Jig (Casting & Pitching) Fishing on Lake Anna
Lake Anna · Virginia · Southeast
Lake Anna sits roughly 70 miles southwest of Washington D.C. in Spotsylvania, Louisa, and Orange counties — a man-made impoundment built in the early 1970s on the North Anna River. The public side is a classic Piedmont reservoir with sandy, clay-stained water, submerged timber, shallow creek arms, and defined channel swings that top out around 30–35 feet in the main lake. The thermal side, fed by the power station's cooling water discharge, runs significantly warmer year-round and behaves like a different fishery altogether — bass there hold active feeding windows even when the rest of the lake is locked down by cold.
A lead or tungsten head with a weed guard, skirt, and soft plastic trailer. Fished on the bottom by pitching, casting, or slow-rolling. The jig imitates crawfish and bottom-dwelling forage. More big bass have been caught on jigs than any other lure category — it's the lure that separates serious anglers.
Jig (Casting & Pitching) Setup for Lake Anna
| Rod | 7'–7'3" medium-heavy casting rod, fast action |
| Reel | 7.1:1 baitcaster |
| Line | 15–20 lb fluorocarbon (cover) or 50 lb braid (heavy grass) |
| Weight | 3/8 oz standard; 1/2–3/4 oz in wind or deep; 1/4 oz finesse |
| Hook | Built-in, typically 4/0–5/0 |
Seasonal Tactics on Lake Anna
Lake: Pre-spawn largemouth stack on secondary points and the mouths of major creek arms in 8–15 ft as water temps climb through the low 60s; spawning activity peaks in protected coves with sandy-clay bottoms in the 2–5 ft range, usually mid-April through mid-May depending on the year.
Jig (Casting & Pitching): Pre-spawn is prime season — pitch brown/green pumpkin jig to 45° bank transitions and rocky points.
Lake: Bass push deep on main-lake channel swings and humps in 18–28 ft during peak heat, though the thermal discharge side stays active with shad-chasing largemouth and stripers through the warmest months; topwater action occurs in the early window before 8 AM along shaded timber flats.
Jig (Casting & Pitching): Football jig on offshore ledges 15–30 feet. Swimming jig around grass edges at dawn.
Lake: Shad migrations pull bass shallow again by mid-October, with schooling activity common near the mouths of major creek arms; bladed jigs and lipless crankbaits along the 6–12 ft timber edges produce some of the most consistent action of the year.
Jig (Casting & Pitching): Swim a jig around baitfish schools near points and flats. Shad trailer colors in fall.
Lake: The thermal discharge side is the most productive winter option in Virginia — bass there see water temps 10–15 degrees warmer than ambient, keeping fish active and feeding on shad through January and February when the public-side bite is nearly dormant.
Jig (Casting & Pitching): Slowest presentation — drag a 3/8 oz football jig on deep hard bottom. Barely move it.
Best Conditions
All seasons, all depths, all cover types; most effective in 50–70°F water; excellent in pre-spawn and when fish are on hard bottom
Match trailer to conditions: craw trailer in cold water (slower fall, bigger profile), swimbait trailer when swimming, chunk trailer for flipping.
More Techniques for Lake Anna
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