August Maury River Fishing Report by Jamie Childless

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Maury River Smallmouth, LLC

Maury River

Largemouth Bass update:

As we slowly transition to Fall, the Largemouth in the Maury are still hanging in the deeper holes, however, some of the fish will start to position themselves into shallower waters, as the cooler nights start to drop the temp of the Maury, combined with pulse releases from Lake Merriweather adding cool water from the bottom of the lake. Temps are running from 68-72 degrees, with the latter being toward the end of a hot day. Football and swim jigs, ned rigs, and deeper-diving crankbaits will yield the best chance at a quality Largemouth, but it won’t be too long and anglers can start reaching for the topwater tackle, as well as weightless plastics as the fish move into the shallows to feed up for Winter.

Smallmouth Bass update:

As per usual for middle and late August, the Smallmouth in the Maury are already beginning to transition into shallower pools around ledges, and oxygenated moving waters to feed up for Fall and Winter. Anglers are catching trophy Smallmouth weekly, with plenty of catches in 16″+ range. This is excellent fishing for the Maury, as our distribution of 16″ or larger fish is less than 5% of the total population of Smallmouth, the lowest of any river in the state. This is why catching a 16″ or better in our Maury, is quite unique compared to say, the New or James. As water levels begin to fall after the completion of the Lake Merriweather releases, the bigger Smallmouth in the Maury start running out of places to hide from a well-placed cast. Keep that in mind when working over wider, but shallower stretches. Anglers should definitely still be working mid-river, moving waters, but may also start to focus more on “beating the bank”, and utilizing skipping techniques to place lures under overhanging Sycamore trees, and anywhere there may be shade in the middle of the day. Don’t shy away from skipping into an area with 1 foot of water. You’ll likely be surprised at where the big fish like to hide. The mid-to-late-morning and early-evening topwater bites are really starting to come on strong, with mid-day fishing being the best in flowing waters, using weightless plastics, ned rigs, double willow-leaf spinner baits, hair jigs, paddle-tails, and small orange or chartreuse crankbaits. September is just around the corner, and we’ll cover all of the bases for Fall fishing on the Maury in our next month’s report!

Tip(s) of the month:

Get ready for Fall fishing by starting to focus on shallower pools and overhanging cover, and utilize your skipping abilities!

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