Saturday, July 7, 2012

July Forecast

Fireworks and Fish will be exploding here on the reservoir this month.  July brings warm weather and lot's of good early morning fishing.  Sun up through mid morning will be the time to hit the water in anticipation of fast and furious action.  Schooling fish of all species will be primarily focusing on or shad forage.  I have never seen as much bait in the reservoir as this year.  Literally hundreds of yards of shad litter the creeks and the main basin.  This is great news for the health of the reservoir here as our game fish will respond quit positively to this abundant food source.  This year has been a banner year with lot's of catching on most every trip out. With only a few exception's we have seen double digit days every time out on the water in regards to multiple species action.

Big Bull Bluegill's in the 7 to 9 inch range will be on my radar this month.  This spring and early summer here on Greers Ferry has produced more bluegill's in this trophy class than any other year.  Days of catching a dozen to three dozen of these bull's are here.  Target the front side of the full moon through the next three month's for the best action.  Although some of these big gill's will be in 3 - 6 feet of water, look deeper when chasing the monsters.  I like 15 - 18 feet of water and prefer bright sunshine when fishing this species.  Live night crawlers presented on or near the bottom will work best for the bigger gill's.

With the spawning blue gill's brings old Mr. Mossback  into the shallows at night.  Some of the largest bucket mouth's on the lake will be feeding almost exclusively at night.  If your wanting to catch a big summer time bass, hit the water at dusk and fish until midnight.  These large fish that are primarily reclusive in the day time will be cruising the shallows for an easy meal.  Big Spinner Bait's like my custom Midnight special will deliver in a big way!  Lake Fork Trophy Lures 10" worms in Red Bug, Black Neon and Blue Bruiser will all produce when you find active fish.  I prefer ultra skinny water with a good vertical drop into much greater depths to hold the best night time bite.  Night fishing in the summer time can be fun but at the same time slightly more dangerous.  Use caution and always keep a light on while fishing and moving from location to location during night time hours.  Be sure you are very familiar with the lake and it's hazards before going out on your night time excursion.

Our White Bass and Hybrids will be very willing to bite this month during twilight hours and some days on up in the morning.  While Cloudy days will produce extended feeding times, Bright sunshine will really make them feed in tighter schools and generally produces a much more consistent bite.  Consistent weather is always a plus when chasing the temperate bass species.  Large summer time thunderstorms can disrupt the feeding pattern for a day or so following a large storm.  When chasing these surfacing fish I like the Fish Dinner Lures Cindy K Spinner, Zara Spook in Bone or Clear or the new line of hard plastic's by FDL Company which included the "Almost Something" and the "Skipper".  Both of these new baits are fish catchers and produce an awesome visual when the fish decide's to eat!

July can be an awesome time to catch loads of fish here on Greers Ferry.  Be careful in selecting the times you choose to pursue your quarry and be sure to load up on plenty of water before you leave the dock.  Heat sicknesses can occur in short order when we have temperatures in the upper 90's to over 100 degrees at times.  If you have any question's about the reservoir or what's biting best be sure and call or shoot me an email and I will get back with you as soon as I'm off the water. Check out Fish Greers Ferry on Facebook for updated trip pictures and the inside scoop on what's happening now here on Greers Ferry.  Good Fishin` Cody S. Smith www.fishgreersferry.com (501)691-5701

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