Our favorite time of the year to fish is all year long. With each different season different techniques are used, making fishing very exciting all year round.

SUMMER MID JUNE THRU MID SEPTEMBER:  The summer is very good for catching a lot of fish.  A good trip in the summer can yield 10-15 fish.  This is not the best time of year to catch big fish, but they are caught periodically.  The stripers are concentrated on the south end of the lake, in search of cool water, and get in DENSE schools. Sometimes 2 or 3 fish are caught at the same time.  In the summer we put in at the dam and usually stay within a few miles.  Charecteristic summertime fishing is using live bait, fished on down rods, usually deep(30-60 ft).  With the hot weather we usually start an hour or two before daylight and fish until 10:00 or 11:00 am. 

FALL MID SEPT. - EARLY DEC:   With the cooling water temperatures the stripers start getting revved up.  The fall is a good tiime of year to catch a lot of fish.  With the right conditions it's not uncommon to catch a dozen or more fish.  The striped bass is a cold water fish and prefer cooler water temperatures.  As the water temperature gets cooler the fishing gets hotter.  These fish are starting to move to the north ends of the lake.  The fish move up from the depths and come late october early november the topwater action can be incredible.  These fish get on a "blitz" and a good day of topwater fishing it is common to see hundreds of yards of water being churned up by stripers busting on top.  Sometimes on a good day you can follow them for hours of this.  During this time of year we still use live bait.  Catching a 10-15 pound striper on a topwater redfin or zara spook is a thrill unmatched.  Funny story twice young kids have been throwing topwater at stripers busting, a striper hit the bait and yanked the pole right out of their hands. 

WINTER LATE DEC. - EARLY MARCH:  With the weather getting cold the water temperatures plummet.  The stripers are very active in the winter with the low water temperatures.  These fish move to the north ends of the lake in anticipation of their spawning attempts.  They are on the move and can be found in drastically different parts of the lake on a day to day basis.  Trolling is a very effective technique during these times of year.  Topwater action happens all throughout the winter just not as often as in the fall, any day in the winter thats not too windy theres a chance of seeing some topwater action.  Fishing is good in the winter and if someone can stand the cold there is a lot of fish to be caught in the winter.  We like the winter because the lake is empty.  There are not very many anglers who fish december through february.

SPRING EARLY MARCH THRU MID JUNE-  Topwater action is very good all through the spring, the same goes for the spring as the fall.  At times giant schools of fish are seen busting on top for hours.  For the folks who want to catch a BIG ONE this is the time of year for you.  The spring can actually be broken up into early and late spring.  Early spring is THE BEST TIME OF YEAR TO CATCH BIG FISH. By big fish were talking 25 pounders and up.  These fish do not successfully reproduce in freshwater settings, but they still try.  When the water temperature is between 58-67 these BIG females move as far up in the lake as they can go, trying to spawn.  This creates an exciting experience for all customers.  When targeting these BIG fish, we fish in 4-8 ft of water, and it is a challenge landing a BIG fish in shallow water.  I have talked to a person in the stocking program that has personally seen and held a 62 pounder out of smith lake that they shocked up.  FYI this fish was released and swam away healthily.  This time of year we fish live bait on planer boards or free lines very shallow dragged behind the boat.  When the stripers hit you actually get to see the fish popping at the shad before eating it.  Late spring we utilize the same techniques, but the fish are starting to move back to the south end of the lake, and many big fish are caught in transition spots of the lake only experienced guides know about.  Spring is the time of year where, on average you will not have the numbers of fish that come in the fall and summer, but on average the fish are slightly bigger, and the chances of catching a HOG are greater