Post by 31Airborne on Jun 13, 2013 13:18:43 GMT -5
Sorry this is so late, doods. Work, travel, and a pending move are kicking my azz. This report covers 30 MAY - 1 JUN 2013. You'll find this report (and others) also posted on va-outdoors.com. My partner (Steve, aka Squire) has some pretty detailed stuff on there from our earlier outings on SML.
Prefishing THUR and FRI - On THUR Steve and I split up duty, with him taking the Blackwater and me taking the upper Roanoke. We both noted a little stain in the water the further towards the headwaters you got. We both found fish holding on and under docks w/ tubes, stick baits, flukes, and finesse jigs. Also found fish holding on main and secondary points (t-rigged critter baits), wood along transition lanes (jerkbaits, stick baits, drop shot), and deeper brush piles (t-rig, jig). Breaks in 8-15' of water seemed to be the key. I got into a crankbait bite - small profile squarebill baits in shad patterns working in shallow wood and rock. We spent a good bit of time on FRI in the mid lake area, working the clearer water. Found the same sort of patterns holding up. No takers for us in practice on top or on deeper divers.
SAT, TX day - Our plan was to motor uplake and work the stained water. We worked a main lake pocket that was right on a main river channel swing. We had marked a ton of bait there in practice. Our thought was 'find the bait, the fish will be close by'. First stop produced a lean looking 15" keeper that destroyed a jerkbait. This fish came off of a secondary point. Our second stop was further uplake in small feeder creek. We got bit immediately on the main lake point (t-rig). We picked up a couple more along the transition lane to the first set of secondary points (stick baits). After a bit of a dry spell we each pick up a keeper - one on a jig holding on rock, one off of the front corner on a dock (stick bait). Both of these fish were caught towards the back of the creek. With a few shorts mixed in here and there we finished the day w/ 4 fish for 6 lbs. Not a stellar performance by any means, but better than a zero.
Observations: 1) Shade was better for us. Wood, rock, and breaks in the shade consistently held fish. 2) We caught fish in pretty skinny water. We marked many fish on deeper breaks - ~12-15'. 3) Saw lots of cruisers - packs of small bass running the shoreline. 4) Saw lots of schooling activity but weren't able to capitalize on it. Most of this activity was in the main channel. 5) Tons of bait in the main channels of uplake creeks and in main lake cuts/coves. Some of the bait pods we saw were bigger than the boat. Bait was most concentrated in 20-40'.
So, SML continues to awe and mystify at the same time. It's been over 10 years since I'd fished SML so it's essentially a new lake for me. Was encouraged a bit by this week's progress (you notice I'm not calling it 'success'). Just a matter of logging more TOW to learn where the better fish hold, feed. The rec boat traffic was, in a word, amusing. Some folks out there driving boats who prob should not be. Just sayin' . . . Props top all of the fishermen out there this weekend. The lake was crowded but everyone minded others' space. Saw lots of new water this week. Gonna enjoy re-learning this lake.
peace,
B
Prefishing THUR and FRI - On THUR Steve and I split up duty, with him taking the Blackwater and me taking the upper Roanoke. We both noted a little stain in the water the further towards the headwaters you got. We both found fish holding on and under docks w/ tubes, stick baits, flukes, and finesse jigs. Also found fish holding on main and secondary points (t-rigged critter baits), wood along transition lanes (jerkbaits, stick baits, drop shot), and deeper brush piles (t-rig, jig). Breaks in 8-15' of water seemed to be the key. I got into a crankbait bite - small profile squarebill baits in shad patterns working in shallow wood and rock. We spent a good bit of time on FRI in the mid lake area, working the clearer water. Found the same sort of patterns holding up. No takers for us in practice on top or on deeper divers.
SAT, TX day - Our plan was to motor uplake and work the stained water. We worked a main lake pocket that was right on a main river channel swing. We had marked a ton of bait there in practice. Our thought was 'find the bait, the fish will be close by'. First stop produced a lean looking 15" keeper that destroyed a jerkbait. This fish came off of a secondary point. Our second stop was further uplake in small feeder creek. We got bit immediately on the main lake point (t-rig). We picked up a couple more along the transition lane to the first set of secondary points (stick baits). After a bit of a dry spell we each pick up a keeper - one on a jig holding on rock, one off of the front corner on a dock (stick bait). Both of these fish were caught towards the back of the creek. With a few shorts mixed in here and there we finished the day w/ 4 fish for 6 lbs. Not a stellar performance by any means, but better than a zero.
Observations: 1) Shade was better for us. Wood, rock, and breaks in the shade consistently held fish. 2) We caught fish in pretty skinny water. We marked many fish on deeper breaks - ~12-15'. 3) Saw lots of cruisers - packs of small bass running the shoreline. 4) Saw lots of schooling activity but weren't able to capitalize on it. Most of this activity was in the main channel. 5) Tons of bait in the main channels of uplake creeks and in main lake cuts/coves. Some of the bait pods we saw were bigger than the boat. Bait was most concentrated in 20-40'.
So, SML continues to awe and mystify at the same time. It's been over 10 years since I'd fished SML so it's essentially a new lake for me. Was encouraged a bit by this week's progress (you notice I'm not calling it 'success'). Just a matter of logging more TOW to learn where the better fish hold, feed. The rec boat traffic was, in a word, amusing. Some folks out there driving boats who prob should not be. Just sayin' . . . Props top all of the fishermen out there this weekend. The lake was crowded but everyone minded others' space. Saw lots of new water this week. Gonna enjoy re-learning this lake.
peace,
B
