JPFish

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Trip Planner

Lake, date, and how many rods you're taking. We rank the techniques for the day and lay out the full rig — line, leader, lure, color, trailer, and rigging.

Lake

Stokes/Rockingham County, NC

Date

Season window · Fall

Rods to take

Standard

Your rods for Belews

Top 5 ranked
  1. 1

    Jerkbait

    Full guide

    0–12 ft · Grass tops, rock, docks, flats, open water with suspended fish

    Hot-water discharge keeps the jerkbait bite alive year-round near the Hot HoleIn-season technique (fall)Clear water → finesse edge
    Rod
    Jerkbait / Topwater — 6'6–6'10" M / Mod-Fast
    Reel
    Casting · 70–100-size · 6.3:1–7.1:1
    Main line
    10–12 lb Fluorocarbon / Mono (tied direct · Palomar)
    Lure
    Megabass Vision 110
    Color
    GP Pro Blue
    Weight
    1/2 oz (suspending)

    Rigging / cadence

    Long cast, sweep down to the running depth, then work with a jerk-jerk-pause cadence. Lengthen the pause as water drops below 50°F.

  2. 2

    Ned Rig

    Full guide

    2–40 ft · Rock, points, bluffs, docks, sparse grass, hard-bottom flats, offshore rock/brush

    In-season technique (fall)Clear water → finesse edge
    Rod
    Finesse Spinning — 6'10–7'3" ML / Fast
    Reel
    Spinning · 2500-size · 5.8:1–6.2:1
    Main line
    10–15 lb Braid
    Leader
    6–10 lb Fluorocarbon leader (FG + Palomar)
    Lure
    Z-Man Finesse TRD 2.75" on Z-Man Finesse ShroomZ
    Color
    Green Pumpkin
    Weight
    1/10 oz (default) · 1/6 oz windy/deep

    Rigging / cadence

    Cast to isolated rock, gravel, or bluff transitions. Let it hit bottom, then drag-shake-pause. Most bites come on the fall or first shake after contact.

  3. 3

    Hover Rig

    Full guide

    3–25 ft · Brush piles, standing timber, docks, main points, creek channels, schoolers

    In-season technique (fall)Clear water → finesse edge
    Rod
    Finesse Spinning — 6'10–7'3" ML / Fast
    Reel
    Spinning · 2500-size · 5.8:1–6.2:1
    Main line
    10–15 lb Braid
    Leader
    6–10 lb Fluorocarbon leader (FG + Palomar)
    Lure
    Core Tackle Hover Rig head + Z-Man Hover StikZ 4.5"
    Color
    The Deal / Bad Shad
    Weight
    3/32 oz · 1/0

    Rigging / cadence

    Cast past suspended fish or brush, let it glide down, then dead-stick with tiny shakes. Watch the line — most bites are subtle line-jumps on the hang.

  4. 4

    Drop Shot

    Full guide

    5–40 ft · Rock, grass edges, brush, docks, suspended fish, bluff walls

    In-season technique (fall)Clear water → finesse edge
    Rod
    Finesse Spinning — 6'10–7'3" ML / Fast
    Reel
    Spinning · 2500-size · 5.8:1–6.2:1
    Main line
    10–15 lb Braid
    Leader
    6–10 lb Fluorocarbon leader (FG + Palomar)
    Lure
    Roboworm Straight Tail 4.5"
    Color
    Morning Dawn / Aaron's Magic
    Weight
    3/16 oz (cylinder for grass · teardrop for rock)

    Rigging / cadence

    Nose-hook the worm on a #1 or 1/0 drop-shot hook 12–18" above the weight. Deadstick with occasional shakes — let the current or wind move the bait.

  5. 5

    Damiki Rig / Moping

    Full guide

    15–60 ft · Suspended bait schools, brush piles, bluff walls, creek channels, long tapering points

    In-season technique (fall)Clear water → finesse edge
    Rod
    Finesse Spinning — 6'10–7'3" ML / Fast
    Reel
    Spinning · 2500-size · 5.8:1–6.2:1
    Main line
    10–15 lb Braid
    Leader
    6–10 lb Fluorocarbon leader (FG + Palomar)
    Lure
    Damiki Armor Shad 2.5" on Pulse Fish Finesse Swim Head
    Color
    Pearl / Ghost Shad
    Weight
    3/8 oz (90° line tie)

    Rigging / cadence

    Vertical or forward-facing sonar presentation. Drop to the fish's depth and hold — subtle shakes or a slow lift. Bites feel like the bait got heavier.

Local edge — Belews

Clear water demands a step down in line size — 8 lb fluoro on finesse rigs, natural shad colors. The herring bite explodes in May on main-lake points.