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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 · Summer
Rods to take
Your rods for Belews
- 1
Drop Shot
Full guide5–40 ft · Rock, grass edges, brush, docks, suspended fish, bluff walls
Top pattern at Belews — summer windowClear 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.
- 2
Scope Shot
Full guide10–40 ft · Suspended fish over channel swings, standing timber, deep brush, bluff ends, bait balls
Top pattern at Belews — summer window- Rod
- Finesse Spinning — 7'0"–7'3" ML/M · Extra-Fast
- Reel
- Spinning · 2500–3000 · smooth drag
- Main line
- 10 lb Sufix 832 Moss Green braid
- Leader
- 8 lb Sufix Advance fluorocarbon leader (12 lb around timber / bigger fish)
- Lure
- Strike King Z-Too (or GLF Drop Minnow)
- Color
- Pearl / Smelt / Sexy Shad
- Weight
- 3/8 oz teardrop drop-shot weight (bump to 1/2 oz past 25 ft or in wind)
Rigging / cadence
Nose-hook the minnow on a #1 or 1/0 finesse drop-shot hook, Palomar with the tag back through the eye so the hook stands out 90°. 10–15 in leader between hook and weight. Cast past the fish, kill the sink above them, pop-pop-hang.
- 3
Pitch Shot Rig
Full guide2–12 ft · Algae, muck, snot grass, sparse vegetation, color changes on the bank, the green line
Top pattern at Belews — summer window- Rod
- Bottom Contact — 7'0–7'4" MH / Fast
- Reel
- Casting · 150-size · 7.1:1–8.3:1
- Main line
- 12–20 lb Fluorocarbon (tied direct · San Diego Jam)
- Lure
- Roboworm Straight Tail 4.5" on a drop-shot
- Color
- Morning Dawn
- Weight
- 3/16 oz drop-shot cylinder · 8" tag
Rigging / cadence
Pitch to dark spots on light banks (or light spots on dark banks). Work ±3 ft of the target, then reel in and pitch the next one. Fast, mobile, target-driven.
- 4
Split Shot Rig
Full guide2–15 ft · Docks, weed edges, laydowns, rock, brush — shallow to mid-depth bottom
Top pattern at Belews — summer window- Rod
- 6'10"–7'2" Medium / Fast spinning — sensitivity over power
- Reel
- Spinning · 2500 size · 6.2:1
- Main line
- 10 lb braid
- Leader
- 6–8 lb fluorocarbon leader (or straight 6–8 lb fluoro)
- Lure
- 4" finesse worm, small stick worm, grub, tube, or small craw
- Color
- Green Pumpkin / Watermelon Red (clear) · Junebug (stained)
- Weight
- 1 to 3 removable split shot, pinched 12–24" above the hook
- Trailer
- N/A — bait is the trailer
Rigging / cadence
Tie hook direct. Pinch split shot 12–24" up the line. Texas-rig weedless for cover, nose-hook for open water.
- 5
Jerkbait
Full guide0–12 ft · Grass tops, rock, docks, flats, open water with suspended fish
Hot-water discharge keeps the jerkbait bite alive year-round near the Hot HoleClear 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.
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.