by Capt David Hare
Water temperature: 88 degrees, lake level: full pool (491.00), clarity: clear.
July was a pretty awesome month for nighttime striper fishing. With only a few nights being tough, we were able to limit out the majority of time plus land some nice trophies including a 36 and a 26 pounder.
August fishing should continue to be good nighttime striper fishing. The water temps are going to be 90+ and the fish are going to be deeper this month than most any other month. I personally will be working in 100 feet or deeper water looking for suspended fish in the 60-80 foot depths. I will also be expecting the best bite to be later in the night, say 9pm or later. With good live bait, lots of patience will be the key to great catches.
August is also a good time for deep water trolling at daylight and dusk. I would try in the Ridge Marina area, the dam and Goat Island. For best results, try using spoons, jigs and big swimbaits running them 40-60 feet deep.
Bream fishing is really good in August. If you can stand the heat, you can limit out most any day at most any time. Try your luck in shaded pockets that are stacked with floating debris. Most any area of Lake Martin holds real nice bream.
Until next time, be safe, keep what you can eat and release the remainder for your next trip!