Post by mwardncsu on Jul 18, 2012 17:11:07 GMT -5
One of the members here suggested that we link to or post the bi-weekly fishing report published by Mike Snead of Virginia Outdoorsman. Mike was generous enough to agree to having this info conveyed here as well - enjoy!
You can always find the latest at this link:
www.virginiaoutdoorsman.com/content/report.html
Fishing Report - Smith Mountain Lake, VA
July 9 - 22, 2012
Water Temp: 80-86 degrees
Water Clarity: Good
While we will continue to see warm weather, temperatures over the next two weeks will be significantly less than the record setting levels we saw over the past two. Daytime high temperatures are expected to range from the upper 70’s to the low 80’s through this weekend. Next week the daily high temperature is forecast to approach 90 degrees, warmer but still over 10 degrees cooler than the incredible high temperatures experienced last week. Low temperatures at night and early in the morning are forecast to range from the upper 60’s to the low 70’s, so it should be reasonable comfortable on the water both during the daytime and at night. We should see some much needed rain this week. The current forecast is that the probability of precipitation over the next week will range from 30% and 60% every day. There is also the possibility of a severe late afternoon or evening thunderstorm, so keep an eye out for developing storms any time you are out on the lake or otherwise away from shelter.
There will be limited visibility at night over the next several weeks. With a last quarter moon this Wednesday and a new moon on July 19th there will be diminishing amounts of moonlight. In addition, the moon will be rising about 45 minutes later each evening and therefore it won’t be overhead at night until the end of next week. The current lake level is about a foot below full pond, so with cooler temperatures and rain in the forecast we can anticipate the water level will remain relatively constant. All boat ramps and marine facilities are operational.
The recent hot weather and associated surface water temperatures have pushed most of the baitfish and many of the targeted species down in the water column seeking cooler, oxygenated water. Late at night and very early in the morning some baitfish along with schools of striped bass can be found toward the middle and rear sections of the deep water creeks in the middle sections of both the Roanoke and Blackwater Rivers. Once the sun rises, these fish will move out toward the mouths of the creeks and main channel where they will be found in schools anywhere from 20 to 50 feet deep. Last week I marked one of the largest schools of stripers I’ve seen in years near the mouth of Betty’s Creek. This school completely filled the screen of my fishfinder from 25 to 50 feet below the surface and the fish appeared to be really nice size stripers. Once they moved out of the transducer cone neither I nor the other boats that marked these same fish were able to get back on them, they just disappeared. Needless to say, while I caught several nice stripers that morning and had numerous downlines at the depth of this school, I did not get so much as a bump from all those fish.
Most striper anglers are having the most success using live bait on downlines. Others who prefer to use artificial lures are catching stripers by either casting, counting down and retrieving or vertically jigging with flukes, spoons and bucktails. Some anglers prefer to set up and let the striper schools find them. A favorite tactic is to anchor a boat on a steep sided deep water point and then fan cast cut or live bait on bottom rigs so the bait is located on the bottom off the sides of the point. These anglers report success catching both stripers and catfish. Stripers are also being caught by anglers trolling umbrella rigs (Urigs), three-way rigs, Alabama rigs, diving crankbaits and deep diving jerkbaits. This time of year when the stripers are schooled up, many anglers will ride around slowly looking for striper schools on their electronics. They will typically ride around checking out good water with their electronics and once schooled stripers are located the anglers quickly set up above them with live bait and store purchased shiners rigged on downlines or jigging tackle.
Traditional downlines are similar to Carolina rigs and are created by attaching one end of a 2 ½ to 3 foot long fluorocarbon leader (15 to 25 lb. test) to a quality barrel swivel (size 3 or 5). Then an egg sinker (1 1/2 to 3 ounces) is threaded onto the main line (20-25 lb. monofilament) followed by a bead and the end of the main line is tied to the other side of the swivel with the leader attached to it. The final step is to tie a high quality live bait hook (Gamakatsu or Owner Octopus, Octopus Circle or Mutu-light) to the end of the fluorocarbon leader. Following this sequence in putting this rig together allows you to use the Palomar knot to attach each component. Insure you always moisten your knots before pulling them tight and tighten with the appropriate end of the line. Failure to do both can reduce the strength of your knot by up to 70%. If you experience break offs and the end of the broken line has a small curl, the problem is with your knot.
The size hook you choose should be appropriate for the size and type bait or lure being used. A good all around hook size for jumbo shiners, medium alewives and small gizzard shad is a size 1/0 or 2/0. When fishing with live bait in the summer and using small alewives deep, I’ll downsize my tackle and at times use a number 1 or number 2 Circle Octopus or Mutu-light hook. I will also downsize my fluorocarbon leader. Under most conditions a Size 2/0 hook is appropriate as it works with most medium size baits. When using larger baits like large gizzard shad a Size 5/0 or larger hook is recommended. When moving live bait using a trolling motor (downline, freeline, shot line, float or planer board) I usually hook the bait (point up) through the lips, top of the mouth or nostril. When fishing with minnows or live bait off the bottom or when fishing with small minnows under a bobber I suggest using the lightest hook possible and hooking the bait through the top of the back.
