Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2013 17:11:53 GMT -5
Thanks for picking up the slack Travis. Love it!!!!!
Posted: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 12:06 pm
By Captain Travis Patsell Cats N’ Stripers Guide Service
Editor’s note: Smith Mountain Lake fishing guide Travis Patsell provided this week’s SML fishing report.
Striped Bass: Stripers are now starting to move into their spring patterns. With fish showing up in shallow waters as well as shallow in the water column. Various methods are able to take these fish.
• Fishing live bait such as Gizzard shad, Alewives even shiners.
• Hooking them behind planer boards, floats as well as flatlines.
• Running freelines or light lines behind the boards and floats will keep your bait in the strike zone.
Freelines, consist of nothing more than your swivel, leader, hook and bait. Lightlines are the same as freelines, except you add an 1/8-3/8 weight to your main line. Flatlines consist of free or light lines, but fished from behind the boat. Downlines with alewives set 15-25 ft .are also still catching fish but look for schools of striper to start to be more scarce as spring moves in.
The artifical bite can be good this time of the year. Some anglers are relying on flukes and bucktails with a 1⁄4, 3/8 or 1⁄2 ounce jig head. Simply slow rolling the bait from shoreline to your boat. Pearl, white ice, and albino are good choice of colors in Zoom Super Flukes. A hopping motion is also effective. A local-made lure called the Swamp Monkey is also a very effective bait worked in the same patterns. Also don’t overlook swimbaits and A-rigs for stripers. Anglers are also tossing shallow running plugs such as F18, solid redfins, yozuri crystal minnow, bomber A’s and the like in shad matching patterns aswell as gold colors. There is also a night bite this time of the year, which I have heard of one fish in the 20-pound range brought in this past weekend.
Catching bait right now for stripers can be at times, somewhat difficult. Alewives can still be caught underneath dock or bridge lights but a few more throws under the light may be necessary. Also throwing your net into the darker edges of the light can produce alewives when the bright areas are not. Gizzards can be deep 20+ ft. during the day time. Look for them best early or late in the day. A large net of 8-12 ft. may be necessary.
Catfish: Catfish can be hit or miss this time of the year as the water warms and cools throughout March as the temperatures rise and climb.
Channel cats can be fished using various baits this time of the year. Cut baits are usually my way to go. But don’t overlook the store bought baits of liver and raw shrimp. Fishing from an achored boat in 10 ft. of water, I scatter baits from 10-25 ft. deep. Focus on points, drop off contours, and flats. I like to find these areas with a gentle tapering slope into the deeper water. As always the closer to the river/creek channel the better.
Flatheads: Flatheads this time of the year can also be hit or miss. Flatheads can also be found in the same areas as channel cats but live bait would be a better bait. Flatheads won’t be as aggressive to hit as the channels with the cooler water. Look for a slower and settle run from a flathead.
Both catfish species will improve as the water temps warm into the 50’s and 60’s. Using a simple Carolina rig is a good method right now. I prefer 20-30 lb. main line, with 40 lb. leaders. One-2 ounce sinker and 4/0-7/0 hooks. Matching the hooks to the size of the bait. I prefer the heavy leaders, due to a catfish’s rough textured, sandpaper like teeth, as well the abrasive structure on the bottom.
Crappie; Look for crappie in 5-15 ft. of water. Minnows or jigs under slip bobber of free pitched in and around docks and brush is always a good method. Also, spider rigging over open water in creeks and coves is also an increasing method of targeting crappie.
Good luck, be safe and good fishing
Posted: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 12:06 pm
By Captain Travis Patsell Cats N’ Stripers Guide Service
Editor’s note: Smith Mountain Lake fishing guide Travis Patsell provided this week’s SML fishing report.
Striped Bass: Stripers are now starting to move into their spring patterns. With fish showing up in shallow waters as well as shallow in the water column. Various methods are able to take these fish.
• Fishing live bait such as Gizzard shad, Alewives even shiners.
• Hooking them behind planer boards, floats as well as flatlines.
• Running freelines or light lines behind the boards and floats will keep your bait in the strike zone.
Freelines, consist of nothing more than your swivel, leader, hook and bait. Lightlines are the same as freelines, except you add an 1/8-3/8 weight to your main line. Flatlines consist of free or light lines, but fished from behind the boat. Downlines with alewives set 15-25 ft .are also still catching fish but look for schools of striper to start to be more scarce as spring moves in.
The artifical bite can be good this time of the year. Some anglers are relying on flukes and bucktails with a 1⁄4, 3/8 or 1⁄2 ounce jig head. Simply slow rolling the bait from shoreline to your boat. Pearl, white ice, and albino are good choice of colors in Zoom Super Flukes. A hopping motion is also effective. A local-made lure called the Swamp Monkey is also a very effective bait worked in the same patterns. Also don’t overlook swimbaits and A-rigs for stripers. Anglers are also tossing shallow running plugs such as F18, solid redfins, yozuri crystal minnow, bomber A’s and the like in shad matching patterns aswell as gold colors. There is also a night bite this time of the year, which I have heard of one fish in the 20-pound range brought in this past weekend.
Catching bait right now for stripers can be at times, somewhat difficult. Alewives can still be caught underneath dock or bridge lights but a few more throws under the light may be necessary. Also throwing your net into the darker edges of the light can produce alewives when the bright areas are not. Gizzards can be deep 20+ ft. during the day time. Look for them best early or late in the day. A large net of 8-12 ft. may be necessary.
Catfish: Catfish can be hit or miss this time of the year as the water warms and cools throughout March as the temperatures rise and climb.
Channel cats can be fished using various baits this time of the year. Cut baits are usually my way to go. But don’t overlook the store bought baits of liver and raw shrimp. Fishing from an achored boat in 10 ft. of water, I scatter baits from 10-25 ft. deep. Focus on points, drop off contours, and flats. I like to find these areas with a gentle tapering slope into the deeper water. As always the closer to the river/creek channel the better.
Flatheads: Flatheads this time of the year can also be hit or miss. Flatheads can also be found in the same areas as channel cats but live bait would be a better bait. Flatheads won’t be as aggressive to hit as the channels with the cooler water. Look for a slower and settle run from a flathead.
Both catfish species will improve as the water temps warm into the 50’s and 60’s. Using a simple Carolina rig is a good method right now. I prefer 20-30 lb. main line, with 40 lb. leaders. One-2 ounce sinker and 4/0-7/0 hooks. Matching the hooks to the size of the bait. I prefer the heavy leaders, due to a catfish’s rough textured, sandpaper like teeth, as well the abrasive structure on the bottom.
Crappie; Look for crappie in 5-15 ft. of water. Minnows or jigs under slip bobber of free pitched in and around docks and brush is always a good method. Also, spider rigging over open water in creeks and coves is also an increasing method of targeting crappie.
Good luck, be safe and good fishing
