Discover Smith Mountain Lake
SUMMER 2015
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retrieve. When the strike comes, it will feel as though something is trying to
yank the fishing rod right out of your hands. You might think that it is trying to
jerk your arm out of its socket. Again, I find this so exciting!!!
Whether fishing shallow or deep, keep the rod tip low for best lure action. The
best fishing time is the same. You will mostly catch Stripers, but you can also
catch trophy bass or walleye under these conditions.
In June, you can cast buck tails or other jigs and minnow lures toward the shore
with a slow retrieve, or use live bait on a planer board. The best live bait to use at
this time is shad or alewives.
In July and August, I prefer to fish around the island points near the dam. My
favorite spot is the back side long point behind the island further away from the
dam. One way to get good results is to hang out in about 35 ft of water over a
school of fish on the East side of the island. The fish will school in this area when
the dam is pulling water thru the dam to make power during the hot part of the
day. While the dam is pulling water, the resulting current will pull the baitfish
over that point, and that is why the fish are there.
Use a rod placed in a rod holder just over the fish. The line should have a 1 oz egg
sinker placed over a swivel, with an 18” line tied on the other end, with a hook
Fishing in the warm water months can be a lot of fun, with some large
fish waiting to be caught. Depending on the water temperature, success is
possible at night using lures, until about July 1st. Cast a shallow running
minnow, such as a jointed Redfin or a Thunderstick, to the bank on a point.
Then do a very slow retrieve, so that the lure rides the surface, making a “V”
as it travels back to the boat, keeping your stern light reflecting up away
from the water surface.
For best results, use this technique done during the period from 7 days
before a New Moon until 7 days after a new moon. You’ll find that the best
times will be closest to the New Moon. You can start fishing at dark, but I
find that my success rate is the highest between mid-night and 2 AM. Your
first clue that you have a strike will be when the surface explodes in white
water. When it happens right next to the boat, it can cause your heart to
beat rapidly. For me, this is real excitement!
Your approach needs to be different during the alternate times (7 days
before until 7 days after a Full Moon). You will need to put the boat into
shallow water (about 2-3 feet deep) on a point. Cast to the side of the point
with a Deep Diving Redfin, Rebel, Lil’ Mac, etc, and retrieve very slowly.
If the lure hangs on the bottom, stop the retrieve, and lower the rod back
toward the lure, so that it will float out of the snag, and then continue your
Almanac
Fisherman’s
TAKE
TWO
by Bob King
March 5th - Full Moon
March 20th - NewMoon
April 04th - Full Moon
April 18th - NewMoon
May 3rd - Full Moon
May 17th - NewMoon
June 2nd - Full Moon
June 16th - NewMoon
July 1st - Full Moon
July15th - NewMoon
July 31st - Full Moon
August 14th - NewMoon
August 29th - Full Moon
September 13th - New
Moon
September 27th - Full
Moon
October 12th - NewMoon
October 27th - Full Moon
November 11th - New
Moon
November 25th - Full Moon
December 11th - New
Moon
December 25th - Full Moon
MOON PHASES
FOR 2015
