SML - benefit for WV flood victims, 12-13 AUG 2016

[31airborne]

An old Army buddy came up from LA (Lower Alabama) to fish this w/ me. Jerry's come up for SML outings a few times in recent past because he loves this lake. Unfortunately he brought the heat with him. It was hot, doods.

Practice. We focused on points, ledges w/ deep water (15'+), and deep water docks (10'+ on the font) in areas where the sun was late to hit directly or where direct sunlight was limited by trees. For one thing, this kept us out of the sun but mainly these areas ended up being almost 2 degrees cooler than places in direct sunlight. It made a difference for us. We did fish in direct sun areas but there was nothing cooking. All of our fish were diggin' the shade. Spook, jig, fluke, and c-rigged creature baits worked for us. No big ones, but the bites were there.

TX day. Russ had about a dozen boats - a little disappointing considering the cause but was good to see a few boats some out and endure the heat. We picked up where we left off in practice, working points, edges, and deep water docks. We picked up our first fish quickly - a short guy that absolutely creamed my spook. Our first keeper came on a fluke shortly thereafter. He was hiding underneath the leading edge of a dock and jumped on my fluke as soon as it settled. Then we went about 3 hours before we picked up #2 - a long, skinny fish that was hiding in some shallow brush. There were a few swings and misses after that but no fish broke the plane of the gunnel. We finished the day w/ 2 fish for about 5 lbs (3-fish limit).

Observations: 1) Water temps ranged from 82 to 86*. They actually came up overnite FRI. That's how hot it was. Water had a slight stain to it but you still had about 2' of viz. 2) Fish were holding tight to brush, rocks, and stumps along first breaks (6-10'). Put the bait on top of them and they were willing to eat. 3) Lots of baitfish in the backs of creeks and bigger main lake coves. They were traveling in small pods shallow and over the main channels. We did see some predator fish activity around some of these. We did not get bit unless we saw baitfish activity nearby. 4) Rocky bank was better than clay. 5) Wind blowing across the structure was better than wind blowing directly on it. 6) The first rec boat showed up at 06:58. It was a typical summer day on SML. Navigation in the main channel was, well, entertaining.

The heat and humidity were oppressive, doods. We did a good job of hydrating and taking breaks in the shade but it still wore us out. It was dangerous hot, the kind of heat that hurts you. We used a couple of things that made a difference in managing the heat. First, UV protective clothing. Loose-fitting, light colored. Secondly, buffs. I struggled w/ the tight fit but eventually got used to it. I did not have a burn on my face or neck. Finally, cold water. We would soak our buffs in cold water every once in a while. The cooling effect was amazing. Hydration started early and continued in earnest throughout the day. We used a combination of water and electrolyte.

One of the competitors who came in from WV won the Lee Smith Custom Rod raffle prize. Lee's work is truly incredible. Lots of ooo's and aaah's going on before and after the raffle. Thanks again, Lee!

Russ Nixon, our VA West FoM division director, put on another terrific show. He made for a great show even with the small turn-out. FoM is sending a lil love to WV along w/ our prayers for a safe, swift recovery.

Wish there was more to report but the bite was tuff. Did I mention it was hot???

peace,
B

[Mike Cork]

Thanks for the great report Fishing in that kind of heat can be very tough.

[31airborne]

Final tally is in - we raised $1708 for WV flood victims, a large portion of which is credited to Lee Smith's generosity.  The rod raffle was huge success.  Thanks again, Lee!

[Lee Smith]

Final tally is in - we raised $1708 for WV flood victims, a large portion of which is credited to Lee Smith's generosity.  The rod raffle was huge success.  Thanks again, Lee!

Glad to help out Brian!  Sounds like a tough day on the water, thanks for what yall have done to help out folks, I know that $$ will be put to good use!

[Princeton_Man]

Very sorry I had to miss it. Even with the low turn out it sounds like quite a success!