Bass fishing continues to be good. Tournament and casual anglers continue to catch both good numbers of bass including some good quality fish. Most reports are that the bass have pulled back and are now found in deeper water, off the sides of steep bluffs, near deep structure and in the shade under deep water docks. Anglers report catching bass on a variety of lures including shaky head jigs, pig and jigs, Texas and Carolina rigged plastic worms, lizards and creature baits. Wacky rigged Yamasenko worms continue to be productive as well when cast and allowed to sink along deep water dock pilings and along the sides of rock bluffs and ledges. Some anglers suggest inserting finishing nails, specialized tungsten weights into the ends of sinking worms (Senko’s) or using specialized jigs (Zappu Inchi Wacky) to get them to sink quickly and fish deep.
If you have any type of boat (kayak to pontoon) and want to catch bass in during the summer months I suggest you give the wacky rig a try. To fish wacky style with sinking worms use a medium size (30 series) open face spinning reel with a good drag rigged on a 6 and a half to 7 foot rod with good backbone and an extra fast tip. Put 10 or 12 pound fluorocarbon or monofilament line on the reel and tie a Finesse Wide Gap, Octopus, Owner Wacky or other quality hook (#1 to 3/0) to the end of the line. Buy a pack or two of four (or five) inch Gary Yamamoto Yamasenko (Senko) worms in green pumpkin and watermelon red or purple color. To fish with this lure, just hook the worm through the middle of the body so it just hangs (droops) on the hook and pitch, cast or skip the worm next to any deep water vertical structure. The side of deep water dock pilings that are shaded is a great place to start. Shaded deep water ledges and bluffs can also be good places.
Once the cast is made, do not close the bail, but instead leave the bail open allowing the line to fall off easily. This is critical when a vertical presentation is desired as any tension on the line will pull your lure (Senko) away from the vertical structure you are targeting. Most bites along pilings and ledges will come as the lure falls, so watch your line for ticks or any change in direction that would indicate a bass has taken your lure. Once the lure falls 15 to 20 feet or hits the bottom, close the bail, lift the rod gently a foot or so, let the lure fall back to the bottom and remain there for about 10 seconds. If there is no action, retrieve and move to the next piling or structure. Target pilings located toward the back of docks early, late and at night. Once the sun starts to move overhead look for deepwater docks (steep shorelines) and fish deep pilings toward the outside of the dock that are shaded because that is where the bass will often suspended in ambush. When you catch a bass, observe the surroundings. The depth, the type structure, the direction of the wind, the position of the sun and then seek out and focus on places that offer similar characteristics.
Deep diving crankbaits and slow rolled spinnerbaits also good choices off the front and sides of deep water docks and submerged structure near or in deep water. Those that have good electronics, can read them well and are comfortable finesse fishing with light-weight line and terminal tackle have found the drop shot rig to be a good choice for bass. Straight tail Roboworms are excellent drop shot lures and Aarons Magic, Aarons Magic Red Flake, Kerrlicious and Morning Dawn are all good colors. While some anglers still use a full spool of fluorocarbon line for their drop shot rig, increasingly anglers are tying one side of a very small, high quality, ball bearing swivel to the end of their main line and attaching a five to six foot section of fluorocarbon line (8-14 lb.) to the other. They are attaching a hook (Drop Shot, Octopus. Small EWG) using the Palomar knot about two feet below the swivel and threading the tag end back through the eye of the hook so it remains point up on the line. They then attach a drop shot sinker, bell sinker or bead, swivel and bullet sinker to the tag end at a length below the hook that is the distance off the bottom they wish to present their lure. This rig is then lowered to marked fish or cast and retrieved very slowly. When a bite occurs, simply lift your rod and reel keeping tension on the line. Some anglers attach jig to the end of the tag end instead or a sinker so they effectively have a fig on the bottom and a drop shot worm suspended one to two feet above it.
,
Fishing for small panfish has slowed now that the water has warmed to well over 80 degrees. Small warmouth are still holding in the shadows of some rip-rap and can be caught within a foot or two of the rocky shoreline. Most other panfish have moved into shaded areas or deeper in the water column. Red wiggler worms and small shiners rigged on #6 gold thin wire hooks are producing some white perch, crappies and panfish. Catfish continue to be caught on night crawlers presented on bottom rigs, especially at night. Crappie and white perch continue to take small minnows deep and to hit small grubs on lead headed jigs around deep-water docks.
