OVERVIEW: Fishing will be good. After dark  will be the best  time to bass fish. Stripers have been very active and are in large schools. Water temperature will be in the 80’s.

• Largemouth Bass-Fishing is good. Best lures will be plastic worms, Carolina rigs,  jigs, shaky heads  and top water lures. Best areas will be points, ledges, deep docks and brush piles. Fishing at night will be the best time to catch bass. Try fishing in deeper water this month.

·         Smallmouth Bass- Fishing is fair. Look for humps and  main channel  points. Best lures will be hair jigs, plastic crawfish imitations, swim baits and top water lures. Best areas will be in the mid to lower  sections of the lake. Smallmouth will be found suspended under schools of bait fish this month

·         Striped Bass- Fishing is good. Stripers will be caught  early morning and late in the

afternoon this month. The best areas will be from mid lake to the dam. The fish will be found near the larger creeks and the main channel.. Best lures will be swim baits, Hopkins spoons and Zoom flukes fished on 1/2 to 3/4 oz. lead heads. Live bait and trolling will also be productive. Schools of stripers will surface on cloudy mornings and later in the afternoon around sunset. Most schools of fish will be found in 30 to 50 feet of water.

·         Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be fair. They will be in deep water this month. Best areas will be in the main creeks around docks and brush piles.  Small live minnows and 1 ½ inch tubes fished on 1/16 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month. Try fishing at night around lights.

·         TIP OF THE MONTH: Fish will suspend under  and around schools of  baitfish this month. Try to keep your lures as close as possible to the depth you are seeing the fish on your electronics. Most fish are hard to catch when your lure s are below their  eye level.

Call Mitch at Smith Mountain Lake Sporting Goods for current fishing reports at 540-297-7050.