August 2022 Smith Mountain Lake Fishing Report by Captain Chad Green

SMITH MOUNTIAN LAKE FISHING REPORTBy: Captain Chad Greenwww.lastcastguideservicesml.com

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Summer has arrived and August fishing will be heating up and time to enjoy great weather and relaxing days on the water. Get out on the water when you can and enjoy the sunrises and sunsets. Practice catch and release as much as possible to preserve our great fisheries out there. As always, just make one more Last Cast as it could be the next trophy fish.Visit Captains Quarters Marina at Hales Ford Bridge for any tackle that you may need and they will fix you up.Special Thanks to Brian Carter at the www.BassCast.com

Largemouth Bass/Smallmouth BassWith the high water temperatures bass are in their summer areas and begin to focus on crawfish as the primary forage. Look for rocky points, and brush piles. Mornings can be a great time to find schooling fish on topwater baits. With all of the rain lately the baitfish have been staying shallower than normal for this time of year. Look for bait to start gathering in the mouths of the tributaries this month. Later in the morning the fish will move offshore in to deeper water and deep docks. Night time fishing will still be productive will be great in July. Best lures in June will be topwater lures, jigs, shakey head, drop shots, Texas rig worms, crankbaits, and Carolina rigs. Depths of water would be most productive in 10-20’ throughout July. Please be sure to release bass quickly in the summer due to air bladders from stress. Be informed of how to care for fish in the summer months as this is very critical to the survival in livewells. Bass that are caught deep in the mouth that may bleed can increase its survival rate by pouring sprite or 7up on the injured area that will stop the bleeding. Rejuvenade is also a good additive to your livewells. I have had many years of success with these procedures and very rarely lose a fish. Reach out if you have questions.

Striped BassLook for stripers to start to school up on the lower end of the lake as they follow schools of baitfish around. They can be found in the mouths of larger pockets and tributaries around standing timber in early morning as they work out to the main channel. Depths of 30-60’ should be a good location to look along with baitfish presence. With all of the rain lately the baitfish have been staying shallower than normal for this time of year. Look for bait to start gathering in the mouths of the tributaries this month. Occasional schools may be seen feeding on the surface this time of year around shoals and or islands on cloudy or rainy days. Keep in mind current from the dam generations can help you find these schools of fish and locate baitfish movements. As water temps warm please use caution releasing stripers quickly as stress under the warm conditions can be fatal to stripers. Practice your 2 fish limit per person to avoid releasing fish that could possibly die due to heat stress.

CrappieJuly crappie fishing tends to slow a little in the summer but can still be found in brushpiles and trees located in 15-25’ of water. Small jigs and minnows will always be the baits of choice

Tournaments in MayTues night tournaments 630pm-1030pm Captains Quarters MarinaFri night tournaments 8pm-2pm Captains Quarters MarinaSat night tournaments 8pm-2pm Foxport MarinaSpecial Thanks to Brian Carter at the www.BassCast.com

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