Stonewall Jackson: Trip Report

[Predator314]

Cross Posted at: http://bassanglin.blogspot.com/2007/...l-jackson.html

I had some vacation time this past week and my father was able to take some time off as well. So we decided to pack up the boat and head to Stonewall Jackson for some fishing fun. Stonewall Jackson is a new, man-made lake about 3 hours northeast of us, stretching between the towns of Roanoke and Weston, WV.

We decided to leave on Sunday afternoon. That way we could fish that evening. Sunday morning came along and so did the rain. It was ****ty. We went ahead with the gameplan and left Sunday afternoon. I brief scan of the internet showed no rain around Stonewall and decent weather forecast for the next couple of days. Nice! As we got closer and closer, I couldn't help, but notice that the rain didn't stop. In fact, at times it was really pouring!

When we arrived, we decided to check into the motel first and see if we could wait out the rain. Indeed, we got a slight break and decided we should take our opportunity to launch the boat. My father was overwhelmed with the beauty of the lake just as I was 2 years ago when I first went to Stonewall. The sheer beauty of all that standing timber in the water was like porn to a fisherman. There's gotta be a fish hiding behind each tree!



We launched the boat and took off. We didn't want to go far since the rain was still looming and neither of us were willing to stay out on the water during a thunderstorm.

Dad was tossing a Rebel Crankbait. It was silver/black with a red belly. He hooked up with the first fish of the trip. It was a small bass around 11-12". I had forgot my camera in the motel room. Dad forgot his too. I hooked up only a few casts later on a 12" largemouth. I was using a Zoom Super Fluke with the same black/silver pattern. A little while later, I hooked up on another small fish with my fluke. All together, we landed 3 bass and a bluegill. Nothing to really speak of. We had lost a few as well. The rain started coming down again, so we decided to pack it up and head on back to the motel.

Monday, I had ever intension of getting up at the crack of dawn and fishing. One of us eventually woke up around 9:30 a.m. Whoops. We headed out. Today was a different day. The sun was out. It was pretty damn hot. I started out throwing a Tiki Stick (Senko knockoff), texas rigged with no weight. Dad was still chunking that same crankbait. Dad hooked up first to a NICE fish. It was probably in the 3lb range. However, he spit the hook before we could really be sure. I hooked up with another dink on my Tiki Stick. Fishing was slow today. I tried to slow down my approach by throwing some various baits. But we just couldn't get them to bite.

We took a break and got a bite to eat and caught a nap in the motel room. We headed back out around 5:00. This time we hit up a different spot on the lake. I really liked the way this water looked. I hooked up early on a Tiki Stick. Another small one. Then I decided to switch it up a bit and start chunking a buzzbait as the twightlight approached. No luck with the buzzer. Dad was still throwing that crankbait and mixing in a worm here and there. I think he hooked up with one too and lost it. I can't really remember. I decided to change my buzzer to a Midnight special black spinnerbait. Not long after chunking this thing, I tossed a nice cast up into a little eddy and bam, like a freight train, I got a strike. I laid into the fish and immediately saw it surface. Big fish! Unfortunately, he spit the hook after about a 5 second fight. Piss! I missed a few more strikes on that spinnerbait. Then the lightning started in and we called with quits for the day.

We did get up a little earlier the next morning and hit the water. The entire day was overcast. It looked like we might catch some fish today. I got skunked. I tried a combination of spinnerbaits, crankbaits, flukes, and worms. Nothing. Dad caught a couple on his trusty crankbait. I had my camera this time. The yellow perch is almost as big as the crankbait





We packed it in when the trolling battery died and headed for home. All in all, it was a really fun trip. I don't get to spend time with my Dad like that very much. He works away from home. I would have liked to have caught more fish, but just being on the water is relaxing. The only complaint I have is the low water docks at all the launch ramps on the lake are a PAIN IN THE *** WHEN THE LAKE IS AT SUMMER POOL! I guess if we didn't have the Ranger boat that Noah used in his biblical bass tournaments, then that wouldn't be a problem. We could just drive the boat right up on to the trailer.

I plan on going back to Stonewall at least one more time this year. Hopefully more! I love this place. It's special to me because it's being bred as a bass fishing haven! All black bass are catch/release only! Which I love. Also, the next best thing is that almost half the lake is no-wake zone. No wakes = no jet skis and ski boats = fishing heaven!