Smith Mountain Lake July Fishing Report - Smaller bite windows but lots of fish

July is a funky month some years. The fish are moving out to the summer holding patterns and can be finicky when and what they want to eat. Most fish are chasing shad style baits as the smaller fish are also moving out to the deeper oxygen rich waters. However, it’s always worth a look up super shallow for those bluegill eating largemouth and smallmouth.

Stripers are starting to school up together on main lake points, ditches and humps. A spoon is your best friend this time of year to get the school activated. A simple hopkins 3/8 or 1/2 spoon on 15lb line is all you need. Find your schools of fish and rip that bait through them. Once one commits to the bait the rest of the school will follow. It’s also worth having a topwater at the ready when they bust the surface. A fluke can also be good.

Smallmouth are also schooling very similarly to the stripers. A walking topwater is key to catching them when they decide to come up. A smaller swimbait like a Kietech 2.8” or 3.3” in a light hitch or shad pattern on a Dobyns 1/4 or 3/8oz head on super light line (7lb sunline sniper) can get any fish to bite. Remember most the bait is going to be rather small for the next few months from the shad spawn that happened earlier this year.

Largemouth are both deep and shallow. The larger numbers of fish will be out deeper on the main lake. Check depths of 20-35ft. A dropshot, Carolina Rig and a big worm get it done this time of year. Work your baits SLOW. The fish are active, but can be funny about biting. There are still some good sized largemouth up shallow that a lot of people over look. Its few and far between but they can be giants. These bass are eating bluegills that are wrapping up their spawn. Look for super shallow pockets and honeycomb bluegill nest. Throwing a popper, propbait or flip a beaver can be a great way to get the bite.

If you’re down here with the kids it’s still a fantastic time to go bream fishing. Live bait from the tackle shops and a bobber are you best friend off the docks.