October Smith Mountain Lake Fishing Report by Captain Chad Green

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

October is here and the fall fishing is coming quick. 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.

Visit https://missilebaits.store/and check out all they have to offer.Special Thanks to Brian Carter at the https://thebasscast.com/Check out Smith Mountain Boat and Tackle Penhook for your boating needs https://www.smboats.com

PRACTICE CATCH AND RELEASE ON CITATION SIZE FISH

BIG BASS TOURNAMENT TIPS FOR THE WEEKENDYou will need a 7 plus pound fish to even have an opportunity to win this event coming up. Use lures that target big fish to increase your odds of that type of fish. Large topwater, Jigs, Spinnerbaits, Texas rigged plastics. These larger fish tend be in places you expect to catch them and usually are in shallower water than expected. They can be found around any type of cover this time of year, look in larger pockets and larger tributaries, windy areas, and shade could be a major factor by the weekend. The fall turnover has happened here on smith mountain and the bass will be in a mixture of places. We are about 4-5 degrees cooler than the norm for this time of year. Best of luck to you all.

Largemouth Bass/Smallmouth BassThe bass will start their transition this month in to their fall patterns. Look for fish to be in many depth ranges and a variety of lures will be needed with changing weather. Target rocky areas, flat points shallow drop offs and deeper docks. Topwater in the mornings can be productive this month and will produce some quality fish. Primary baits in the Fall are usually crawfish imitating lures and will produce the most bites. Shakey Heads, Plastic worms, Drop shots and Jigs will produce fish anywhere from 5 to 15ft in the fall. Topwater and Crankbaits will also be a player in October as well. This is a great opportunity to catch some trophy fish as well. Smallmouth will still be found near humps, shoals and rocky areas using the same lures. Make sure you take care of your fish in the early fall as they can have Barotrauma and may need air released to survive.

Striped BassStriper fishing will be good this month and look for them in larger schools as they start to group up for fall. They will travel in smaller schools searching for feeding opportunities. This jigging in the 30-50ft range will produce fish throughout the day as well and larger fish will show up this month as well at times and may be in smaller schools. The lower end of the lake to mid lake is where most of the action will be this month. Some fish have been found on the surface feeding early mornings and late evenings on the lower end of the lake and can be fast and furious action. Look for fish in the mouths of the larger tributaries and large bays this month. Larger topwater plugs can be productive. Swing by Captains Quarters Marina they provide you with a great selection of what you need.

CrappieMost of the Crappie have been in the 15-25 foot range.

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