Water Temp: 79 degrees                                                          Water Clarity: Good

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The forecast is for sunny to partly cloudy skies until the upcoming holiday weekend when we may see increased cloudiness and a chance of scattered thunderstorms. The high temperatures early in the week will only be in the low 80’s and will increase to around 87 degree’s midweek where they will remain through the weekend. It will cool off at night with the low temperature dipping down into the mid 60’s each evening. There will be a new moon this Wednesday, July 2nd, so there will be virtually no moonlight on the lake this week and over the 4th of July weekend.
 
Overall, the fishing on the lake and in surrounding rivers and ponds has been good over the past several weeks. The James River has been producing nice numbers of smallmouth bass for float fishermen using small 3 and 4 inch “wacky rigged” Yamasenko worms, tubes and floating worms like the Roboworm fished on split shot rigs. Spinnerbaits and plastics continue to work in local ponds.
 
There continues to be an early topwater bite for bass using popping lures (Rebel, Rico), top walkers (Spooks, Sammy's), buzzbaits and spinnerbaits, but it only lasts for the first hour or so. Tubes, giggy head, shaky head and sinking worms are working around docks during the day. Carolina rigs are working in the day as well when fished off humps and deeper water points. The bass night bite on Smith Mountain Lake continues for those using worms, crankbaits and topwater lures. The worm bite continues to be good in the early evening and after dark. Texas and Carolina rigged worms are producing fish at night around submerged structure and brush in from 8 to 22 feet of water. Deep Creek, ZOOM and V&M plastics in greens and dark night colors are all working.  If you are interested in learning more about fishing for bass in Smith Mountain Lake this time of year, consider a seat in the upcoming “Summer Bass Fishing – Jigs, Rigs and Plastics” Workshop. The workshop will be held in the second floor meeting room above the Virginia Outdoorsman on July 10th from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. For more information or to reserve a seat, just call the shop. 
 
The alewives are still moving up on rocky and rip-rap shorelines after dark to spawn. The bass are following them to the bank and are being caught right up next to the shoreline on medium sized, floating jerkbaits like the Rapala Floating X-Rap, Storm Jointed Thunderstick, Cotton Cordell Redfin and newer Strike King “King Shad”. Most of these topwater lures produce the best results when retrieved slowly along the surface, producing only a slight bow wake. Other topwater lures that are also producing bass at night include the new wakebaits (Excaliber), chuggers (Jitterbug) and several different poppers and propeller baits (Rico, Lucky Craft, Cotton Cordell).  Stripers are also being caught at night using larger stickbait lures like the Bomber Long A and Series 18 Original Floating Rapala.  The Thunderstick, Redfin and the Strike King “KingShad” produce good results on stripers as well as bass at night.
 
There are a number of different “open” bass tournaments held around the lake at night during the summer. Fishing at night allows anglers to avoid boat traffic, enjoy cooler temperatures and fish popular night patterns. Open tournaments are ones available to all anglers. If you are visiting the lake and are interested in fishing in one or more of the local open bass tournaments held each week, just call the Virginia Outdoorsman for information about the different events including their format, location, times and cost. This past week the Tuesday Night open tournament was won by the team of Mike Johnson and Glen Sink with a five fish weight of 16.35 pounds. They also had the tournament big fish weighing 6.25 pounds. The Saturday Night open tournament out of Foxport had a field of 19 boats this week. Mark Vest won the event with a total weight of 15.85 pounds while fishing without his regular partner.  The team of Charlie Haynes and Eddie Purdue brought in the big fish Saturday night weighing 5.20 pounds. The Sunday SMLBass Open Tournament series is taking their mid season break for three weeks. They will resume their normal Sunday schedule on July 20th. 
 
Catfishing has picked up. Shad, small panfish and the jumbo, live shiners available in most tackle shops and marinas are good bait for flathead catfish.  Live shad, cut bait and prepared stinkbaits continue to work for channel cats.  Live bait should be fished on downlines or bottom rigs in deep water during the day. Live bait can be placed under a float or bobber at night and allowed to swim along banks and flat points near deep water where flatheads will find and take it.
 
Most anglers are catching stripers in the daytime fishing live bait on freelines, in-line planer boards (Water Bugz, Off-Shore, Outcast), floats, free-lines and downlines. As the surface waters warm the alewives and stripers will pull back into deeper cooler water with good oxygen content. Stripers are being caught in the main channel around the mouths of most major creeks and pronounced points around the lake. The most recent reports suggest the stripers being caught in the mid to upper arms of both the Roanoke and Blackwater Rivers continue to be better fish than those currently found in the lower lake. Stripers are schooling up and beginning to follow baitfish into deeper water.
 
Trolling for stripers is also producing good results and some very nice fish. Good trolling lures include 4, 5 and 9 bait Umbrella rigs as well as three way rigs with Sutton Spoons and sassy shad or swimbaits. For trolling, lead core outfits continue to be very popular because of their low cost and ease of use. Good line counter reels spooled with braided line are also popular trolling combinations, especially for those pulling umbrella rigs.

Enjoy the fireworks, have a safe July 4th and tight lines.