Tight lines and enjoy the wonderful weather over the next couple of weeks.
Mike Snead
You can always find the latest at this link:
www.virginiaoutdoorsman.com/content/report.html
Fishing Report - Smith Mountain Lake, VA
July 9 - 22, 2012
Water Temp: 80-86 degrees
Water Clarity: Good
While we will continue to see warm weather, temperatures over the next two weeks will be significantly less than the record setting levels we saw over the past two. Daytime high temperatures are expected to range from the upper 70’s to the low 80’s through this weekend. Next week the daily high temperature is forecast to approach 90 degrees, warmer but still over 10 degrees cooler than the incredible high temperatures experienced last week. Low temperatures at night and early in the morning are forecast to range from the upper 60’s to the low 70’s, so it should be reasonable comfortable on the water both during the daytime and at night. We should see some much needed rain this week. The current forecast is that the probability of precipitation over the next week will range from 30% and 60% every day. There is also the possibility of a severe late afternoon or evening thunderstorm, so keep an eye out for developing storms any time you are out on the lake or otherwise away from shelter.
There will be limited visibility at night over the next several weeks. With a last quarter moon this Wednesday and a new moon on July 19th there will be diminishing amounts of moonlight. In addition, the moon will be rising about 45 minutes later each evening and therefore it won’t be overhead at night until the end of next week. The current lake level is about a foot below full pond, so with cooler temperatures and rain in the forecast we can anticipate the water level will remain relatively constant. All boat ramps and marine facilities are operational.
The recent hot weather and associated surface water temperatures have pushed most of the baitfish and many of the targeted species down in the water column seeking cooler, oxygenated water. Late at night and very early in the morning some baitfish along with schools of striped bass can be found toward the middle and rear sections of the deep water creeks in the middle sections of both the Roanoke and Blackwater Rivers. Once the sun rises, these fish will move out toward the mouths of the creeks and main channel where they will be found in schools anywhere from 20 to 50 feet deep. Last week I marked one of the largest schools of stripers I’ve seen in years near the mouth of Betty’s Creek. This school completely filled the screen of my fishfinder from 25 to 50 feet below the surface and the fish appeared to be really nice size stripers. Once they moved out of the transducer cone neither I nor the other boats that marked these same fish were able to get back on them, they just disappeared. Needless to say, while I caught several nice stripers that morning and had numerous downlines at the depth of this school, I did not get so much as a bump from all those fish.
Most striper anglers are having the most success using live bait on downlines. Others who prefer to use artificial lures are catching stripers by either casting, counting down and retrieving or vertically jigging with flukes, spoons and bucktails. Some anglers prefer to set up and let the striper schools find them. A favorite tactic is to anchor a boat on a steep sided deep water point and then fan cast cut or live bait on bottom rigs so the bait is located on the bottom off the sides of the point. These anglers report success catching both stripers and catfish. Stripers are also being caught by anglers trolling umbrella rigs (Urigs), three-way rigs, Alabama rigs, diving crankbaits and deep diving jerkbaits. This time of year when the stripers are schooled up, many anglers will ride around slowly looking for striper schools on their electronics. They will typically ride around checking out good water with their electronics and once schooled stripers are located the anglers quickly set up above them with live bait and store purchased shiners rigged on downlines or jigging tackle.
Traditional downlines are similar to Carolina rigs and are created by attaching one end of a 2 ½ to 3 foot long fluorocarbon leader (15 to 25 lb. test) to a quality barrel swivel (size 3 or 5). Then an egg sinker (1 1/2 to 3 ounces) is threaded onto the main line (20-25 lb. monofilament) followed by a bead and the end of the main line is tied to the other side of the swivel with the leader attached to it. The final step is to tie a high quality live bait hook (Gamakatsu or Owner Octopus, Octopus Circle or Mutu-light) to the end of the fluorocarbon leader. Following this sequence in putting this rig together allows you to use the Palomar knot to attach each component. Insure you always moisten your knots before pulling them tight and tighten with the appropriate end of the line. Failure to do both can reduce the strength of your knot by up to 70%. If you experience break offs and the end of the broken line has a small curl, the problem is with your knot.
The size hook you choose should be appropriate for the size and type bait or lure being used. A good all around hook size for jumbo shiners, medium alewives and small gizzard shad is a size 1/0 or 2/0. When fishing with live bait in the summer and using small alewives deep, I’ll downsize my tackle and at times use a number 1 or number 2 Circle Octopus or Mutu-light hook. I will also downsize my fluorocarbon leader. Under most conditions a Size 2/0 hook is appropriate as it works with most medium size baits. When using larger baits like large gizzard shad a Size 5/0 or larger hook is recommended. When moving live bait using a trolling motor (downline, freeline, shot line, float or planer board) I usually hook the bait (point up) through the lips, top of the mouth or nostril. When fishing with minnows or live bait off the bottom or when fishing with small minnows under a bobber I suggest using the lightest hook possible and hooking the bait through the top of the back.
