Smith Mountain Lake September Fishing Report - How to tackle transitioning fish and turnover
DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE BAIT SHOP FOR ALL THE LATE SUMMER TACKLE
I USE
It’s turn over time and I hope it comes and goes quick. September into October is a interesting time to be on the water. A lot of guys are getting hunting stuff out to start to prep for deer season, but for us die hard fishermen it’s a time of scattered fish, hard patterns and ever changing conditions. I’m here for it because I love to solve the daily puzzles, but for some it can be one of the most difficult months of the year to fish.
Let’s talk about what is happening in the lake before we jump into the fishing. As cooler night come a phenomenon occurs know as turn over. This is created because the water on the top of the lake that was heated by the summer sun for the last few months is now going to get the colder nightly air temps and begin to cool. The water that was below the thermocline for the last few months doesn’t change, so when the top layer becomes cooler than the bottom the lake “turns over". This causes a number of things, but the most obvious is that the bait move around and quick. The bait that has been suspended moves to secondaries and the backs of pockets to get the last of those hot summer days. The fish quickly follow. This will happen faster than you think. I am already finding bait and fish in pockets as of the first week of September. I always keep in mind if we have three days of cooler nights things will change. Another note: turn over doesn’t happen at the same time every year and the entire lake doesn’t turn over at the same time. My rule is always to find non turn over water by running up the rivers or finding areas with fresh water coming into the lake.
For the fishing,… man bass can be turds this month. It’s junk fishing time and that means you will need to not only focus on area but also on matching the hatch better than any other time of the year. Baitfish are multiple sizes, crawfish are moving, warmouth are back on the bank, crappies are moving to fall brush it’s just a big transition for everything. This time of year is about following your instinct and moving quickly. I like to start in the backs and make my way out of pockets to see if I can gauge how far along bass have moved. Big fish are usually the first to move back. Not sure why that is but maybe it’s the amount of times they have experienced that season change but I am always ready for a monster bite up shallow. This is when i’m coving water with the trolling motor on 8-10. Buzzbaits, whooper ploppers and poppers are always on the deck for me right now. I like to toss a large blade buzzer and a smaller blade. The bait fish may be 4” long in the back or 2” long depending on the area. A Megabass Jamica Boa is a great choice for that larger profile. The different skirt length helps show bass a large meal. Another buzzer is the James Watson Tackle HD World Wide Buzzer. It’s got a great sound and smaller profile. I remove the skirt and usually add a smaller grub or anything in that 2”-3” range. The Whooper Plopper is a great all around top water that can be slowed down or speed up to get those strikes. For a popper I like something super load like a Rico or something a little smaller like a Megabass pop X.
For mid range water column baits a Zoom fluke is hard to beat these next two months. The bass still want stuff moving pretty fast so an erratic moving baitfish profile is good to get the fish biting. I rig mine on a 1/0 Gamakatsu Nano Alpha Offset worm hook and like to stick with whites and silvers to try to match as best as possible.
Dragging is also very important this time of year and fall rate is top of the list. The jig is about to become one of the best baits to have in your hand. Both crawfish and bluegill are back on the bank and being able to drag or swim a jig to present both patterns can help you put more fish in the boat. I like to have two different weights of jigs on the boat. A 3/4oz and a 3/8oz. I want to check every day if they want something falling super fast past their face or something slower. I can also adjust the speed of the fall by adding a different trailer. I throw a Missile Baits Ike’s flip out jig for my 3/4oz and the Missile Baits Ike’s mini flip jig for my 3/8oz. I really like the hooks on these baits and the colors are a good mix between crawfish and bluegill. For a faster fall rate trailer I like the Missile Baits Craw Father and for something to slow it down I’ll use a Missile Baits D bomb or baby destroyer.
Striper fishing is about to get bonkers. The fish should already be schooling up on main lake points and working their way backs into pockets using the main river channels. I would honestly just have a 3/4oz jig head and a fluke on for dropping to those fish quickly or a spook for topwater when they start to come up. If your graph isn’t loaded with returns keep moving until you find them.
Crappies are starting to stack up on some deeper docks in pockets and work their way to brush to suspend for the fall. Check the same piles you would in late spring to see if they have shown up yet.
Be safe out there this month and keep moving and trying things until you find some fish. It may be a while before you get bites and in between bites but if you can crack the code each day it can make for a fun month of fishing.