the bite slowed down, but picked up a little in the evening as we switched to more finesse baits like Senkos. We fished them slow around structure and caught a few more fish before the day was through. We ended up catching a dozen a piece. I even managed a grand slam (catching four different species in one trip) which included spotted bass, largemouth bass, red eye, and a hybrid. It was a very enjoyable trip and I look forward to going back later in the summer for our usual bluegill assault.