Bass fishing continues to be good. Tournament and casual anglers continue to catch both good numbers of bass including some good quality fish. Most reports are that the bass have pulled back and are now found in deeper water, off the sides of steep bluffs, near deep structure and in the shade under deep water docks. Anglers report catching bass on a variety of lures including shaky head jigs, pig and jigs, Texas and Carolina rigged plastic worms, lizards and creature baits. Wacky rigged Yamasenko worms continue to be productive as well when cast and allowed to sink along deep water dock pilings and along the sides of rock bluffs and ledges. Some anglers suggest inserting finishing nails, specialized tungsten weights into the ends of sinking worms (Senko’s) or using specialized jigs (Zappu Inchi Wacky) to get them to sink quickly and fish deep.
If you have any type of boat (kayak to pontoon) and want to catch bass in during the summer months I suggest you give the wacky rig a try. To fish wacky style with sinking worms use a medium size (30 series) open face spinning reel with a good drag rigged on a 6 and a half to 7 foot rod with good backbone and an extra fast tip. Put 10 or 12 pound fluorocarbon or monofilament line on the reel and tie a Finesse Wide Gap, Octopus, Owner Wacky or other quality hook (#1 to 3/0) to the end of the line. Buy a pack or two of four (or five) inch Gary Yamamoto Yamasenko (Senko) worms in green pumpkin and watermelon red or purple color. To fish with this lure, just hook the worm through the middle of the body so it just hangs (droops) on the hook and pitch, cast or skip the worm next to any deep water vertical structure. The side of deep water dock pilings that are shaded is a great place to start. Shaded deep water ledges and bluffs can also be good places.
Once the cast is made, do not close the bail, but instead leave the bail open allowing the line to fall off easily. This is critical when a vertical presentation is desired as any tension on the line will pull your lure (Senko) away from the vertical structure you are targeting. Most bites along pilings and ledges will come as the lure falls, so watch your line for ticks or any change in direction that would indicate a bass has taken your lure. Once the lure falls 15 to 20 feet or hits the bottom, close the bail, lift the rod gently a foot or so, let the lure fall back to the bottom and remain there for about 10 seconds. If there is no action, retrieve and move to the next piling or structure. Target pilings located toward the back of docks early, late and at night. Once the sun starts to move overhead look for deepwater docks (steep shorelines) and fish deep pilings toward the outside of the dock that are shaded because that is where the bass will often suspended in ambush. When you catch a bass, observe the surroundings. The depth, the type structure, the direction of the wind, the position of the sun and then seek out and focus on places that offer similar characteristics.
Deep diving crankbaits and slow rolled spinnerbaits also good choices off the front and sides of deep water docks and submerged structure near or in deep water. Those that have good electronics, can read them well and are comfortable finesse fishing with light-weight line and terminal tackle have found the drop shot rig to be a good choice for bass. Straight tail Roboworms are excellent drop shot lures and Aarons Magic, Aarons Magic Red Flake, Kerrlicious and Morning Dawn are all good colors. While some anglers still use a full spool of fluorocarbon line for their drop shot rig, increasingly anglers are tying one side of a very small, high quality, ball bearing swivel to the end of their main line and attaching a five to six foot section of fluorocarbon line (8-14 lb.) to the other. They are attaching a hook (Drop Shot, Octopus. Small EWG) using the Palomar knot about two feet below the swivel and threading the tag end back through the eye of the hook so it remains point up on the line. They then attach a drop shot sinker, bell sinker or bead, swivel and bullet sinker to the tag end at a length below the hook that is the distance off the bottom they wish to present their lure. This rig is then lowered to marked fish or cast and retrieved very slowly. When a bite occurs, simply lift your rod and reel keeping tension on the line. Some anglers attach jig to the end of the tag end instead or a sinker so they effectively have a fig on the bottom and a drop shot worm suspended one to two feet above it.
,
Fishing for small panfish has slowed now that the water has warmed to well over 80 degrees. Small warmouth are still holding in the shadows of some rip-rap and can be caught within a foot or two of the rocky shoreline. Most other panfish have moved into shaded areas or deeper in the water column. Red wiggler worms and small shiners rigged on #6 gold thin wire hooks are producing some white perch, crappies and panfish. Catfish continue to be caught on night crawlers presented on bottom rigs, especially at night. Crappie and white perch continue to take small minnows deep and to hit small grubs on lead headed jigs around deep-water docks.
Tight lines and enjoy the wonderful weather over the next couple of weeks.
Mike Snead