Lake Orange Questions

I have been looking for some smaller lakes to fish this year due to my equipment limitations, as well as being a total novice. Saw in a recent issue of VA Game & Fish that march on Lake Orange was a good time for crappie. I would like to give it a try and would appreciate any advice or tricks for making it a productive trip. I also wonder if you guys have ever fished for the walleye there and any advice on those as well. I have heard they are great to catch and eat wanting to try my hand at those as well. I understand that I am not going to catch many "big" fish but I like the table fare side of it anyway. Thank you in advance for any help.

Welcome aboard! We rarely get reports about that lake & the reported catch is usually mediocre or worse. Somewhere (biologists' reports, probably) I read that there's so much fishing pressure on Lake Orange that the crappie don't last longer than a few years before they are caught & eaten. Walleye would also be a prime target.

You didn't mention where you live in NC or what kind of equipment limitations narrow your choice of destinations. There must be some place that's more convenient than Lake Orange. Have you discovered the DGIF profiles on all public lakes in the state?

I've been itching to try Lake Orange for walleye as soon as the weather cooperates. I've been there a few times in the past couple years. I've caught some nice bass and plenty small-ish bass, but no walleye yet. No crappie either but I've never really targeted them.

I live in Gates. I have a 1436 Lowe with a 35 lb. thrust trolling motor. They do to fine as long it is not to windy. I have quite a few fish, but i have also had to paddle back a few times. Hope soon to get a bigger trolling motor and a gas motor as well.

Gates is 30 miles from Suffolk, VA and Lake Orange is 3.5 hours away. That doesn't look like a tough choice!

Ive only fished Orange a few times and never done well. THey still hold the world record white bass?

I have fished it a handful of times. More often than not it was a bad day. During the spawn I once found them tight to steep banks, and there are only a few places that have a step banks so you can just look for them and fish them. There are some small unmarked brushpiles out in open water to the left of the baitshop, also some underwater ditches or something that create a little fast bottom change. I would slow troll jigs in long, random runs and mark these locations when you go across them. Then reset your trolling path to go over/past them. You will eventually have a handful marked and can either troll spot to spot or try to fish each spot. That said, I wouldn't make a long trip to fish this place. It has never lived up to it's reputation as a crappie lake.

And every time I leave the baitshop guy always tells me about the regular couple "who just left with a cooler full of walleyes." What a coincidence this couple always fishes the day I fish and always catch a cooler of fish when no one else ever catches any :dono

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Originally Posted by wasabi

I have fished it a handful of times. More often than not it was a bad day. During the spawn I once found them tight to steep banks, and there are only a few places that have a step banks so you can just look for them and fish them. There are some small unmarked brushpiles out in open water to the left of the baitshop, also some underwater ditches or something that create a little fast bottom change. I would slow troll jigs in long, random runs and mark these locations when you go across them. Then reset your trolling path to go over/past them. You will eventually have a handful marked and can either troll spot to spot or try to fish each spot. That said, I wouldn't make a long trip to fish this place. It has never lived up to it's reputation as a crappie lake.

And every time I leave the baitshop guy always tells me about the regular couple "who just left with a cooler full of walleyes." What a coincidence this couple always fishes the day I fish and always catch a cooler of fish when no one else ever catches any :dono

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Thanks for the info. I want to catch one, just to say I've done it. And re: the baitshop walleye report: Does he go on to recommend buying a dozen (or two, in case you really get into them) of his walleye special minnows that those other folks use?

I used to live in Orange and fished there quite a bit. Loaded with small crappie. And big green fish. Got a buddy fishes there a lot now and he does well with bass. I was fishing there the day the record white bass was caught. He thought it was a striper. I told him it looked like a white but they don't grow that big. I was wrong. We caught walleyes on nightcrawlers but no big ones. The water by the dam rip rap is good for wallys.

Thanks for the info guys. I do realize it is a haul, but we travel that way a few times a year for horse shows, so I figured why not pull the boat and give it a go. I was just curious about it and the possibility to catch some walleye and try them for dinner peaked my interest a little. I am still trying to get started on catching crappie consistently and learn as much as I can. I have went to Cohoon and Meade but the wind was terrible and with just a 35lb trolling motor it was rather miserable. Plus my lack of experience doesn't help me at all. The only crappie fishing I have done is with my dad long lining jigs and night fishing minnows. So I am very limited in my experience but love to catch them and eat them.

I may be biased because Lake Orange is probably my favorite lake, albeit it I mostly fish for bass and only occasionally crappie. I caught two Walley out of there last year..one was a 25.5 inch citation and I caught one smaller one, maybe 10-12 inches that was tagged. Tagged fish are worth twenty five dollars, although I didn't realize you had to remove the tag..woops....I also read that March was prime time for the crappie there...If you are making the trip up this way the Rivanna Reservoir is LOADED with crappie, no Walleye though.