Smith Mountain Lake June Fishing Report - Topwater time, Worming and the Dropshot.
DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE BAIT SHOP FOR ALL THE SUMMER TACKLE
I USE
June is one of my favorite months out here. Smith Mountain can set up to be super fun with fish both shallow and deep like really deep this month. We have a lot of post spawn fish that are now past that annoying zombie phase and are ready to start schooling up and chomping. We are also getting a pretty mild early summer with lots of low pressure days, some good rain to keep the water stained and some flow. Lastly, I personally feel like we are seeing a little less boat traffic this year that could help that off shore bite stay on longer every day. Bass are on the move both shallow and deep, stripers are stacked on points and panfish are everywhere!
Post spawn is a great time to get out and fish. We have both smallmouth and largemouth that are ready to put the weight back on and that makes they more aggressive than last month. The threadfin shad spawn is still rolling but happening pretty late right now. I’m hearing guys say its not starting until midnight or later and only lasting a few hours. Bluebacks are schooling up great this year, it takes some time to find the groups but once you do there are some giant bass around. The bluegills are in full on spawn mode a little early this year and that is keeping a good population of bass shallow this year. I feel like we had a lot of up and down this spring and the cool start to the summer left a lot of bass shallow. Once the bluegill start to spawn there isn’t really a reason for a big fish to head deep just to turn around so keep that in mind that we may have a longer and better shallow bite this early summer.
Stripers are being stripers right now. I am not finding the massive school yet that the summer will bring but there are some large groups on the lower and mid sections of the lake that are coming together. Topwater and jigging time is here and a great way to peel some drag.
Like I mentioned bluegill are out heavy right now. If you’re trying to get the kids on some fish or fill a bucket head to most rounded flat back pockets and find plenty of bedding fish or focus around the biggest wood laydowns you can find. Hard to beat a worm and a bobber and have at it.
Like I mentioned in the title I find June to actually be the better topwater month than May. The shad spawn is shorter in the night and those fish typically eat more in the early morning hours as opposed to the middle of the night. The blueback bite also keeps fish looking up for most of the day. I have three topwaters that are always on the boat right now and I rotate them frequently throughout the day. Keep it in your mind that each day is different. Some days they want something super load, other days something pretty quiet. Starting with load is a Whooper Plopper. I really like throwing the 130. Something bigger and louder than the smaller version. It’s a killer bait and super easy to use. Next and keeping with the bigger bait is the Megabass Magadog. Now I know this is a very large bait but hear me out. Everyone is throwing a spook style bait or something in that 3”- 4” range. They work for sure but the biggest bass in the lake have seen it 100%. Big baits catch big fish and this topwater is an amazing lure to draw the biggest fish on in the group. If you’re not thinking the big bait is for you a Megabass Dog X topwater. It’s important right now to have a three hook bait to pin as many fish as you can. My last topwater is a popper. I have two that I LOVE again a Megabass Pop X is a killer little guy that can be worked both slow and fast. The other is the Rico Popper.
If the fish are not coming it’s time to start dragging and it can be such a fun way to catch them. Everyone knows i’m not a massive Carolina Rig guys but if your planning to throw it now is the time. It’s really your choice as an angler on how you want to approach presenting soft plastics. A good ole texas rigged worm is a always good, a wobble head is a cool way to do or something off the wall like a Free Rig. The plastics can range from a Zoom Ole Monster or a Magnum Trick worm to something as small as a Missle Baits magic worm. The main thing to remember when dragging is to be slow and keep that bottom contact the entire time. If you think you are fishing slow go slower lol.
Of course I am going to put in that the dropshot is a killer bait for June. Fish are on their way out to the brush piles and one of it not the best bait is the dropshot to get them to bite around this time. For me I trust Sunline for all my line needs and their 7lb Sniper florocarbon as a dropshot leader is always tied on, even in the brush. Again, my go to is a Missle Baits magic worm. Next would be a 7” Roboworm or something like a Keitech Easy Shaker Worm. I usually have clients throw a 1/8oz as a standard to start.
Some honorable mentions for things to try is a bigger jig for those large crawfish that are moving around now. A 3/4oz Missle Baits headbanger jig is my go to for keeping it on the bottom and having a large profile. Also, keep an eye on those bluegill eating fish and keep something handy like a Missile Baits 48 worm or a Senko to skip around bream beds.
June can be a month of both size and numbers of fish. Keep an eye on incoming fronts and look to try to get out on some cloudy days to keep that topwater bite on longer. Also, be safe out there and keep an eye on your weather. VA is known for having thunder storms pop up at any moment. See you on the water!