Burke Lake October Fishing
The lake is still busy as the weather continues to remain fairly warm. A couple of conditions to note. First, the water levels are very low nowadays. That means there are many weedy shoreline areas that a bank angler can now access. Just find a spot and get beyond the brush so you can cast. Be careful as the newly exposed shoreline can be muddy and/or slippery. The second condition to note is that the water is now very clear. On sunny days, this makes the fishing very challenging. As an example, I walked over to the head waters of the lake on a sunny afternoon. With my polarizing sunglasses I was able to see a few smallish bass parked in the shallows. I then casted a shad colored 5 inch paddle tailed soft plastic bait past them and worked it closer slowly. The two bass darted toward the bait, examined it, and then swam off. How’s that for a rejection? I guess if I can see them that clearly, they can see whatever bait I’m throwing clearly too. Later on, I switched to a Yamamoto double tail grub on a Texas rig with a small bullet weight. I wanted something a little smaller with a lot of natural action that I could still work slowly through water with a slight current. I finally got a bite and reeled in a small 10″ bass. Although it was a small bass, I was just happy to get a bite. I do know that there are big bass in the shallows this time of the year however. My last trip to Burke was a week prior and I was able to spot a LMB in the 3 lb + range roaming the shallows. I wasn’t able to trigger a bite that time either. So… anybody have a proven pattern for clear water Fall fishing at Burke?
October 27th, 20095:49 pm at
fishing 11/11 at the occoquan?
November 3rd, 20091:18 pm at
fishing this weekend, dude? one last weekend, before the rental places close…
March 22nd, 20109:29 pm at
Ive caught 4-6lb bass with swimbaits at burke during that time of the year if the water is clear. I like to fish them off of ledges or points. Granted this is from a boat but I think with a pair of chest waders you can get pretty far out on the points and fish the drop-offs next to them. I lost a giant(i don’t even want to know how big it was cause i would have nightmares if I did) of a bass during early fall that was in the middle of the willow reeds not 10 feet from shore. It still make me sick seeing the hook fly out of its mouth in my mind.
March 22nd, 20109:41 pm at
That day though it was warm for October and sunny. I caught 4 bass from 12 to 16inches all from flipping in the weeds. I used a large creature bait on a 1/2 once texas rig and would bump it through the weeds. I used a brass weight and glass bead for extra sound and would try to cause as much commotion as possible. In order to wrestle them out of the thickest parts i used 15lb test and 7ft casting gear. I also have had luck wacky rigging sinko immatitions around weed pockets on 8lb spinning gear. I use a rubber “o” ring to connect the sinko to the hook. Almost always the sinko goes up the line after the fish strikes, keeping the bait intact. Plus since the “o” ring is looped over the hook, no wear or tear from the hook is caused to the bait. A great way to conserve plastic.
March 22nd, 20109:46 pm at
Great tip. I like the texas rig for Burke too. Allows me to get the bait into the thick cover.