It has been a fairly cool and wet summer through July, with the lake temps lower and water level higher than last year at this time. August is the month for smallmouths, this is when they are growing and really put the “feed bag” on, biting pretty much all day. Finding the right depth is the key based on water temp and they may be shallower with cooler temps; don’t be afraid to go deep for the big smallies, up to 50 feet. One good rule is if you are getting rock bass that means you should move deeper but that is not always the case; there are some big schools of rockies so moving may be a good idea if you are looking for bigger fish.
Crayfish rule as the bait of summertime, what fish doesn’t like a mini lobster. The Keithech plastics have been producing well the last several years. Unfortunately the company seems to have changed many of the good colors and they have been in short supply; they are available at Fish307.com and The Outdoorsman. Laker fishing should remain steady through the month, we have seen good numbers of keepers in the 24-27” range all season.
As you will notice on your sonar, the trout start to “stack up” and suspend in groups later in the summer, these fish are tempting to target but they usually aren’t feeding when grouped up like this. I prefer spoons at this time, and sometimes a faster troll will trigger strikes from them. Salmon fishing seems to have peaked last year, we caught a few good ones in early July but didn’t target them much with the consistent laker bite.
Spoons and dodger/fly combos are a good bet, there are some nice salmon around if you can find them. Speaking of salmon, we have added them for the Adult Division of the 3rd Annual King George Fishing Derby to be held September 15-17 this year. We hope that the move away from the busy season will boost attendance and make for better fishing. Check out the website: www.KingGeorgeFishingDerby.com.
