August is one of my favorite times to fish out here. That might seem against the grain since most fishing handbooks tell you summer time fishing is tough but I love solving the puzzle daily. Water temps are now back on track with what they have been the last few years with morning temps right around the 80-82 mark and 84-85 durning the evening win...

July bring on the heat baby!!!!! We have had one strange spring but we are finally getting some super hot days (heat index over 100) and that is putting the fish back on track to where they should be. The bass fishing is getting really good the stripers are back in the tree tops and the bream and crappie fishing is loaded up. July gets a lot of sl...

June is here and it’s going to be a lot of fish movements. After having a strange weather month for May with two really big cold fronts the heat is finally here. Our fish have been in a long holding pattern of protecting fry chasing shad and believe it or not still spawning. Our water temps are hovering around the low to mid 70’s which is a few de...

May is an exciting time to fish at Smith Mountain Lake as many species of fish become more active as the water temperature continues to warm up. One phenomenon that occurs in May is the shad spawn which can make for some great fishing opportunities. The shad spawn usually occurs in May when the water temperature reaches around 65-70 degrees. Durin...

April is an excellent month for fishing at Smith Mountain Lake. The water temperature starts to warm up and many species of fish become more active. Nature will show you signs of when the fish are going to start moving like dogwoods blooming grass growing and trees starting to bud. The weather will start to be stable for long stretches with random...

Smith Mountain Lake is a great place for fishing especially for those looking to catch largemouth bass smallmouth bass stripers and crappie. With already warming temperatures in early February you are going to see all species of fish be on the move to shallower water. Largemouth Bass are usually found in areas near drop-offs where flats meet on th...

I hope this fishing report finds you well and ready to wet a line at beautiful Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. January is a great time to target largemouth bass smallmouth bass stripers and crappie in the lake. We have seen large temperature swings again this fall and early winter that have made the fishing somewhat of a roller coaster but the fi...

Sorry i’ve been a little MIA this report guys. I had lots of travel and family time. The fishing has been slightly off at SML this fall. The AEP crew dropped the water for an incoming hurricane that never showed up and that threw the fish for a loop for sure. Now that we are in a true winter temperature the fishing is about to get much much much b...

VA weather has been so up and down the last two falls. We seem to get a great cooling trend in October that kicks fall off then a warming trend and high pressure systems keep unusually warm air temps and low chance of rain. This causes the water temps to dip at night and rise as much as 4-6 degrees during the sunny days which can cause the fish to...

This year could be a really special October. We are having some strong Arctic high pressure systems coming south that are bringing low temperatures into the 40’s at night which is pretty early for this time of year. This will have the fish on the move a little faster this year so be ready to check some areas that you may have overlooked in the las...

Who’s ready for fall??? The cooler weather is here early this year with nightly lows in the lower 60’s for the first week of September. The fish are moving every day and getting active. We had a somewhat hot summer but nothing compared to last years. Water temps topped out around 81-83 and at least for me that bass never really moved out that deep...

It’s HOT out there. First and foremost before we jump into fishing make sure you guys are staying safe out there. Bring and drink tons of water in the boat put on the sunscreen and wear breathable fishing style clothes. The sun can take a lot out of you on a long day of fishing so be prepared. The lake is fishing well right now. Schools of all typ...

The heat of summer is here and the fishing is just as hot at Smith Mountain Lake. We are catching some good numbers of fish that are moving out to deeper water for the next few months and still catching a few big bass up shallow eating bream. Stripers are starting to school up super well and eating a ton. It’s a green time to get the kids our fish...

This June has been an interesting one for me with guiding. The weather this spring was very up and down with a few times of 8-10 degree swings. Our spawn started early then stopped then came back and stopped again. We hit 80 degree water in May and dropped back down to low 70’s in early June. This has the fish kind of all over the lake. The smallm...

If you’ve never experienced the biggest topwater bites you could think of then its time to hit the water! The shad spawn is here and the most aggressive topwater bites are about to go down. This is one of the most fun ways to catch all types of fish. The lake is just alive from top to bottom. The stripers are chasing bait on the main lake points i...

It’s time to catch um. What felt like a super long winter that never seemed to end with the up and down weather has finally worked itself out. Bass are shallow and all over the beds. Stripers are loaded on points and the bluegill and crappie are on the move. Striper fishing is lights out on the lower end of the lake on most secondary points in the...

Spring is here and it’s coming quick. After a little break I took to Florida I am back and rocking and rolling on the home waters and my lord I am glad I am back home. The water temp was so strange this winter with it staying warm well into January and then fall off for most of the last two months. Well nature is looking for do about the same. Wat...

It’s finally here! After another year of a mild early winter we have finally turned the corner and have true winter air temperature and water temperatures. We have had a few snow storms and some very cold evenings that has dropped the water temp from 52 in December to 43 degrees as of January 13th. That snaps was all we needed to get these fish to...

Wow fishing has been super tough this year. With the lack of rain low water and unusually warm air temps we are still stuck in a late fall pattern of fishing. The stripers are FINALLY stacked up and can be pretty easy to catch on points and super deep chasing bait but the largemouth and smallmouth are harder to convince. With the extended forecast...

Wow did that weather take a turn from October to November. We were on a path to have another great fall bite with some super cold nights in October that sent the water temp into a free fall but that all changed when 60-70’s decided to show up for a few weeks. Fishing is a little more tough right now. Bass and Stripers are still up chasing bait but...